What Churches Can Learn from the Buc-ee’s Phenomenon

When my youngest daughter moved to Texas a few years back, on our first visit, she wanted us to get some good Texas brisket. She said it was at a gas station. We thought, “What?”  

She assured us it was a big gas station.

She was right. It was a gas station, it was big, and it had great brisket.

The chain was founded in 1982 in Clute, Texas, and it didn’t begin expanding until 2003. It wasn’t until 2018 that they opened the first Buc-ee’s outside of Texas in Alabama. Since then, it’s spread to Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, Colorado and Missouri. New locations are currently planned for North Carolina, Mississippi, Ohio, Virginia, Louisiana, Arkansas, Arizona, Kansas, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma.  

While all of the Buc-ee’s gas stations are large, the one in Luling, Texas, is actually the largest in the world.

So, what is the attraction beyond 100 or more gas pumps?

There are several distinctions:  

• ridiculously clean and well-staffed bathrooms (even winning the Cintas award for “Best Restroom in America”)
• an engaging mascot (Buc-ee the Beaver)
• no 18-wheelers allowed
• a convenience store that is equal in size to the number of gas pumps (think Walmart meets Cracker Barrel meets the food court)
• open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
• convenient access off major interstates
• food, food, food (all travel locations have a bakery, brisket, fudge, and beef jerky bar, snack aisle, soda, coffee, and Icee station)

And last but not least,

• Beaver Nuggets (their famous flavored corn puff snacks)

So what can Buc-ee’s offer the church? All you have to do is think about what makes it so popular. Five things in particular come to mind:

First, convenience. They are located on major interstates. They are easy to find, easy to exit to, and easy to get back to your travels from. By eliminating 18-wheelers, they make it easy to find parking close to the store. In my book What They Didn’t Teach You in Seminary, in the chapter on church growth, I have a section titled: “location, location, location.” If you are not accessible by interstates or major thoroughfares, you will limit your physical, in-person growth.   

Second, cleanliness. In a recent blog, I wrote about the idea that “everything communicates.” Few things communicate more than cleanliness, and few areas matter more when it comes to cleanliness than bathrooms.  

Third, customer service. You simply can’t enter a Buc-ee’s (or leave one) without being enthusiastically greeted. In fact, when compared to other gas stations and convenience stores, Buc-ee’s ranks #1 in customer service.

Fourth, comprehensive care. When you are driving on the interstate and are going to exit and make a stop, what is driving you? (Pun intended). You want to go to the bathroom, get some gas, grab a bite to eat, get a drink, and stretch your legs. Being able to do that in one place with quality at every turn makes a difference.  

Finally, just good old-fashioned quality. Consider the news that 7-Eleven just announced the closure of more than 400 stores in North America alone. The company’s CEO gave several reasons, including inflation, slowed traffic, and a decline in cigarette sales. But first and foremost, he noted a shift in consumer appetites. Consumers, he said, are taking a “more prudent approach to consumption.” Think fresh food and affordable meal options. Or, in the case of Buc-ee’s, think of that amazing brisket.

Some people might feel that a church that picks up a few tips on serving people at their point of need from a place like Buc-ee’s is somehow not quite being the church. So, what you’re saying is that we should be inconvenient, dirty, unfriendly, fail to meet people’s needs, and make sure whatever we offer is low in quality?

Churches should take lessons from wherever they can when it comes to furthering the cause of Christ. We are not in the consumer business, per se, but we are in the people business. And we want to remove any and every barrier to reaching people except for the scandal of the cross. If that means sprucing up the bathrooms, well, that seems like a small effort to share Jesus.

It might even be worth throwing in a mascot or two for your children’s ministry.

James Emery White

Sources

You can read more about the history behind Buc-ee’s here.

Emma Bowman, “7-Eleven to Close Over 400 Stores in North America,” NPR, October 12, 2024, read online.

Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Common/Missvain

Published Date: October 24, 2024

The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of CrosswalkHeadlines.

James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and a former professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president. His latest book, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, is now available on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit churchandculture.org where you can view past blogs in our archive, read the latest church and culture news from around the world, and listen to the Church & Culture Podcast. Follow Dr. White on X, Facebook and Instagram at @JamesEmeryWhite.