“come to Jesus meeting” explained

I have no idea where or how I first became aware of what’s called a “come to Jesus meeting.” Nobody’s ever explained it to me, but since it entered my lexicon I have been asked to explain it many times.

As I understand it, a “come to Jesus meeting” is one where everyone dispenses with BS and circular talking at the outset, so that something real and substantial can be done or hammered out. You might find people having a come to Jesus meeting in a lockerroom during halftime at the Super Bowl or when sales figures aren’t on target as the end of the quarter approaches. People in relationships have come to Jesus meetings when they’re at a critical juncture and need to figure out how (or if) to proceed. Coworkers have them when something major has occured and an explanation is required.

The phrase crops up all over the place. A Google search brings up a blend of references both religious and not. I did a Lexis-Nexis search (another excellent reason to be a student — I can do those sorts of things) and found a handful of uses of the expression in major newspapers over the last couple of years. (Incidentally, those uses tend to be in reference to political machinations; the Congressional leadership seems to like “come to Jesus” meetings, as does the Pentagon.)

One such example, from a Washington Post article Feb. 24, 2004, about the National Governors Association, reads:

“But after the party-line vote, governors held a closed session that one Republican described as a ‘come-to-Jesus meeting,’ during which all agreed to put aside partisanship and focus on their common need for White House assistance with specific trouble spots in their states — Medicaid, homeland security, special education and President Bush’s education initiative, the No Child Left Behind Act.”

Another example, from a Houston Chronicle article on March 12, 2003:

“Baylor trailed Texas A&M by nine points at halftime in Tuesday’s first-round game of the annual Big 12 women’s tournament and had played miserable basketball. Coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson said it was time for a ‘come to Jesus meeting.’ Whatever she chose as her locker room sermon, it worked.”