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Coaster Thrills and Mountain Skills

Building an entertainment empire "with Christ in the room" was the Herschend family's calling

by Lucas S. Roebuck

The gusting wind was not welcome on this April Saturday in Branson, Missouri.

The mercury hovered around 48 degrees—seeming even colder with the spittin' drizzle. Not a great day to run around Silver Dollar City, a theme park fashioned after a turn-of-the-last-century mining town nestled in the Ozarks.

Yet you'd never know that from the exuberance of the tens of thousands of teenagers streaming through the gates. Young Christians Weekend is the season opener for Silver Dollar City, and the place is, well, hopping.

The aroma of freshly baked giant chocolate chip cookies swirls through the hungry crowd, mingling with the smell of kettle corn, funnel cakes, and rotisserie chicken. Even in this weather, the Dipping Dot Ice Cream vendor is doling out cones to a group of lanky teenage boys.

Ryan Dobson, son of Focus on the Family radio host James Dobson, tells the young audience in the amphitheater that God loves them despite their flaws. Minutes later, screaming junior high girls signal the arrival of the Christian boy-band, Plus One, to the stage.

Of course, there's another reason to scream—the unveiling of the $18 million looping coaster, Wildfire. A shivering t-shirt and jeans clad crowd lean against the wooden railing that leads them up the hill to the twisted steel thrill ride.

Wildfire climbs slowly above the natural beauty of the Ozark hills before dropping 15 stories. It's a long way down, and some riders are praying as the coaster speeds faster than it takes them to catch their breath. Everyone survives—to do it one more time.

Sunday morning, back at the park, the thrill seekers gather for a rousing church service. Among the Christians in the crowd are other teenagers trying to forget their personal struggles—broken homes, low self-esteem, peer pressure, and depression. For some of them, Christ's love breaks through their walled-up hearts for the first time.

Young Christians Weekend has been a pivotal spiritual turning point for many teenagers over the years. For Silver Dollar City co-founders and co-owners Jack and Pete Herschend, it's living out their own commitment to Christ.

The Herschends make no excuses for operating a serious, for-profit theme park—or for running it consistent with Christian values. After all, honoring Christ is the basis of their mission statement.

Both men were in their twenties when they sat down on the log bench behind Silver Dollar City's Wilderness Church in 1960 and had what Pete called "a board meeting."

"We were, relatively speaking, baby Christians," Pete said, "But we decided we needed to look our Lord in the eye in terms of our business and say, 'Lord, we did our best.' "

The brothers discussed how they could use their assets faithfully.

"That's where we coined the term, 'Making decisions with Christ in the room,' " he said. Jack is quick to point out that they haven't always made the right decisions, yet the brothers agree that they've made some good decisions over four decades.

Operating in three states with more than 5,000 employees, the Herschends have built a world-class entertainment enterprise. The flagship properties are located in Branson. Silver Dollar City shines the brightest—a theme park that attracts more than 2 million visitors annually, built around the family-owned Marvel Cave. A short drive away are the paddlewheel showboat, The Branson Belle, and Whitewater, a popular water park. Out-of-state theme parks include Dollywood in Tennessee and Stone Mountain in Georgia. Last year, more than 8 million people visited a SDC attraction.

The rustic buildings and shops of Silver Dollar City were modeled after an actual mining town that existed on top of Marvel Cave in the late 1800s. The front street with its blacksmith shop, a restaurant, and a handful of other structures, went up in 1960 to give people waiting to tour the cave something to do. Over years of expansion, its charm hasn't worn off.

"We need to earn the right to talk about Christ in a way that's honoring to him and our guests," Jack said. How is that done? Through fostering warm and friendly relationships.

"Obviously, not everyone who comes to Silver Dollar City is a Christian, nor should they be," Pete said. "What I have heard time and time again from visitors is, 'You know, there's a special feeling about Silver Dollar City.' Another will say, 'I can't put my finger on it.' Others who are more aware of what's going on will say, 'That's a great place where Christianity really means something.' "

While employees are not required to be Christian, the Herschends encourage believers on their staff to share the reason for their love when the opportunity arises.

"We try hard not to wear our faith on our sleeves," Jack said. "But we also work hard to treat folks as Christ would have us treat folks. When asked, we are pleased to tell folks that we are a Christian organization."

Jack uses a cooking analogy to explain witnessing at Silver Dollar City. "Witnessing is like seasoning a meal. Too much spoils the meal. We don't want to cross the line from what is tasteful and appropriate."

"Following a weekend, a youth leader will call over the next few days and say, 'I had five kids who accepted the Lord on the way home.' When you think about the opportunity—900 kids made a commitment to Christ during the weekend—that's awesome. That's what Silver Dollar City was built for."

Spotlighting Christmas is another way to get the Christian message out. Up until 13 years ago, the park was always closed the last two months of the year. Today the Christmas Festival, which runs from November 3 through December 30, draws the biggest crowds to Silver Dollar City each year.

"The Christian witness is straight- forward," Jack said. "After all, what is Christmas all about but Christ?"

Even without explicit evangelism, people come to know Christ at the park.

"I met a family that said something that caught my attention," Jack said. "The father said, 'We've come the last six weekends in a row because this is a lot like coming home.' "

As they talked, the man said his entire family had become Christians at the park. It was the most significant event in their lives.

The financial success of Silver Dollar City definitely turns heads in the business community, especially when other professionals learn the Herschends don't compromise their faith.

"You can put Jesus first and run a successful business," Pete said.

But being Christian doesn't guarantee you run a perfect business. "We mess up," Pete said. "We're human and are as prone to error as the next guy."

Linda Fridel and her husband Bob are retired missionaries employed at Silver Dollar City. Linda is affectionately referred to as the church lady.

On Sundays in the Wilderness Church, where a service is held for guests and staff, or spontaneously during the week, Linda leads impromptu hymn sings. Her joy is infectious.

"You'll walk by and a hundred people who didn't come to the park to go to church are singing," Pete said.

Luke Standlee, who died in 1997, was one of Jack and Pete's favorite Silver Dollar City citizens. A street cleaner for the park, he gravitated to children with needs.

One day Jack watched Standlee in action.

"Luke was talking to a little girl in a stroller while her parents stood beside her. I could see the tears in their eyes. But Luke was ignoring them; his attention was focused on the little girl much to her delight."

When the family left, Jack went to investigate.

"Luke aw shucked, then said, 'Whenever I see youngsters who have had a hard road, I try to get them to smile. Then I ask them to do things to make their mom and dad happy and to please the Lord.' " Luke would seal each promise with a shiny silver dollar.

When Jack found out that Standlee did this four or five times a day, and he'd been doing it for years from his own pocket, it was time to step in. "We provided the silver dollars after that. It wasn't part of Luke's job description to be kind to children with needs; it was just the way Luke was."

Pete said that acts like Standlee's are examples of Matthew 25:35: "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in."

"It's simply living out what we as Christians are called to do," Pete said. "Our people know what it is to share love."

A Christian Reader original article.

Caring for People Outside the Park

JoDee Herschend's concern for single moms gave her an idea

Lucas S. Roebuck

Pete Herschend met JoDee Remien at Silver Dollar City when they played star-crossed lovers in a Hatfield-McCoy sketch. The faux family feud ended in 1966 when the two married. Over the past 35 years, JoDee has been important to the park's success, says Pete. In 1997, JoDee decided to use what she and Pete learned about marketing at the park to help people meet Jesus.

JoDee founded The Caring People, based in Branson, to initially work for the benefit of single moms. Hiring the experts behind General Motors Saturn marketing campaign, a research study addressed the question: why are single moms resistant to the church? The needs were evident. Single moms lacked community, acceptance, and daily support, but they also feared betrayal, abandonment, and judgment from the church.

"The single mom faces so many enemies: desperation, loneliness, and physical abuse," JoDee said. "Even worse is the abandonment by everyone she needs. And she fights the feeling that God has abandoned her as well."

In San Jose, California, The Caring People has successfully paired single moms with mentors from Aglow International, a Christian women's group.

Sometimes situations warrant extensive help. "One single mom had a restraining order against her ex-husband, but he was not obeying it," JoDee said. "She said she had no where to turn when she heard our radio spot. Our counselors and their husbands personally moved her to another town where she and her children are receiving care and ministry."

For information on The Caring People, phone 417-334-0131.

Copyright © 2001 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today's Christian magazine (formerly Christian Reader).
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