BuzzFeed News recently reported an article about a little item that has taken the world by storm. Below is how the article starts:
Somehow, the Great Fidget Spinner Frenzy of 2017 managed to burn its way across the country without a major retailer, TV advertisement or brand getting involved. It wasn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last. And here’s the looming problem, for everyone from toy stores to government regulators: products can now reach millions of people before anyone really knows anything about them.
Consider the hoverboard. The hit viral gadget of 2015 rose to international prominence — and fell into relative obscurity — before big toy brands or retailers could stamp their names on it. Or look at vaping, which has become a national pastime without a major brand or retailer getting a piece of it.
Like the hoverboard and other fads that are here today and gone tomorrow, the fidget spinner craze will eventually fizzle out. Pop star popularity is also transient. But whether it’s a great toy or a great entertainer, you instantly recognize greatness for what it is. Then you go and tell all your friends about the greatest movie you ever saw, the greatest song you ever heard, the greatest car you ever drove, or the greatest toy you ever played.
What about the greatest cereal you ever ate? Frosted Flakes, right? They’re Greattttttttttttttt! Ok, maybe I’m taking things overboard, but I think you get the point. Great things sell themselves. You can advertise, market, and tell everyone you meet on the street about your product, but if it is not great, who cares?
Greatness is something that stands out in a crowd. The cream rises to the top. How else do you explain how the A&W root beer float became such a hot item? I can see the cream now. It’s easy to spot talent too. There’s no need to find a job if job offers are flooding in. I don’t know why, but right now I’m thinking of the Lending Tree commercial, “why go crawling to the bank when the bank can come crawling to you?”
Next Generation Ministry (NGM) is Great! Unlike gadgets that become the latest craze for just a short while, I think NGM’s shelf life will be much longer. Ministry models often do phase out over time, but their run is usually longer than two to three years. For instance, modern-day youth ministry is still present in our postmodern times. Who can forget the youth choirs, the packed churches, and the kicking bus ministry of the 1970’s? Though our churches are not as packed, many churches still have a youth choir and run a bus ministry. And we’re talking over 65 years have passed since then. Yes, NGM is here to stay and I think for a long time!
The wave of the future is here! NGM is relatively new to the ministry circuit and in its infancy stages. But as one of its trailblazers, I forecast that the bandwagon will soon follow. Why? Because you don’t have to advertise “Great”.