FROM THE EDITOR
Lessons for Gospel Ministry from a Researcher at the Molson Coors Beverage Company
A
little over ten years ago, on a plane ride in the U.S., I sat next to a middle-aged woman who worked for a large multinational beer company. I love meeting new people when I fly. It's something I always look for, hoping for an engaging encounter. On this particular day, I got my wish. My seatmate was friendly and inviting. We conversed with each other almost the entire two-hour flight. Considering the contrast in our occupations, it was surprising we had so much to say to each other. And in my history books, it was one of the most memorable conversations I've had on a plane ride. It went something like this: “Wow! A beer company! What company do you work for, if you don’t mind me asking?” “Molson Coors,” she replied as she proudly straightened her posture in her seat. “What do you do for them?” I asked. She had already asked what I did for a living. Given I was pastoring at the time, it may have been why she responded with a massive grin on her face, “Well, you may find this funny, but I sit in bars all day and talk to people.” I laughed! “Well, that sounds interesting — a 8
Alberta Adventist News
DECEMBER 2020
job that could either be depressing or fun,” I quipped. “Oh, I love my work, and I have a lot of fun,” she quickly clarified. “Tell me,” I said, “why on earth would anybody pay you to sit in a bar and talk to people?” She laughed. “I’m a researcher,” she replied. After pressing her a bit further about specifics of her job, she confessed, “I study beer and people.” Both of us were laughing audibly now. This was going to make for an exciting conversation. “What do you do with your research results or findings?” I inquired. “Oh, wow,” she said. “That's a huge question. My research, and that of the team I’m on, goes toward all kinds of things.” “Oh yeah, like what,” I replied? She said, “Okay, well, here’s an exciting one that my team and I contributed toward. We discovered that there is a specific temperature the majority of our customers prefer to drink their beer.” I laughed, “Okay…go on.” “Yeah, right…” she said with a smile. “Most people think that all the customer needs is a cold beer. But what we discovered is that 'cold' isn’t always adequate. We learned that there is a specific level of coldness that is desirable and measurable.
