Communicating "the Why"

I think many of us have lost sight of "why we do what we do." That's not something that is boding well for the church. It's a message that was known by the wisest leader God ever appointed, Solomon who said, "Where there is no vision, the people perish..."

I recently watched a seminar on leadership by Simon Sinek (Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action | Video on TED.com) that articulates the importance of casting a vision in leadership. The refrain he repeated throughout this 18 minute talk was, "people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it." Now, I'm not selling anything per se. We're asking people to "buy-in" with their spirituality, emotion and commitment though.

Most churches communicate in this direction - we are a church (what); we do things this way (how); so you can go to heaven and evangelize others (why).

Instead, shouldn't we communicate in this order? We want to be a part of God's kingdom and invite others (why); so we do things this way (how) and by the way, we are a church (what). Make sense?

People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.

Let's apply this to worship. I've said for a long time, "what you win people with, you win them to" (credit to Andrea Anderson who has also long said this). You can't do worship good enough to give someone a spiritual experience that leads them to Jesus. So why put the focus on that? A great worship service, in and of itself is only a foundation for leading someone to Jesus. The worship experience has to be an authentic expression of that faith.

People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.

Here's how I apply this to the worship ministry at my church, New Hope Adventist Church.

We want our congregation and attendees to experience transformational worship and know Jesus. (Why)

We use artistic expressions that people know and love to communicate biblical truth and lead them into a spiritual experience. (How)

We are the worship ministry, which is made up of music, technical arts, dance and first impact. (What)

People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.

It's time to start communicating the "why" for our congregations and let the "why" redefine us. It should define us from top to bottom. It should shape every ministry, initiative and campaign that takes root in our church. If people perish without a vision, then they must thrive where it is present.