There’s an Executive Headhunter out there who has a unique style when it comes to finding and recruiting corporate executives for large firms. The first thing he likes to do when he's conducting the interview is disarm the potential recruit: "I offer him a drink, take off my coat, undo my tie, throw my feet up on the desk and talk about Baseball, Football, Family, whatever the case may be – until he’s all relaxed. Then, when I think I’ve got him relaxed, I lean over and I look him square in the eye and say: ‘So, tell me – what’s your purpose in life?”
“It’s amazing how top executives fall apart at that question." But then one day, something else happened... He had this one potential candidate completely disarmed with his feet up on the desk talking about football. The headhunter leaned in for the kill: "So, what's your purpose in life?"
Without blinking an eye, the Executive leaned in towards him and replied: "To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can." "For the first time in my career," said the headhunter, "I was the one who was speechless..."
While there might be 1000 great ideas out there concerning what needs to happen in order to make a congregation flourish in our day and age, it's all smoke and mirrors unless those who've walked through the front door of your church are there because through the ministry entrusted to your care, you have served them in such a way, that you have made it possible for them to have a God moment realization: gotta get to heaven!
God moments are the power for change in the world. A church without God moments is like a ship without a rudder tossing about until it gets caught in the seaweed. Thing is, it's not about the magic program, it's not about the comfortable seats and the relaxed atmosphere: it's about the Pastor’s own quest for the heart of God exemplified through holiness of life. It's about those in leadership positions within the church living out their day to day ever mindful of their own God moments.
St. Alphonsus de Liguori captures it best: "a torch that is not inflamed, cannot light the way." After all, it’s one thing to be Christian by name, just like it's one thing to be a soldier who's not on the battlefield. It's another thing to live out the love that burns in one's heart for Jesus Christ by the power of His Spirit in order to bring all glory to God the Father just like it's another thing to be a soldier in the front lines pinned down to the ground amidst a rainstorm of crossfire.
Every adult Christian worth their salt has had a good number of God moments throughout the course of their life journey. The world would have us believe that it was a ‘coincidence’, an experience subject to our own interpretation of reality. But those of true Faith know otherwise. Flourishing congregations happen because Pastors read themselves full, think themselves clear, pray themselves hot, and let themselves go! Potential God moments in the life of a congregation are born out of a living witness.
Pastors, church leaders, all in authority within any given church – pass on the gift of Faith alive in your heart to those around you so that by means of your witness, they will come to discover the only purpose in life that really matters. Next time someone asks you why you do what you do; share with them the ultimate purpose of life.
“My purpose in life is to go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can..." for all else is dust and air.