Finding a Team's Identity

Recently, I was watching a segment of an interview consisting of Kirk Herbstreit (ESPN Announcer/Commentator) and Sam Bradford (OU Quarterback). Sam Bradford just finished his sophomore year of eligibility playing football for the University of Oklahoma. He won the Heisman Trophy last fall, being only the second sophomore to win college football's most prestigious award.

Kirk was asking Sam what it was like to come onto campus a couple of years ago and be a "nobody" and now, be more than a "somebody". He was asking him what changed in the past couple of years. Then Kirk asked Sam how his leadership changes or is going to change this coming fall. Sam said a quote from NFL Redskin's quarterback great, Joe Theisman that really impacted me. Here it is...

Every team has to find its own identity. ~Joe Theisman

Sam was saying this because Kirk and him were discussing the difference between this year's team and last year's. Sam elaborated to say that it didn't matter if you had all the same guys back from last year, your team still changes, and even at that, the team must find its own identity.

As I was thinking about ministry, so often we want to have things be pretty much the same. All of us have our comfort spots and will resist change of one form or another. However, as a church, we/you may start to develop some camaraderie but then something may change. People may move in or out or an issue may rock the boat. Then, we must find our identity again, as our team develops. Other small factors can include a season, a recession, a drought, a new staff member, a death, etc. All these things are factors which a team is going to have to find its identity to "click" and be the best organism it can be to accomplish its purposes.

A football team consists of about 55-60 guys, total. But within those groups are offense, defense, and special teams. Each of those groups must also form their own identity. Within a church body, there may be times which mini teams are found (like in ours). Each of those are going to develop their own identity, but that identity will change as time goes on.

Regardless of the size of team or the purpose of the team, we must find our own identity to make sure we know what we're doing and how we're doing it so that we can work together to be the best we can be!

Finding our identity...