the Blink-182 Throwback Thursday
I first remember hearing about Blink-182 from all my younger Student Ministry Volunteer leaders and students late in the 90s/early 2000s. I was a little skeptical especially when all these young-ins started saying how they were the best band ever. One volunteer leader even said they were “better than U2” which is basically blasphemy to my generation.
Then I saw this video below and I thought, these guys are pretty good after all!
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7l5ZeVVoCA&feature=kp[/youtube]
Now, I wouldn’t go as far as to say they were better than U2, Pearl Jam or any other legendary bands but they had talent, appeal and the “it” factor that many bands lacked. They were really good and I really began to enjoy their music.
However, just as quickly as it came, it was gone. In February 2005, Geffen Records issued a press statement announcing the band’s “indefinite hiatus.” It was over. Why? Because of arguments of their future and recording processes (thanks Wikipedia for the info).
“Tom, Tom, this is a great music history lesson but really, what does this have to do with me and my ministry?”
Here’s what…Bands are hard to form and stay around for a long time. The days of U2, Pearl Jam, the Rolling Stones and Metallica are gone. There needs to be chemistry, communication and unison to succeed. I’m not saying that they can’t fight or argue, but if they lack these things and their egos get too big, they will fail and disband. And a lot of them fail.
Ministry Leadership Teams are the same way. Whether it is Family, Children or Student Ministry Teams, there needs to be chemistry, communication, consistency and unison. If they lack them, there will be disfunction, tension, and instability. Because of this there are very high chances leader turnover and inconsistency of leaders investing in students. And, ultimately the students and the Kingdom of Heaven will all suffer because of the problems within the Leadership Team. And that is unacceptable.
Blink-182 could have been one of the all-time great bands. They had it, but they couldn’t stay together. Sure, they are back together again, but their appeal is far less than it ever was back in the early 2000s. We don’t need our Ministry Leadership Teams to be like this. We need high impact and great unison amongst the team so that more people can come to know Christ.
But how do you get that? How do you keep moral, chemistry and unity high so that you can have the most impact? I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences on what you think Ministry Leadership Teams in your area of ministry need to possess to have the greatest impact over the longest amount of time?
