The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual
by Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls, and David Weinberger
(Perseus Books, 2000)

There are few books that I rank as absolutely, positively must-read, but The Cluetrain Manifesto ranks among them. Cluetrain began as a web site (http://www.cluetrain.com) and has emerged as a simple book with a message of epic proportions. Subtitled The End of Business as Usual, this book lives up to the claim by detailing the ways in which the Internet and World Wide Web have changed reality for all time. The way businesses and organizations of all kinds (including churches) relate to the world, the culture, and the customer is currently different from anything we have experienced since the days of the open street market bazaar.

Beginning with the posting of "95 Theses" (who says business books aren't theological?), The Cluetrain Manifesto stands much contemporary thinking about the Internet, customer service, leadership, marketing, and communication on its collective head. With the rise of the World Wide Web and e-mail, many people felt that communication and interpersonal contact would greatly suffer. Most critics of the computer age have perpetuated this concern. An analysis of reality indicates just the opposite is true.

Central to the thesis of The Cluetrain Manifesto is that human beings are essentially social animals who want to be in communication with real live flesh-and-blood people who will be honest and truthful and who will listen intently to their deepest concerns. The Internet is fast becoming the vehicle through which these people are finding their voice, and it is changing the way we perceive and understand the world.

No longer do people patiently tolerate the spin-doctoring and pandering of products that characterized business of the twentieth century. For the twenty-first century, a new accountability is in order. People want to be treated with respect. They want to support businesses and organizations that display integrity, honesty, and motives beyond mere profit. Instead of making communication more difficult, the Internet connects more voices together — instantly and intensely — for a level of interaction unheard of in earlier times.

It doesn't matter what a business says about itself. What matters is what customers say about the business. Often, within seconds of being provided with a service — either good or bad — customers are letting others know what they think in no uncertain terms. Entire companies are finding their fortunes made or lost based on the opinions and evaluations of faceless voices on the net. The downside is that mistakes and poor service are immediately magnified, but the upside is the creation of a forum for honest conversation and potential improvement. Businesses unafraid of entering into the conversation are uniquely positioned to form strong relationships with their customers. Reputations are won and lost at the speed of thought.

But what does this all have to do with the church? Let me share a story. I asked seven people if they would read The Cluetrain Manifesto and give me their honest opinion about its importance for leaders in today's church. Here are some excerpts from their e-mail responses:

"What does this have to do with anything? Our church doesn't even have a web site. Why would we care about this?"

"This is the most amazing book I've read all year. Oh, man, we are so far behind. The train left the station and we're still looking at our watches. This is mind-blowing."

"Where do you find these things? You read the strangest books. I have no idea how this applies to the church."

"You're going to write the church version, right? I mean, this needs to be translated to our reality. My gosh, if businesses are so far behind the curve, where does that leave the church?!"

"This is bogus. This is all blown out of proportion. The majority of the world isn't even online. We have a long time until we need to worry about all of this. This is a bunch of tech-heads making themselves more important than they really are. It applies to some of our churches, and it applies to younger people, but it doesn't really help the rest of us."

"It took me forever to read the book. Almost every page caused my mind to wander to 'what-if' questions. I know it's written in business language, but it is so about the church. Not where the church — or the world, for that matter — is heading, but where it is right now. We are missing so many opportunities. We are operating so far below our potential. Thank you for this book. Thank you for keeping your eyes open for what I need to be reading."

I give the whole span of responses because they indicate the ambivalence that surrounds the Internet and our wired world. If you believe that the net is the way of the future, you cannot ignore —or escape — The Cluetrain Manifesto. It is what it is — a clear statement of the way the Internet has fundamentally changed the way we think, act, communicate, and live.

Ultimately, the power of this book lies in the fact that it isn't about the technology. The Internet, e-mail, the World Wide Web, and all the fun gadgets of the computer world are merely tools — means to a much larger end. The Cluetrain Manifesto is a book about relationships, communication, integrity, trust, vision, power, and hope. It is a spiritual book if you will approach it with an open heart and mind. The Cluetrain Manifesto challenges the way we look at the world, and it forces us to examine some of our most comfortably held convictions.

Instead of a discussion guide, three questions are offered here to those who will read The Cluetrain Manifesto and share it with others:

1. How does this book challenge my vision of the world?
2. What are the key points this book makes about communication, relationships, learning, leadership, and organizations?

3. How is my thinking about the church influenced by the messages of The Cluetrain Manifesto?

Dan R. Dick is a former staff member of the General Board of Discipleship.

(originally posted June 1, 2000)

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