Three Incentives for Joining the Movement

By Brandon Smith

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Read the main article: “Provoking Change: A Review of Catalyst Atlanta”

 

 

The Catalyst conference, true to its name, has kindled motion. It has invited the next generation of Christian leaders to become change agents in the ever-evolving church. In the last decade, more than 100,000 young leaders accepted that invitation by attending a Catalyst conference. They come from every corner of this country, representing every major denomination. It”s clear that Catalyst is having incredible influence upon churches and Christians everywhere.

We in the Restoration Movement have also been summoned to engage in the action. Our absence would not benefit the kingdom. Having experienced the conference this past October, I have identified three reasons our movement should be involved in what God is doing through Catalyst.

The Incentive of Insight

Catalyst, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2009, assembled a second-to-none lineup of main session speakers. Ministry leaders such as Andy Stanley and Chuck Swindoll were complimented by the sharpest minds in business, including Dave Ramsey and Malcolm Gladwell. “Catalyst brings the best of the best,” according to attendee Matt Bortmess, senior associate minister with the Rochester (Illinois) Christian Church.

Brian Mowers, minister with North Pointe Christian Church in Statesville, North Carolina, participated in Catalyst via the live blogging I provided, sponsored by Christian Standard. He says, “If we believe “˜we are Christians only, not the only Christians,” then we need to not only be open, but hungry to hear how God is speaking to leaders outside of our circle. These people have valuable things to say, and we need to listen.”

If we listen, we will hear Reggie Joiner teach us that the church needs to change how it views the family if we want to reach the next generation. We will hear Malcolm Gladwell remind us that, in times of crisis, we do not need leaders who make daring and bold decisions. Instead, we need leaders who are humble. We will hear Priscilla Shirer challenge us to leave room in our lives for “divine interruption.” We will hear Dave Ramsey offer his formula for creating momentum: “Fi/T(G) = M,” which means, focused intensity over time, multiplied by God, equals momentum.

We have much to learn from others.

“The idea that we”ve got it all figured out shouldn”t fit into our personal strategy, our church”s mission, or our movement”s slogans,” says Dusty Drake, associate minister at Community Christian Church in Fort Scott, Kansas. “Catalyst gives us ways of expanding our knowledge of what might be possible by rubbing shoulders with a kaleidoscope of other leaders.”

The Incentive of Influence

The conference”s organizers are creative thinkers and big dreamers. Recognizing Christ”s call to care for orphans and widows (James 1:27), Catalyst is leading the way in seeing this call realized in our churches. Realizing there is strength in numbers, Catalyst mobilizes the masses. With 13,000 strong at this year”s event representing hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of Christians in churches around the country, what kind of impact could be made in the lives of those who hurt?

Were you aware 100,000 orphans live in the United States? This should not be so, because there are also 300,000 churches in this country. If only one family in every three churches would adopt, the tragedy of children without a family would be eradicated in this nation. Catalyst challenged its attendees to make it happen.

What about the 143 million orphans worldwide? How can we make a dent in this staggering number?

Or how many women and children could be released from poverty if each minister challenged the members of his church to finance entrepreneurs in developing countries via microfinance?

This is big thinking, but it”s precisely the kind of thinking we need in our movement to spur us on toward love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24). With about 6,000 Christian churches in this country, God has entrusted us with significant influence.

The Incentive of Unity

“In many ways, Catalyst is the payoff of our journey to going beyond denominations to simply obeying God”s Word,” says Tim Hudson, campus minister emeritus with Christian Campus Fellowship at the University of Georgia. Tim has attended Catalyst the last five years.

Catalyst, according to its Web site (www.catalystspace.com/about/values), is “committed to . . . infusing our events, resources, and experiences with the unchanging truth of God”s Word.” This commitment to God”s Word and his kingdom, as opposed to any denomination or affiliation, sets the table for God to use this conference as a true catalyst, sparking movement and change in churches across the country.

And our movement needs to occupy a chair at that table and to engage in what God is doing through Catalyst. In Hudson”s words, “For our movement not to be a part of Catalyst is to miss the dessert after the meal we have prepared!”

 

 

Brandon Smith is campus minister with Christian Campus House at Northwest Missouri State University. You can read his live blogging notes from the Catalyst conference at www.mynameisbrandon.com/catalyst.