The “wave” at a stadium, as we know it today, began on October 15, 1981, during the third game of the American League Championship Series between the Oakland A’s and New York Yankees. A man named George Henderson had an unusual idea—something no one else in the stadium had thought of.
He began banging on the drum he was holding, attracting the attention of the people sitting around him. He described the movement as being “like a wave.” It started with the people sitting on his left and right, and then spread as more and more people followed in succession. What began as one man’s simple idea eventually became a historic phenomenon.
Dov Seidman described the meaning of the wave this way: it was unusual behavior because thousands of people were spread throughout a vast stadium, with very limited ability to connect and communicate with one another. Yet they were able to come together in one large, cooperative action because they were moved by a common purpose.
George Henderson did not succeed immediately. He continued through several failed attempts. He must have encountered people who ignored him, hesitated, laughed, or even mocked him. At first, only a few fans responded. But he kept going.
Eventually, with enough people supporting him, his message began to reverberate throughout the entire stadium. Thousands of people he had never met caught his vision and participated in it. Decades later, the stadium wave continues to be experienced by millions of sports fans around the world.
This is what communication of vision can look like.
not simply something a leader announces once. It is something that must be communicated repeatedly until people begin to see it, understand it, embrace it, and eventually participate in it.
Church leaders must first stir the enthusiasm of the people closest to them. Then they must continue communicating the vision from the pulpit, in special seminars, through lay leadership meetings, in small groups, and even in the pews. To create understanding, empathy, and passion, leaders must communicate and reinforce the vision again and again.
I believe this was the reason Pastor Melvin, the founder of Lay Ministries, gave me one of my first pieces of advice: create and send a weekly and monthly newsletter.I followed that advice for about fifteen years.
Even today, I try to maintain that same spirit and put it into practice.
When a vision is communicated consistently, people and churches gradually begin to see the bigger picture. What begins as one person’s conviction can eventually become a shared vision. Then dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of people and congregations can begin to cheer, move together, and work toward the fulfillment of that vision.
A vision may begin with one person, but effective communication can turn that vision into a movement.