“People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.” ( Simon Sinek, Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action)
Tell me why / Tell me why / Is it hard to make arrangements with yourself / When you're old enough to repay / But young enough to sell? (Neil Young, “Tell Me Why”)
John Creasy invited us last week to ask “Why” “Why do we come to worship?” “Why does Open Door exist?” Why is a BIG question. Before he disgraced himself, the comedian Bill Cosby asked “Why is there air?”
The above quote from author and TED speaker Simon Sinek speaks to my interest as an Interim Pastor. Let me rephrase Sinek: “People don't join a church for what you do; they join why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.” Philanthropic leaders tell us that people donate money to organizations who have a clear vision and mission AND which make a difference in peoples’ lives. People affiliate with a church because of the church’s WHY. And that WHY has to connect with them in real, livable ways.
Jesus wasn’t popular simply because of what he said or how scripturally literate he was. People flocked to him because of what he did and on whose behalf he did what he did. His WHY was a Spirit-inspired movement to improve lives (release of prisoners, care for poor and oppressed). WHY” As God was merciful and compassionate, so was Jesus God’s anointed.
What is the WHY of Open Door? Has it changed over twenty years? Why new WHY is emerging?