Provoking Change: A Review of Catalyst Atlanta

By Brandon Smith

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Read the Sidebar: “Three Incentives for Joining the Movement”

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When thousands of vehicles converge on a single four-lane road, movement is bound to slow. This was the case driving north on Sugarloaf Parkway outside Atlanta the first week of October.

But the occupants of these vehicles were gathering for a conference, and, contrary to the traffic, the passengers were preparing for a great movement.

The conference is called Catalyst. A catalyst, by definition, is a force that provokes or speeds up significant change or action. While I don”t remember a lot from my science classes in high school, I do recall that a catalyst sparks movement. This aptly named conference has been doing just that””sparking movement””in churches and ministries around the world.

Originally conceived as a conference focusing on the next generation of church leaders, Catalyst is arguably the most influential gathering of young Christians in the country. Since its inception in 1999, more than 100,000 people have attended Catalyst conferences, with thousands more participating in Catalyst”s regional and one-day events. Numbers alone allude to Catalyst”s far-reaching influence on churches and ministries everywhere.

The 2009 conference marked Catalyst”s 10th anniversary, and the coordinators went out of their way to provide an experience worthy of celebration. The lineup of main session speakers read like a Who”s Who list of ministry leadership: Andy Stanley, Chuck Swindoll, Dave Ramsey, Louie Giglio, Rob Bell, Francis Chan, Matt Chandler, and more.

In all, there were 10 main sessions with nine different speakers. Each session also included special musical performances, worship, videos, and unique experiences. All this was crammed into two short days. I felt as though I were drinking from an open fire hydrant. And while I don”t have the space here to share everything, allow me to pass on some highlights.

Examples of Leadership

Pastor and author Andy Stanley quoted his father, Charles Stanley, in the opening session. He said, “God takes full responsibility for the life wholly devoted to him.” He illustrated this by sharing the story of Joshua, who in his greatest season of leadership continued to kneel before the Lord (see Joshua 5:13-15). Leadership is not about the mark we leave ourselves, but about the mark God leaves through us as we lead lives wholly devoted to him.

Chuck Swindoll, popular preacher and author, brought the grandfatherly wisdom of a 74-year-old man to an arena filled with 30-somethings. The room hushed in anticipation and respect as he took the stage and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Catalyst.

Fittingly, he shared lessons learned along the journey of his 50 years in leadership and offered a few statements to help guide us in the next 50 years. He said, whatever you do, do more with others and less alone; whenever you do it, emphasize quality, not quantity; wherever you go, do it the same as if you were among those who know you best.

Francis Chan, pastor and author of the books Crazy Love and Forgotten God, simply read a passage of Scripture as we shared in an amazing time of Communion. It was a solemn reminder of our common bond in Christ and his one body, despite our large number.

Amid the various messages, a theme emerged; we are called, by God, to lead as he expects us to lead. We are not called to fulfill the expectations of others or to try to be the “next” Rob Bell or Andy Stanley or Francis Chan. We are called, in Matt Chandler”s words, to “play our own part.” This was an especially refreshing reminder as we are prone to placing influential speakers and teachers on pedestals, admiring their ministries and forgetting God has called us to play the role he has given us.

Experiences to Remember

While the lineup of speakers was astounding, Catalyst provided many memorable experiences that became, for me, the highlights of the conference. Some were meaningful and impacting; others were silly and fun.

One such silly experience came in the form of a spandex-clad, middle-aged man. He climbed to the top of a 35-foot 9-inch platform and, after beating his chest and taking deep breaths, jumped and belly-flopped into an inflatable children”s pool filled with only a foot of water. It was a new world record for the man appropriately named Professor Splash. Catalyst has become a hotspot for new world records, previously setting the mark for the largest pillow fight, the most Frisbees thrown simultaneously, and the most whoopee cushions sat on at once.

Silliness aside, my favorite moment centered on a young man from Kenya named Jimmy.

Jimmy came onto the stage, obviously nervous standing before the large crowd, and shared his story. At the age of 4 his father was out of the picture and his mother had fallen ill. To eat, he had to go to the streets to beg and steal. By the age of 7, he was moved to another village where, one day, he received a letter.

The letter was from a college student named Mark. Mark had agreed to sponsor Jimmy through Compassion International, sharing approximately a dollar per day to help supply Jimmy with food, clothing, health care, education, and the gospel. Jimmy stood on the stage and thanked God for using Mark to save his life.

The emcee asked Jimmy if he”d had the opportunity to meet Mark. He had not and so the emcee asked if Jimmy would like that chance. Before he could answer, Jimmy”s eye caught sight of a man walking toward him with arms open wide. Jimmy and Mark embraced for several minutes while the audience applauded and wept. I felt as though my feet were upon holy ground. My wife and I sponsor two children through Compassion; I could see the kids” faces and sensed God was using us in the same way he had used Mark.

The emcee, composing himself, spoke of the millions of children around the world like Jimmy. He mentioned the conference had 1,200 sponsorship packets available featuring children in need of help. People began to raise their hands, indicating they would like to sponsor a child. Within minutes, every packet had been claimed.

In another session, Catalyst gave each attendee an envelope containing a $10 bill. With the envelope came the challenge to turn that $10 into $100 and then use the money to finance small loans for entrepreneurs in developing countries, helping them achieve sustainable income and breaking the cycles of poverty. Every $100 would release one woman and six children from poverty. If all 13,000 Catalyst attendees would accept the challenge, 13,000 women and 78,000 children could find new life.

What if we encouraged everyone in our churches and ministries to do the same thing? And what if we all did it twice a year? The impact would be staggering.

And the impact of Catalyst is also quite staggering. A catalyst, in science, is all about creating movement. Even though the movement of the traffic into the conference was slow, you can rest assured Catalyst is being used by God to create significant change and action throughout this country and the kingdom.

 

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.