Catalyst Recap – Part 4

This is a continuation of my thoughts on the 2008 Catalyst conference. See Part 1 here, Part 2 here and Part 3 here.

The first speaker of the last half of the Catalyst conference was Andy Crouch, author of Culture Making. He talked about…culture, of course. Specifically, he talked about culture making from a Christian perspective, saying we (Christians) tend to first condemn, then critique, copy and consume culture, all of which are easy to do. Instead, he says, we should strive to cultivate and create culture. Creating culture is always done together and begins in small groups, usually in a creative circle of 3 people, where there is a suspension of impossibilities. From here, it moves up to 12 people, which adds depth, and from there 120, which adds breadth. He pointed out we all have a circle of 3 and asked what are we creating.

Matt Chandler, pastor of The Village Church in Texas was next up. Loved him! Such passion, awesome speaker and he brought it. I had never heard of him prior to this conference, but now I’m subscribed to his podcast.

Chandler opened with a story about a recent baptismal service at the church, where a witch, a drug addict and a Baptist kid were baptized. He said the story of the Baptist kid bothered him the most, bothers him that people who grow up in the Church but miss the Gospel because religion had gotten in the way of what matters most – Jesus.

With limited time, Chandler quickly went on to teach from 1 Timothy, chapter 4, saying somehow doctrine has become synonymous with historical fundamentalism. He spoke on something that I’ve been struggling with lately, that if we’re after Jesus because we think he’ll give us a happier life, a spouse, wealth, that dream job – well, we’re after those things not after Jesus and become an idolater. He says the great revealer of our heart is how we spend our money and how we treat people. The good news of Jesus Christ is not that everything is going to go well, but that when it doesn’t (and it won’t at times), He is sufficient no matter what. He also said that we need to keep watch on the areas in which we are weak, we must guard our life and doctrine closely. By doing this, we’ll work out your salvation, and others will come to know Him.

Andy Stanley closed out the conference, sharing his thoughts on 5 quotes that are hanging in his office and conference rooms at this church.

• “To reach people no one else is reaching, we must do things no one else is doing.”
  –Craig Groeschel

  Take Away: Become preoccupied with those you haven’t reached as opposed to those you are trying to keep.

• “The next generation product almost never comes from the previous generation.”
  –Al Reis

  Take Away: Be a student not a critic.

• “What do I believe is impossible to do in my field…but if it could be done would fundamentally change my business?”
  –Joel Barker

  Take Away: Pay attention to the people who are breaking the rules.

• “If we got kicked out and the board brought in a new CEO, what would he do? Why shouldn’t we walk out the door, come back in, and do it ourselves?”
  –Andy Grove

  Take Away: Acknowledge what’s not working and own up to why you are unwilling to do anything about it.

• “When your memories exceed your dreams, the end is near.”
  –Michael Hammer

  Take Away: Don’t let success overshadow your vision.

Wrap-up thoughts:
Catalyst was awesome! As the hosts said a couple of times throughout, it was like a fire hose turned on full…so much good stuff coming at me so fast, it was almost hard to take it all in. If even a little of what I learned stuck with me, I’m much better for it. Hopefully, now that I’ve blogged my notes and thoughts, I’ll have them to refer back to in the future. My reading list has essentially doubled and I’m really anxious to get to the books. I’ve also added two new preachers to my sermon podcasts and subscribed to several new blog feeds as well. I would highly recommend the trip to anyone who is interested in being filled with the knowledge of some of the most passionate and knowledgeable people out there, no matter if you’re a leader or not, a Christian or not.

Related Posts

• Catalyst
• Catalyst Recap – Part 2
• Catalyst Recap – Part 3
• Catalyst Recap – Part 1
• The New Church