Catalyst Rewind, Sunday December 20th

Our first Christmas at Catalyst. Years from now we'll probably look back and think, "wow, things were so much simpler then." We also had our first battle with the weather, but to all the families who came out on a cold Christmas Sunday, I believe our time together helped us really understand the magnitude of the statement God made through Jesus' coming. Everyone connected with a church plant that I know has said, "look for the attack from Satan. He never wants these things to succeed." I guess I've just been so focused on the mission, and so recognizing that anything successful that happens would have to be from God because I know myself and my own inadequacies, that I haven't really given that thought much weight. But I'm beginning to wonder if that attack isn't in the form of sickness among our team and particularly our kids. So as you read this, would you continue to pray for Catalyst, for our team's health and more than anything, that God would use us in a powerful way to help people from all over our community connect with Christ in a new and dynamic way.

Some of the highlights from yesterday:

• In Ryan's absence (who leads our facilities team) Mike Bluel stepped in and led the charge yesterday to get setup, torn down. I cannot possibly give a bigger "Way to go" to him!
• Several of our band members' families who showed up at 6:30 am jumped in to help with load-in and setup.
• We had three new band members yesterday due in part to AU's christmas vacation. The band sounded great.
• They especially hit home runs with O Come Emmanuel and I Celebrate the Day.
• Teaching theme was "Heaven Crashes to Earth." Do you know that everything heaven has to offer came with Jesus as he entered planet earth?" It was Genesis 3 all over again, (post-fall that is) where God chose to walk with man face to face.
• The most important part...this time God wasn't taking it back. Because of the power of the Holy Spirit living in Christ's followers, the same power that fueled Jesus is alive and fuels our lives today.
• When Jesus taught his disciples to pray "Your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven," that wasn't just for the first disciples. We become part of the "heaven crashing into earth" scenario today.
• New people excited about serving and life groups, even on a crummy weather day when it would have been easier to stay home! Only God can do that!

The next few weeks mark a big moment in the Catalyst story. We're off for the next three weeks, then beginning Sunday, January 17th, Catalyst will begin holding weekend services EVERY WEEK! And we are on target for our grand opening during the month of February! If you know people in the area, why not encourage them to check us out. You/they will be encouraged, refreshed and challenged. Your/their kids will have a great time and look forward to coming back each week. In short, the time to be part of what God is doing through Catalyst is now!

Catalyst Rewind, Sunday December 6th

Catalyst Preview 3 took place today. It was another banner day for Catalyst. Hard to believe we are only three weeks into weekend gatherings. And we're excited that our next weekend gathering is only 2 weeks way. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. What happened today?

• 20% of those who were at Catalyst today joined us for the first time. This is huge. We had about 10 team members who weren't able to be with us today because of sick kids or travel, but it's exciting to see so many new faces.
• Many of those new faces indicated a willingness to serve on a serving team on connection cards today!
• Our load-in team continues to amaze. They braved the first really cold temperatures we've faced and even started 1/2 hour early. And these guys turn it up a notch when it comes to tear down. They've had us packed, loaded and out in 1 hour after service each of our three weekends.
• We ran our own sound with our new sound system today. May not seem like a big deal, but what you don't know is that Brad B. (Worship Arts Director) and Dan Towle (Associate Pastor) spent probably 40+ total hours getting things setup before we ever unloaded the trailer this morning. Band sounded pretty great.
• Teaching theme this weekend, "Give v. Get." Takeaways: Do my actions demonstrate that I am a giver or a taker? Who gets the best of me and who gets the step over? And what in my life have I given myself fully to? Is Christ on that list?
• mp3s available on iTunes or at http://www.iamcatalyst.org/mp3
• It's been pretty cool to hear how the topics of our very first series have really impacted people's lives. Had several conversations with people about how God is speaking into our lives through these outside the Lines subjects.
• The CatalystKidz team is just doing a great job. Lauren and Heather and their team continue to knock it out of the park every week.
• It's been cool to feature a new team member in our weekly's every weekend. It's actually my favorite part of the information we put in people's hands each week.

I could go on, but you get my drift. The momentum is building. Catalyst is going to be used by God to help radically change our community. Two weeks from today is our next weekend gathering. It's Christmas Sunday, one of a few weekends each year when almost everyone plans on being in church. So it's a great weekend to extend an invitation to family and friends.

80% of people who don't attend church probably would go with a friend who asks them. So lets put our "asks" on the line and see what God might do!

Sunday Rewind, November 22nd

Today Catalyst was hosted by our friends at Pendleton Community Church of God. It was a great day to celebrate our partnership with Trey and the church there.

*Band did a great job again today. They've been working a bit of overtime here recently with us playing 4 services at CATC last weekend and then leading the worship today.

*So thankful for Brad, Jared, Coral, Justin and Henry for their sacrifice of time and willingness to use our talents.

*Church planting is necessary in Pendleton because even though as churches we share the same mission, culturally we speak different languages.

*Acts 2 says reminds us that all kinds of people need to hear the gospel in a language we understand.

*Ended our time today with Trey and I each praying a prayer for God's blessing for each other's churches.

*Thanks to all our Catalyst team members who joined us at PCCoG today.

*We're 2 weeks away from preview 3. Building toward a great Christmas celebration weekend as well.

Looking forward to Tuesday night with our team. We're gathering all our small groups for Thanksgiving dinner. We have so much to be thankful for at Catalyst and it will be a great time for people to get some time together, share a meal together, laugh together and celebrate where God is taking us.

Catalyst Rewind, Sunday November 8th

Catalyst celebrated our second weekend preview gathering this morning. (It seems like this morning was sooo long ago!) All in all, it was a great day of worship and every member of our team hit it out of the park.

*We wrestled with the question...what does Jesus mean when He says do not judge?

*What if the people we have the easiest time judging we began to view as "our brother?"

*What does it mean to "see clearly" before we speak judgment into the lives of others?

Questions framed from Matthew 7:1-6.

*Heather and Lauren and the Catalyst Kidz team are doing a great, great job. They continue to make tweaks to their meeting spaces and lead the elementary, pre-school and infant-toddler areas so well.

*Ryan and his setup team are unbelievable. We had to flip our worship space today (meeting in the cafeteria instead of the gym) Not only were there no complaints, they made the cafeteria work as well as possible.

*Joe and the hospitality crew are creating a fun welcoming environment for all our guests.

*Are you hearing how awesome our team is and how honored and humbled I am to serve with all of them?

*We introduced Dan and Kristin Towle as our new associate Pastor today. God is going to do some great stuff through this incredible young couple and we are so blessed to have them as part of the team.

*Announced our mission trip partnership with LaGrange Church of God on a week-long mission opportunity in home rebuilding in New Orleans, January 9th-16th. If you're interested in more information or in being part of this trip, please email me at Chris@iamcatalyst.org.

*Had a few lighting difficulties today without light control like before. Sorry to all those who we tried to encourage to read along with the scriptures. We will get this fixed. We want you to be able to read the bible while in worship. So we're going to remedy this. Thanks for your patience.

*We're also still tweaking a few things with projection. It got a little busy on the screen. (Background designs, not operation!) One of the blessings of "previews" is the opportunity to work out these kinks. We fixed some and are going to fix others going forward.

*Had several new guests today, and several new people serving in ministry areas this weekend. 94 people total, but many more folks who were local.

*Last but certainly not least, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO OUR CROSSPOINT PARTNERS who are helping us work through kids check-in procedures (Chris Sparrow) who served in the infant-toddler room (Dave and Juli Gayes), who sang with the band (Chris and Maggie Owens) and who just jumped in wherever needed (Jelaine Sparrow). We are so blessed to have you as partners and to have Crosspoint as a great partner church.

*We've got some amazing stuff coming up in the next couple of weeks. Our Catalyst band will be playing at Church at the Crossing, one of our partner churches, this weekend in all 4 services. Then, on November 22nd, Chris will be teaching and the Catalyst band leading worship at the Pendleton Church of God. This will include an interview/conversation with PCCOG pastor Trey Oldham.

*Also this week we hope to release some details about a Catalyst Christmas eve gathering, for those of you who have or want to begin a tradition which includes Christmas eve service. No midnight thing, just a brief gathering with carols and celebration of the hope that comes through Christ's coming to earth.

*Alright I'm getting chills about the weeks ahead. It's gonna continue to be great stuff. God is going to continue to do great things and get great glory as He continues to write the Catalyst story through us!

Sunday Rewind, October 25th

*Carlotta, Camden and I (along with Brad and the Catalyst Band) led the worship at LaGrange Church of God this weekend.

*LaGrange is not only the church that launched Carlotta and I into church planting. They have become huge partners on many fronts in getting Catalyst off and running as well.

*Of the 6 active Catalyst participants in leading yesterday at LCOG, 5 actually would call LaGrange their "home church."

*Chris spoke about the topic, "How do I know I'm going to Heaven?"

*Jesus' disciples followed Him not just to secure an eternal destination, but because they made the conscious choice to BE WITH Him. They lived in close relationship with Jesus, and only later did they fully internalize that that relationship would carry on into eternity.

*The way we confirm heaven as our eternal destination is through experiencing relationship with Jesus in the here and now.

*Great response and a great opportunity to connect with lots of our great friends.

*Band did a great job and taught some cool new songs I think. I get the feeling yesterday won't be the last time many of those songs are played at 11am in LaGrange.

*Got a chance to enjoy lunch with some of the LCOG staff team.

*Everyone who was part of yesterday's services walked away with at least the knowledge of what God requires to assure home in heaven when this life is over!

Catalyst Rewind, Sunday October 4th

One of the people whose blog I regularly follow pastors a church near Atlanta. Each week on Sunday or Monday he posts what's called a Sunday reflex. It hits the highlights of what happened that weekend and a tidbit or two going forward. I like it. I'm stealing the idea (though not claiming it as my own: Thank You Shawn Lovejoy.)

So, here's the first official Sunday rewind....

• Our first preview service was above and beyond what we could have imagined. All that praying, "God, only you can do something amazing today, so we're asking you to please do!" was answered in an amazing kind of way.
• We started week 1 of our series, "Outside the Lines," talking about forgiveness and revenge.
• We had guest appearances today by Mel Gibson, Carrie Underwood, Jacob Marley and the late Heath Ledger!
• So much to say about forgiveness. Wherever we are on the forgiveness spectrum with those who have wronged us, there's room with God's help to take the next step toward healing and peace.
• The band was awesome. Every song was great. The OneRepublic cover of Apologize was amazing. Tech team was right on cue at every step. Thanks Paula, and Eli on video and lights and Kevin and Chris from Axibus for partnering with us again.
• Every Kids ministry area (Elementary, Pre-school, Infant Toddler and Check-in) all hit a home run today. No glitches from check-in to science experiments to the Praise Baby in the nursery.
• The building looked great. The children's ministry rooms were just unbelievable. Thx to Crosspoint for the wallboards and to Heather and Lauren for the hours you put into prepping them. Ryan and his team led well in the setup/teardown and in the greeting. The gym didn't look like a gym! It was a stylish little auditorium with just enough seats to feel full and the energy in the room was high.
• There are Catalyst Connection cards on my desk with names of people wanting to know about small groups and volunteering for the next preview!
• Okay, I hope I've built anticipation and that you know at Catalyst we are not all about numbers, but about transformation. Are you ready for the total? Again, no direct marketing, no major advertising, just word of mouth and some little reminder cards....84 adults and 28 children in Catalyst Kidz for a total of 112 on our first preview Sunday!!!!

So, that's a look at Catalyst's preview week 1. If you want to check out some photos, we'll post them to the Catalyst flickr page or you can checkout the Catalyst Facebook page for several great photos.

The message podcast will hopefully be up tomorrow and check back here for a link to maybe a few video clips of the weekend as well! Blessings, grace and peace and thanks for your prayers.

• 
  

I haven't forgotten

Okay just a note to say I haven't forgotten about the blog. I just absolutely haven't had the time to post recently. These past few weeks preparing for our preview have been insane. And the insanity is only going to build over these next few weeks. We're 16 days away from our first "go public" weekend.

Our worship set list is complete. If you'd like to check out the songs we're going to use, here's a list with some links to hear the songs.
1. Apologize (One Republic)
2. You Lifted Me Out (Chris Tomlin)
3. Cry Mercy (Crowder)
4. Rain Down (Crowder)
5. Grace Like Rain (Todd Agnew)
6. No One Like You (Crowder)

Our teaching series is called "Outside the Lines." Jesus came to earth intentionally focusing on speaking lovingly but clearly into the areas of peoples' lives they often considered off limits. These off the table discussions are almost always the barriers which are inhibiting God's dynamic healing work in our lives. These areas are almost always the places which will keep us from taking our next step in journey with God and in bringing more of the work of Christ to bear in our families, our work, and our friendships.

Week one (10/4) we're diving into deep waters, talking about forgiveness vs. revenge.
Week two (11/8) we're talking about us vs. them (judgmentalism)
Week three (12/6) we're tackling the paradox of serving vs. selfishness.
Week four (12/20) we are calling Crash. When Jesus came to earth, it was more than a baby in a manger. All that heaven had to offer crashed into earth, and the earth hasn't been the same since.

Our hospitality team is in place, our followup practices ready. Catalyst Kidz is going to be awesome for every kid infant-5th grade. We're setting up Saturday October 3rd and want to ask you now to block out some time Saturday, 10/3 at 7pm for some specific prayer time for Catalyst and the people who will gather with us the next morning, for God's power to be manifest and people's lives to be changed on week 1. Would you join us in this prayer!

We'll post a few more details about previews maybe next week, but if you don't hear anything before 10/5, don't be discouraged. Check back and we will have full details about the preview with pictures and video available here and at our website. I want to start a practice I saw another pastor do with a blog called Sunday Reflex, which gives highlights from that Sunday, every Monday morning. That' s my hope at least.

Thanks for following with us on this blog. Thanks for your prayers and support through this first year of the Catalyst journey. It was 1 year ago this week that we had our introduction at Church at the Crossing for the first time. I honestly could never have known the highs and lows and faith building we'd experience over the 12 months just in the rear view mirror. Thanks for walking with us.

Now the accelerator is really moving close to the floor. Hang on. I know I am.

A Good Day is a Thing to Celebrate

When God brings good things your way, you should celebrate them. Let me give you five from these past few days.

1. We had a new family join the Catalyst team today.

2. We had a great intensive coaching session last Friday and Saturday with Jim Griffith, a highly regarded church planting coach and consultant. His suggestions will take Catalyst to the next level and work out some details which we've needed to clarify for some time.

3. Found out we're going to be able to work on our setup for October 4th on the evening before. This will actually be a huge help to get us prepped for our first weekend gathering.

4. We found out today also that the school is going to allow us to put our outdoor signs out at the school on Friday evenings. Maple Ridge hosts all the little league soccer or a basketball league at least 30 weekends a year? So every Saturday morning they drive into the school for little league, they will drive by our sign inviting them to Catalyst. THIS IS HUGE!

5. Working through some great material for life together groups over the next couple of months. Taking a look at walking with Jesus in a real-life, down to earth way!

Just a sampling of some great stuff going on with Catalyst.

My partner

I'm going to say right now that there would be no Catalyst without the work of God in our lives. That goes without saying. In line after God's work in us is Carlotta.

When we were offered this opportunity to plant a church, I had no idea really how much it would cost Carlotta to be part of Catalyst. I guess I had no idea what it would cost all of us, but especially some of the tradeoffs she would have to make. She lives with me when the stress is exceptionally high. She rides the emotional roller coaster with me, often in the background, hearing my deepest frustrations and celebrating the moments of triumph. But while I get to be the point person who hears the way to go's from our peers, she just continues to quietly serve and share her life with people, often far from the spotlight.

There would be no Catalyst without Carlotta. It's not just the hosting in our home and fixing meals that we never did before. It's not just the late nights that I work or the late nights that we are spending with our team, or with friends inviting them to be part of Catalyst. It's not even just that she wants Catalyst to succeed and grow and be an important part of our community. It's that she wants desperately to see people's lives changed by connecting with Jesus. She loves Jesus and knows that people's lives will be radically changed by meeting and following and serving Him. I know this experience has stretched and grown her in her faith and practice more than anything we've ever done, and she's not complained. Not complained about no family vacation this summer. Not complained about hospital visits at 10pm downtown. Not complained about our garage being taken over by Catalyst stuff. Not complained about scrambling to find childcare at the last minute. Even though she doesn't get nearly the accolades she so richly deserves, and stands outside the spotlight a lot of the time, she is my partner in this in every conceivable way. And without her, there'd be no Catalyst. I'm so blessed to be married to her, and that we can partner on this endeavor of life change for people all over this community.

Let me say a little bit about Camden. You may ask, "okay how does an 18mth old have a role in this?" Camden has been a great kid in busy circumstances all through her life. She has missed a few naps this summer. She's been to lots of lunch meetings with me. She's been to a lot of different church nurseries. She's met hundreds of people this past 12 months. And she's been cool through it all. She hasn't ever gotten sick. She's friendly and pretty easy to take care of (although she's super busy right now as you might imagine) I guess what I'm saying is that I've been blessed that God has used her to help us start conversations with people, and she's had a part in the Catalyst story from the beginning too. I look forward to the days when I can tell her the stories of how God used us, used her, to start this little ministry called Catalyst that has had such an impact on our neighborhood and community and on places around the world. That she had a part of it even before she could talk or remember! That's good stuff.

Thanks for engaging my two part ramble today. I think when people are gifted by God and have made an impact on your life, you should tell them. I know people aren't angling for public acknowledgement, but I am glad to express that I see Jesus in these people I am blessed to get to work with, and I ask you to thank them and to pray for God's continued work in and blessing on their lives.

Grace and Peace.

The Catalyst Team

Okay so we're less than 6 weeks away from our first preview. It's such a great feeling to have a great team in place, who are passionate about their areas of ministry, especially since for most of us, we've never done this before at this level of leadership. This might be a good time to introduce you to our team, as most of you read from places several miles away from Pendleton.

In no particular order...

Brad Brickley, our worship arts director. He's the best worship leader you've probably never heard of....yet. There will come a day when I will get to tell people (actually that day is right now) yeah, I get to work with that guy from the beginning of his worship leader career! Major vocal range, skilled musician at the guitar, bass, piano (and I'll bet he could play several other things if the need arose). Major servant's heart and deflective personality. When he leads, people focus on Jesus. That's the definition of a great worship leader!

Ryan Webster, our facilities/hospitality director. You can't meet Ryan and not want to be his friend. He's also a get the job done kinda guy as well, thinking of details (yeah, a guy who thinks of details) who's always willing to say what needs to be said in a loving/encouraging way to keep me thinking. Passionate about good facilities and making people feel welcome!

Heather Webster, CatalystKidz co-director. Heather has the heart of a servant like no other. She loves kids and loves Catalyst loves Jesus and has been one of our biggest champions from the very beginning. She has a creative mind and high expectations for our children's ministry to be the best it can be...no excuses that we're a 6 month old church. She believes every kid has the potential to grow in their connection with Christ no matter how old they are, from birth on up! That's what I love most about her!

Lauren Brickley, Catalyst Kidz co-director. Lauren is a fun and creative champion of Children's ministry. Her attention to detail and creative flair will add a dynamic to CatalystKidz that will be the envy of church's all around us. She really wants to see kids know more about Christ and to grow with Him and works hard to see that happen in exciting fun ways!

Brian Souders, Community Connections director. Brian is the best brainstormer I've met in a long time. Dude has an infinite supply of really good ideas and thoughts that engage people and will make Catalyst a better church. He also shares my heart for making a difference in the community. He's already partnered us with a local 5k run that promotes heart health, and is engaging a partnership with Outfitters, a local clothing and school supply "store" that provides new items to under-resourced families at little or no cost. In the spare time he has (somehow) he's also taking outreach to the streets by serving as an assistant high school football coach in Fortville. His wife Sarah serves so many imporant roles; a couple are as head over our women's ministry (they have a unique name. Talk to me or email me and I'll tell you the story, but probably can't post it here!) She also has become a great question asker for me. Some of her questions honestly have helped form directions for the teaching schedule and reminded me that being a place where people take their next step in journey with God means you better be a safe place to explore and ask questions! I'm so thankful for her hunger to learn!

Brad Justus, Operations director. Brad is the guy on our team that everyone needs. He knows how to gently ask the hard questions that move a church forward. He is laser focused on mission/vision, how that's communicated and the systems that will help our mission/vision be accomplished. He's also hungry to grow to be more like Jesus, both in his leadership style and in his family/church life.

Joe/Lisa Davis, administration. Joe and Lisa bring to the table more than a paragraph can possibly contain. It's more than just the administrative support (which is huge and will continue to grow). It's the brilliant "have you thought about...." questions they ask. It's the "hey we could do this" idea that take a very good plan to the best possible plan. And it's the "hey, we believe in you and what you're doing" at several of just the right times over the past few months that have put the wind back in my sails and prompted us in the next step forward.

In short, this team is not all Catalyst is. They are lending strong support to a growing group of team members. But this leadership team has laid the groundwork for a great, healthy growing church in our community. The teams that work with them are excellent in their support and passion for their ministry areas and for Catalyst.

Many of the things they've been praying for and working on, like seeds in the ground, are beginning to come to life on the surface these days. Do we have things to work through and improve on? Sure. But as we continue to gel as a leadership team, I believe the potential that God has wired into this team is virtually limitless. And there's one more person I want to add to this conversation, but she gets her own post. (One she'll never write for herself, so I'm going to)

Pray for our team. Pray for our preview. And pray that as we move forward, an increasing number of people in our community will experience life transformation through the work of Jesus in us.

Dog Days

This time of year in the baseball season is often called the Dog Days of August. It's that time of the season when many teams are out of the race for the playoffs but the season still has quite a bit of time before reaching it's completion. It's like 2nd semester of sophomore year of college. The experience is not new anymore, but you're not exactly close to the finish line either. Another way I think about dog days is kinda like the emotional drain that comes after a huge experience of success/joy. You see the big win, you feel it, and then...it's like, "what's next?" Not what event, what responsibility is next. More like, "so how soon am I gonna get to feel the 'big win' feeling again?"

We're 7 weeks from our first preview service. There's a lot to do in terms of preparation in that next 7 weeks. And there's a few other big things going on during that 7 weeks, too. The big wins are great. But they can be dangerous when you only live for the highs. Ministry life I've realized over and again is in the journey. You celebrate the highs and you keep moving forward. I'm also feeling a bit of the drain of no break for a while. This is no one's fault, it's just a result of the pace of church planting. I've done this summer what I never recommend for people...no vacation! I do have a plan. Get through the preview, and get a little break after that before preview 2 rolls around November 8th.

So we'll push through the dog days and the excitement will build (along with the pure anxiety) because...7 weeks will go by extremely quick!

Concert in the Park update

Didn't want to wait til Monday. Concert was a huge success. Band was awesome. Weather was hot. It's finally August in Indiana and couldn't come at a later date, but....lots of guests, lots of fun. We'll post more pictures and video in the days ahead, but here's a link to check out a few photos. If you're on facebook, check out the Catalyst fan page (link here) to see about 30 additional photos. Oh, and coming in a few days, we'll give you an audio sampling of the band, or at least as much as we can get away with without violating copyright law!

Preview 1 is 8 weeks away. We're asking you to start praying now for this event. I'll post more details about the plans for this ground breaking event, including series information and how you can be part of October 4th.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers for today. We had no major glitches, found a good preview partner for our a/v needs (thanks to the guys at axibus.) And now it's time to go to bed, because Camden doesn't know how hard daddy worked today and will probably not sleep in the morning.

Remember, you can always catch the most up to date information about Catalyst by checking iamcatalyst.org or on Twitter when you follow CatalystPndltn.

Grace and Peace

In the Middle of the 440

Ever feel like life has thrust you into an Olympic hurdle race? You're up against the most challenging competitors in the world, and as if running fast is not enough, there's these tall barriers that keep coming up at regular intervals. Such is the Catalyst life right now.

In the 400 meter hurdles, it's a full lap around the track. For most of the race, you can't see the finish line, but you have to be focused both on it and the hurdles in between. You make the last turn however, and you can see the tape in the distance. While we are not yet at the finish line, and behind pace a bit, we're still in the race...and we're closing!

This weekend is an exciting next step in the young life of Catalyst Church. Our band is debuting at a concert at Falls Park in Pendleton Sunday at 4:30pm. If you're in the area, it's going to be a great time. If you're not in the area, please pray for this event. This will be the first that many many people in our community will hear of Catalyst (and they'll probably hear it pretty loudly) This first impression will really give a lot of people who we are and how we're different from traditional church. We want to honor God and use this gathering to draw people to Him, not just to us.

We're 8 weeks from our first preview service. There's a ton of stuff that needs to be prepped by October 4th. I know that for most of you the impression was that our launch weekend was to be October 4th, but we're not ready yet for full fledged, every weekend, worship. We just don't have the team in place yet. But we are going to be doing some 1x per months in Oct-Dec. Sooo, if you'd planned on coming down for launch weekend, and it's still on your calendar, why not plan on joining us? Same location, and I believe God will use this first gathering to be the next kickstart to the Catalyst story.

One final note. Some of you know how serious things have been with the Catalyst launch, and there's been some question as to whether we were going to be able to get off the ground. I recall several things. First, the scriptures remind us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood. The enemy fights any territory reclaimed for the Kingdom of God. We have felt your prayers on our behalf these past days. Honestly, we are here because of God's divine work on our behalf. And I know that there will be a day when we get to tell the whole story of Catalyst, of the times we thought we might be dead on the table, and then we look around at the hundreds of people whose lives have been changed by God's work through this new church, and we will celebrate with all of Heaven because we see with our own eyes the truths of the verse that says, "For we will reap a harvest if we don't give up!"

More hurdles ahead. More track to put behind us. More challenges to overcome. God is faithful. We'll get to the finish line and on to the marathon ahead!

New Blog Posting next week

Don't worry, Catalyst will be back with a new blog next week. But here's a few things to feast on in the interim.

If you're on Facebook, check out the new Catalyst fan page.

If you haven't recently, take a stroll around the Catalyst website and send me your thoughts. You can comment below, or click the email box on the website and let me know what you think.

If you're wondering what we're playing at the Catalyst Rocks the Park Concert August 9th, here's a look at the setlist. We're not playing all these songs, but probably half.

1. Streetcorner Symphony
2. First Time
3. Second Chance
4. Stay With You
5. Whatever it Takes
6. Breathe In Breathe Out
7. Show Me What I'm Looking For
8. I'm Not Alright
9. Dig In
10. Waiting on the World to Change
11. Say
12. Never Say Never
13. Let Love In
14. Closer to Love
15. Broken
16. Ocean Wide
17. Everything
18. Stop and Stare
19. You Found Me
20. Always on the Run
21. Otherside
22. The Motions

Want a sneak peak? Can't resist not listening? Okay, check out the Catalyst music page here, But no (I REPEAT) NO FREE DOWNLOADING. If you want to keep the songs, Go to Itunes. Pay for them. You'll sleep better tonight. If you twitter, follow us. Maybe we'll follow you, too. If you don't know what twitter is, then disregard. (If you want to see a funny spoof about twitter, click here)

If you want to see some of the video stuff we've been using for life together groups, click here or here. These are two very cool stories that are helping form our conversations about life, church, and living out the way of Jesus more clearly.

And next week, you're going to want to check in on Wednesday. So...check in on Wednesday. And entertain yourself on our behalf with our Catalyst web resources.

The Difference a Week Makes

There's a huge difference often times the way we perceive ourselves and the way others perceive us. Many times that's a good thing. We are often our own worst critic. On the other hand, sometimes we refuse to be honest with ourselves in areas where, if we just took a more objective look, it could really help us in the long run.

I say this as a preface to a short statement about the way people perceive church, not before they arrive, (or sometimes even after they go home) but when they're right in the middle of it. I read this week a book called Jim and Casper Go to Church. It's the story of a former pastor and an atheist who check out 12 of the most recognizable churches in the country. If you've been around church culture long, you've heard of most of them, not all. The stories were interesting, the perceptions very insightful. One of the most valuable was just the thought that every church should have a few purely objective (they recommend atheists, but...) people visit and evaluate your church every single year. Just like most of us hate to hear the sound of our own voice on recording, partially because of the voice but partly because at some point we hear something and think, "I actually said that?" It's the best way to get a true read of the perspective your church creates for visitors every time people walk through the doors, especially for the first time.

We were the first time visitors at a local church last Sunday. I'm not going to announce the name, but I will mention a few perspectives we walked away with, in chronological order (not necessarily in order of importance)

1. Make sure your nursery workers greet every parent and every child. The church did this well. Camden went to a new place with strangers because they made us and her feel comfortable.

2. Make sure the people who start your service look like they know what they're doing. They can't just meander up out of the crowd.

3. I know about 4-5 people who honestly I can listen to for 50 minutes. 4-5 people, out of a population of 6.3 billion. Guess what, none of them live 10 miles or less from my house! DON'T PREACH 50 minutes. You're not that good.

4. For the love of Pete, announcements cannot take 20 minutes. And second, announcements should NEVER EVER be the church's version of the Price is Right, where you call people out of the audience (unprepared mind you) to give some information.

This morning we went back to Crosspoint, one of our regular weekend gathering places. Every moment of a weekend service there is thought out, planned out. We use specific language in the welcome and in the closing, every week, and thought is given to those times just like we'd give to the music or teaching. Every week. This doesn't eliminate the work of the Holy Spirit, it cultivates a scenario of preparation in cooperation and in tangent with the Holy Spirit. While our Catalyst culture will invariably be different from Crosspoint, as each church has to create it's own feel and communication style, I'm thankful to be part of churches (I'd include Church at the Crossing in this as well) that understand that preparation partners with Spirit to experience transformation. I think we did this well in LaGrange. I think I've learned several things that I should have done better there. Me. And I'm learning that it's appropriate to ask the question, is church for believers, non-believers, or both? There are brilliant, God-loving, Jesus-following people who'd answer that question in all kinds of ways. That's a good thing.

Details matter. Language matters. Faith and the Holy Spirit matter. I don't think any of these have to be eliminated in order to appropriately value another. Maybe this is a soapbox more than a blog. So I'll end with a question. Tell me your experiences (good and bad) as you've visited churches for the first time. What are the things you remember? The things you notice? The things you'd rather forget? Leave the church name out of the conversation if you would, but as we are beginning to process what weekends will look like for Catalyst, this information will be extremely invaluable. You can post these thoughts as a comment to the blog, or send them to me at chris@iamcatalyst.org. Thanks. This is me stepping off the soapbox for the evening.

Grace and peace.

Sometimes I forget...this is missionary work

Sometimes in the midst of the hard work, the frustrations and the joys of church planting, it can be easy to forget that there's an element of this calling that is purely about being a missionary.  If you're doing it well and right, the majority of your work is engaging with people who are far from God.  And people far from God usually are far from God for a reason, or a series of reasons.  It's easy to forget that most people, if they really are only one step from the Kingdom, they've gotten that way because they've been journeying with someone who's encouraged them to that point.  

That's a rambling statement.  She won't tell you it, but I'm telling you that often Carlotta has brilliant thoughts.  She said to me the other day, "you know if we were in another country, serving as missionaries, how would this whole scenario be different?"  It caused me to ponder, if we're really starting a church to reach people who God loves but who are far from Him and totally uninterested in His church, how is that different from spreading the gospel in a more hostile, non-US environment?  I know it's not altogether the same.  But it caused me to think about some of the similarities, some of the expectations, stuff like that. 

I woke up this morning thinking back to my theme from my last teaching at LaGrange.  All in.  I thought I knew what "all" was when we left.  I'm getting the feeling that there was more to "all" that I couldn't even fathom at the time, but I'm seeing now.  There may be more chips on the table in these next few days, chips at the time I didn't know I had.  

We will leave no stone unturned, no efforts unmade in planting Catalyst in our area.  The mission is too important.  The cost will never be as high as the mission.  And I firmly believe, the personal cost is going to go up significantly in the next couple months for Catalyst to become reality.  Not my family.  Not my health.  Not my faith.  Everything else, it's on the table.

We're about to see what all in really costs.  Prayers for the next few days please.

Journey

I read the story of Abraham again from the Old Testament the other day.  There's one word in that Gen. 12 passage I keep thinking over.  It's the word "show."  God says to Abraham, go where I show you!  Show indicates several things.  First, it says that God knows where you're going.  It says that God's somehow waiting there for you and simultaneously with you as you head there.  Show=with.  God walked beside Abraham along the journey.  Now if you look at the path Abraham journeyed, it wasn't exactly the shortest distance between the two points.  He's at least 600 miles seemingly off track.  He backtracks some.  He's headed to the promised land, but interestingly, has to go through Egypt to get there (an interesting little pattern in the OT, that Egypt is a constant diversion to the promised land.)  

How well did Abraham "know" the voice of God before he set out on the journey?  Who knows.  How well did Abraham know the voice of God during his journey and after he arrived at the appointed destination?  Probably a lot better than before.  Maybe that's the important part.

Do you think Abraham knew he was backtracking, that he wasn't following the straightest course?  He didn't know where he was going, what direction to take, or where the destination was until God said, "Okay you're here?  Or did it really matter, because the journey was the purpose?  Did the conversation with God remain so sweet that he never noticed the travel being such a long way?  

This Catalyst journey feels sometimes like Abraham's journey.  I have some small picture of the destination.  Dangerously, I may have had some sense of the path of the journey.  Often, I'm reminded that I don't know the pat at all.  God reveals as God sees fit.  I said several times after last summer that I felt as if I'd spent time in the wilderness, trying to figure out which direction the promised land was.  I thought making the decision to move to Pendleton meant we'd found the Jordan and were ready to cross into this great new place.  I think I now realize that last summer is a lot like this summer, that we're on the Abraham journey, and God has yet to reveal the stopping point.  So we keep walking, keep listening to Him, and...I'm not sure what besides that.  I guess that's enough.  To keep walking, keep listening, not always understanding, but keep walking because we've not yet been told to stop.  

I'm not going to lie.  There are days when I think Abraham had to think, you know Ur wasn't so bad.  Somedays I'd love to have the tent in the place I knew so well for so long.  I've thought recently a couple of times, "were we crazy to leave LaGrange?"  We felt sure that the voice of God prompted us to move.  And I'm still sure.  Somedays though, I have to ask God, "are you sure I heard you correctly?"  Today is one of those days.  Still walking, just asking while we keep journeying forward to....wherever God has in mind.

Peas

Okay here's the life lesson I learned the other day about church planting...from a vegetable.

We're in this farm coop thing.  And they give us different kinds of natural/organic vegetables each week as part of our "share."  Last Thursday we got peas.  I am not super familiar with gardening but I'm amazed at the amount of work peas are.  We got this decent size bag of peas, still in the pod.  Now I'm aware that pod size and bag size doesn't always equal significant quantity.  Actually, i had little to no idea what quantity would be produced.  So I shell the peas, begin working to fill a bowl of the finished product.  Twenty minutes later, there's a huge pile of empty pods (which by the way we could find nothing constructive to do with on the internet) and the equivalent of maybe 2/3 of a store bought can of peas.  

Here's what I learned about church planting from peas.  I feel like the last 8.5 months have been a lot of working, connecting, praying, thinking, networking.  If you look at the pile of work that's been done, it's probably been as much as I've done in my whole life.  When you look at the results simply in terms of quantity, you think, has this produced enough?  Why not "grow" something that has more immediate impact, more tangible results?  But then you get a taste of what you've invested in, and every time you taste it, the experience is ever sweeter.  And as you begin to enjoy the fruit of your labor, you recognize, "hey, there's a bit more here than I thought."  Not like the pan is running over or anything, but it certainly makes you want more.  (I just heard we're getting more peas today, hooray!)

I don't know what the next couple of months holds.  I don't know who God has in store for us to connect with, grow with, love and serve with.  I don't know how many results will flow from all the conversational work we're doing.  Catalyst has not been all fun and games.  But the taste of this calling has never been sweeter in my soul.  So I'll press on for more.  Press on to complete the calling which we've been given.  That's it.   Prayers.

So ashamed...

It's so embarrassing when you put yourself out there and say things like, "No, I really am going to post more often," and then you look at the date of your last post and it was 2 weeks ago!  

Okay, guilt acknowledged, guilt absolved, because tomorrow I can look at the blog and see, "Last post...yesterday."

Catalyst had a great week at June Jamboree.  See picture posted above.  Talked with lots of people, gave away lots of tattoos (the temporary kind) to kids and adults.  (Even though our sign said, "Free kids' temporary tattoos!")  Lot's of guitar Hero players.  (IF I never have to hear Bon Jovi's 'Livin on a Prayer one more time, I think I'll be okay) and some good connects for Catalyst.  It's always fun to hear what people's guesses are about What is Catalyst?.  People often think we're a computer company, an electronics store, I even got a sporting goods company from one guy, even though our booth had no sporting equipment or even sports references.  We we were the only booth with a 37" flat screen however!

As I've posted on our twitter feed (which is a great place to get more frequent, shorter updates) we're praying and inviting people to be part of the team like crazy and seeing where and how God leads.  We may have to realign our timeline a bit, but our calling has never changed.  We are here to plant a healthy, growing new faith community in the Lapel-Fortville-Pendleton area.  Whenever, however that happens is up to God and we'll follow His timing, but our goal remains the same, to help disconnected people connect with God and that all people involved in our ministry can clearly understand and take the next step in our journeys with God together.  

We ask that you keep praying with us.  We know God has called us to plant here.  And we know He has people in mind to join us in this birthing process.  Keep praying with us that our paths will continually and clearly cross with those who God is aligning to join the Catalyst mission. 

It was good to connect with our friends and partners at the LaGrange church this past weekend.  Just being there this past weekend reminded me of two very important things.  First, we have incredible friends there.  And they remain so.  Second, to leave friends like those, it had to have been God's calling for us to transition from there, because all other things being equal, we'd probably have stayed til they threw us out!  So thank you to our friends from LaGrange for loving us so much and for affirming God's call on our lives.  If I think about it too long, this is where the keyboard gets a few teardrops.  So, I'll bring our post to a close here by asking you to pray and check in with us as you'd like, via email, twitter, phone call (the number I had in LaGrange is still connected to one of the two phones in my pocket every day) or by mail.  And I'll do my best to respond promptly...at least much more promptly than I often do in this blog!

Launch team gathering III

We gathered at the Webster's tonight for our third launch team gathering.  Catalyst will rise or fall in part because of the experience of these gatherings.  Tonight my friend Jay Harvey came and shared with our team about his passion for and insights about reaching our community of Pendleton.  Jay is one of the funniest guys I know, but he is completely serious about reaching people with the hope of Christ.  I saw our team really begin to come together tonight, especially around the topics of shared mission and the role gathering will take in these next few weeks.  Our ministry teams are beginning to pick up steam and momentum, and even though the clock is ticking towards August and especially October, I just feel an even greater sense of excitement about Catalyst and the God who never fails but leads and guides for His purposes and will fulfill His desires in us to reach this community.  

I was reminded of the words of Galatians 6:9 today, words I cling to as we journey forward.  It says, 

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people..."

We will reap a harvest...if we don't give up.  God will determine the proper time, and I believe that we're beginning to see that time is now.  So we're asking the Lord of the Harvest to help us reach deeper and further into those places where people need to connect with Him and to be his witnesses wherever we go.

The First of Many Catalyst Baptisms

Okay, so it happened at Crosspoint.  And we technically don't have meeting times yet.  But we're claiming it anyway.  Yesterday, we had our first baptism as part of the ministry of Catalyst.  My friend and partner Brad Justus took the step of baptism as a high water mark (no pun intended) on his faith journey yesterday.  After the service, PJ asked, "so did you shudder when you got into the water?" (which was heated when it went in in the morning but not so much by 11:15am)  My response was no, it wasn't about shuddering, but in typical Chris fashion, the moment I hit that water, this emotion just welled up inside me once again.  It always does.  When people express publicly what God is doing transformationally in their life, how can you not get a little emotional and completely excited?  So we heard Brad's story via video, and then it gave me a chance again to express to the crowd at Crosspoint, that this kind of experience is why we're starting Catalyst.  It's not about the banners and the loud music and all the etherial stuff.  Those are just means.  This is the end we live for and want to celebrate again and again.  Life transformation.  So as Brad and I walked to the locker room, fresh off the eruption of applause as he came up out of the water, I told him, "so, this is what I want to do hundreds of times in the next several years of the life of Catalyst.  Matter of fact, I'll do the hard work (and it is harder work when you rent space and have to use temporary baptistries) as often as people want to demonstrate the transforming work God is doing in our lives.  It's always worth it.  

Moving the Barriers, Digging In

The Catalyst moment of truth has arrived.

Here's where we are so far.  We believe the mission of Catalyst is clear.  We're a faith community that's committed to helping people connect the dots about God clearly so we can connect with God deeply.  We're all about connecting those who've felt disconnected from God, qualifying those who may feel that life or their past has disqualified them from God, engaging those who may have felt disenfranchised in traditional church, journeying with and sharing life with those who've felt disillusioned by religion in general.  We're about new starts...do overs...exploring and living out the way of Jesus together.  

We've established values and guiding philosophies.  

We've connected 6 great ministry area leaders and formed 12 ministry teams to begin preparation for all areas of our previews and grand opening.  (which is 130 days away) These teams are hungry and excited to begin preparing for great weekend experiences for all of our guests across the age spectrum.  We're working to make good connects with like-minded ministry partners in our community.  We're taking a close up look at the way some of our partner churches do particular areas of ministry, from music selection to tracking with newcomers to setup and teardown philosophies and life together gatherings, seeing what we duplicate, what we reshape and use, and what doesn't fit for Catalyst.

We're getting ever closer to meeting our fund-raising goal in pledges and gifts, so if you're a financial partner with Catalyst now, or are still considering joining us in this way, we thank you so much and your gifts will push us over the top to our $30,000 fundraising goal for this pre-launch year.

We're locked in with our meeting location and we've begun making what I believe is a good introduction of Catalyst to the community, engaging lots of people who are asking, "So, what is Catalyst?"

And now we are focusing on generating an additional 25-40 partners to help us with the launch process.  While some of these partners may be persons who come to assist part-time in the launch experience, we are specifically looking to recruit persons who are stirred by the mission of Catalyst and are relationally connected with present team members.  This is the important next step in the life of Catalyst.  Without success in this engagement endeavor, Catalyst cannot launch.  We have to expand the team!  We have to jump the fence and connect with new persons and invite them to allow God to use them to help birth this new faith community.  It starts with me and the 13 people I have on a list in front of me.  So we're going to eat lots of meals with friends, share what we're doing and why it really matters, and invite them to consider how they might be part of what really is an unbelievably exciting group of people.  

I'm asking you to pray for us specifically that we'll meet our goal of 25-40 new team members over the next couple of months.  Ask God to bring us into the paths of people for whom being part of Catalyst is the next step for their lives in terms of their journey.  Ask God to help us listen well, and to raise up the exact people we need to launch Catalyst with the laser-focused mission that He has given us.  We're digging in for lots of hard work and lots of connections this summer.  We're asking God to move the barriers before us, and that we will be his hands and feet in pushing those barriers to the expanse He gives us.

Gathering isn't easy, but necessary

The Catalyst train keeps rolling on.  I do honestly believe that starting a church is like driving a train.  First, you have to get direction on which track your going to be heading on and where your direction is.  Then you fire up the engines, and some passengers get on at your point of embarkation.  But you know that you're going to have to pick up more passengers along the way in order for the trip to be its most effective.  So you're advertising like crazy that the train will be passing through so people can plan to jump on board when it passes by where they are.  And as engineer you're telling your friends, "hey if you want to come along on this journey, it's going to be an experience like you've never had before."  And you're telling your current ticketed passengers that if they know anyone down the line who'd like to experience journey to invite them.  And a few people here and there start to join.  As the engineer, you know you're more than willing to stop the train for even one new passenger.  Sometimes you think though, what do your current passengers think when you stop the train at a station down the line and no one gets on?  Do they begin to question their own choice to make the journey?  And you know as the engineer, you know that the Company is looking to see if this "itinerary" is actually going to "take," that this is going to be a regular ongoing journey.  So if they see that people aren't lined up to buy tickets for the inaugural journey, they may begin to wonder if this itinerary needs to even be continued.  But as engineer, you know with all your heart it is.  You know you were born to drive this train to this place.  And you know that as people see the train go by a time or two, their interest is going to be piqued, and maybe some will check out the journey for themselves, especially when they see their friends through the windows or get a call from them as the train goes through their part of the world.  

This little metaphor describes pretty accurately where we are right now.  The train is starting up, but its starting slowly and we're working hard and re-strategizing how to invite more people to the inaugural journey and thinking creatively how to make the journey fun, life-giving and connective with God and with other "passengers."  We want to be God honoring and passenger friendly.  Last night we had an explore gathering in the community.  We saw a lot of people in the park, and we had probably 20 people be part of our gathering.  Unfortunately, we had lots of people we invited who didn't make it and nearly all of those 20 people were people we've made connections with before.  So we're back to the drawing board and the conversation of how can we focus our energies on the two tasks of gathering and preparing more effectively over the next few weeks?    So please pray for us today that we would hear from God clearly about this request.  We want to be focused on gathering and preparing effectively.  Please pray with us that God will continue to draw new team members to the dynamic team we already have in place.  We're heading somewhere.  Somewhere that God has revealed to us.  It's just the train is moving slowly right now and we need to get up to speed a bit more quickly to keep our journey on schedule.

Launch team gathering last night

I'll post some pics of this event at some point.  Even the undynamic has the potential to be sensationally important in the life of a new church.  I am so excited at the big steps which were taken last night. It may not seem like much, but forming ministry teams who are taking personally their leadership roles in Catalyst is the next huge step for us.  Teams are brainstorming and beginning to embrace the Catalyst philosophy, forming that into preparation for previews and Launch.  Don't worry, our teams aren't full, so if you're reading this and want to be part of any of our six ministry areas, there's a place of engagement for you at Catalyst.  

I also got to spend what was supposed to be 30 minutes (but turned into 55 minutes) presenting answers to some important Catalyst F.A.Q.s last night. (Frequently asked questions).  My 11+ pages of notes did not get completely discussed, and there was lots of discussion and clarification I hope along the way last night.  I jokingly referred to this document as the Catalyst Manifesto, and if you'd like to take a look at it, I'll post a link to the document here.  Click on the Catalyst Plan.pdf.  (Requires adobe acrobat to read)   Much of the questions center around our philosophy of ministry, our mission and values.  If you feel so inclined to take a look and have thoughts you'd like to respond to, email them to me at chris@iamcatalyst.org.  

We're getting it!

You know it's such a joy when you see people beginning to take hold of something that you know they can, but don't know if they will.  

For I would say almost everyone on our team, this is the deepest level of church leadership they've ever been part of.  I don't say that as a criticism.  It's actually rather refreshing.  Even as I'm sitting here I'm just overwhelmed by the thought that we get to model from the very beginning of Catalyst the kind of healthy, honest, open leadership that I think people want to see.  In a world of shady back dealings and covering up of wrongs, both in the corporate and unfortunately sometimes even in the church world, we're saying from the beginning, we're not going down that road.  There is another way and we'll do whatever we can to live out another way, a way that honors Jesus by guiding his church, his bride, toward health and wholeness and toward deep intimacy with Him.  

Now it doesn't mean we won't make mistakes, have slipups, miss the mark sometimes.  We're learning to lead on the fly.  Last year at our Church Planter's Bootcamp, Phil Claycomb talked about this.  He talked about the church he planted with basically no believers (in the beginning).  He talked about helping others lead even as their own faith was rapidly expanding.  I feel what He is saying.  This is my first time being in the Lead Chair.  This is the first time I've had to cast vision for every area of ministry life.  This is the first time I've had to guide the team from what God is doing in me.  Am I out of my comfort zone?  A little bit.  I think that's why up until the last little bit it's been difficult for me to quantify in simple statements what we're about, choosing instead for some over-arching themes that only time and the Spirit could clarify.  I think these clarities are coming to easier voice from me, now they have to make it to language transferrable to our team and then from them into the lives of their friends.  The question has become, we want to invite.  What are we inviting people to?  We want to serve, tell us what you need us to do.  You be increasingly clear on where we're going, we'll do whatever we can to get us there.  Seems simple enough.  So, that's the call right now.  Clarify the mission. And then let's set about making it happen and inviting others to join the journey.

I wish I had time to write more, but clarity doesn't happen talking about it, but by doing it.  So I need to spend the afternoon putting clarity into text.

Friends

Even when it's cliche often times it's still true.  When it comes to church (or relationships in general), people are not looking for friendliness.  They are looking for friends (or at least people with whom there's the prospect of friendship).  The appeal of involvement in a new church really comes in one-two areas.  Either you join the movement because you're passionately excited about the mission, or because you were invited by someone who's already your friend.  Or both.  Sometimes people are interested because they're disillusioned with church or traditional religious expression.  I'm not sure that people line up to be part of a church plant because they're incredibly evangelistic and sense that's the movement of this new faith community.  But when it all boils down to it, whatever draws people in, it's relationships that keep them engaged.

How do you make sure you're always opening yourself (beginning with me as leader) to new relationships, so that you demonstrate to your team that they should also always be open to new relationships?  I guess it's a conversation you have over and over.  You talk about the new relationships you're developing.  The new people you're meeting.  You remind your team that without the next 20 people who join, there is no movement, there is no Catalyst.  And those 2o, then 40, then 80, will come, but they won't just appear out of nowhere.  And even if they did, they won't stay if it seems that no one really cares that they've entered the picture.  

You know friends seems so easy.  It's not.  Friendliness, that's easy.  We have control over that.  But friends?  There's an element of this friends thing that's purely beyond our control.  Sometimes chemistry is not there.  Sometimes worldview is different.  But it doesn't mean there's no room for connection there.  Actually, it's the opposite.  Friendship works when we put ourselves out there just enough to want to know someone and want to be known by them.  It doesn't mean we become best friends with everyone.  But it also doesn't mean we pre-emptively short-circuit what has the potential to be a much deeper relationship down the road.

So what is the key word to friendship.  I think it's openness.  It's a willingness to share one step further in your life than you're completely comfortable.  And what's amazing is how that discomfort dissolves once you've taken a step for the first or second time.  Openness to push yourself toward a conversation with someone rather than avoiding a conversation.  Openness to extend the relationship beyond just a large group gathering into something smaller.  Openness to take steps toward encouraging someone (appropriately) by listening a little closer and sharing your own experience.  

Now Catalyst is not going to be a place where everyone is best friends with everyone else.  I would say unabashedly that we want to grow much, much larger than a scenario where that would even be possible.  But, by the same token, if we want to live by the value that everyone on a spiritual journey toward God can learn from others on that same journey, we will only learn from people we trust.  And we will only trust people that we know.  Knowing has all kinds of meanings and levels, but the bottom line is, I want to lead a church that is open.  Open to knowing one another so we can learn and grow closer to Christ as a result. 

Go Local, Part 2

Welcome to part 2 of our "Go local" Sunday.  I won't leave you waiting, but would encourage you that if you haven't read part one of this story, check that out first.

Three of our team members went to two large churches  (one of them a mega-mega church in Northeast Indy) in the area.  Both were rather interesting experiences.  Both were very much a hands off experiences.  At both places neither of our friends were actually engaged much by people who attend there regularly.  It was very much a self-service kind of scenario; if you want information, if you want to take the next step toward engagement with the church, you have to make the first move.  It's a no pressure, hands off philosophy that many people are looking for, but the complete lack of content left both of our partners kinda wanting more.  In one, the worship gathering displayed talent but little passion.  In the other, the word that best describes the experience was not worship gathering, but rock concert.  Entertaining, but not interactive.

One of our partners checked out a "contemporary" church in the town of Pendleton.  The unique nature of this church was the desire, or maybe expectation that the church should have a contemporary service based on its size.  I think this church does traditional quite well, but there's a sense that this is what we should be doing, but it almost appears like a token gesture in order to engage younger couples, but not to the extent that the traditional worshipers want to flex their own desires for the desires of those outside the walls.  The description that came forward from this experience could be captured in one word...safe!  Now safe is not a bad word, and there are a lot of things in life that I want to be safe.  But I must be honest, safe is not the word that I want to be attached to Catalyst.  

One of the reminders we quickly gained from a couple of local churches is the assumption that things we know well, newcomers must also know well.  These realizations, ironically, came during the celebration of Communion at two different places.  Remember rule number 2 from yesterday's post?  Never assume anything!  Especially when it comes to things so sacred and reverent as the Lord's Supper.  We were reminded of the simple need to just explain things in order to help others feel comfortable.  Leaving things unexplained left a little awkward taste in the mouths of our friends who checked out two of our local churches.

In closing, however, I need to share a more somber tone, because the truth is, the experience we gained in the church that we attended personally could best be described as what happens when an 80 year old (or maybe Joan Rivers) gets plastic surgery.  The outside may be fixed up beautifully and attempt to mask what's going on beneath, but the reality is, the inside is still old and dying a slow, painful death.  And no amount of fix-up can really mask that over completely.  We walked away feeling not angry, not disappointed, but just sad.  Sad that the church that Jesus loves so much just has lost its function, lost its way.  It will hang on.  And this church certainly is no microcosm of the Church at large.  But there are so many churches who are hurting, suffering, wondering how to hang on.  I hope some of them are wondering, "Is there a fountain of youth" where we might revive the hope and passion and evangelistic dna we once had.?  But it seems that, not unlike the verse in the scripture where Jesus says "Suppose a man wants to build a tower, should he not count the cost first..." many of these churches have counted the cost and determined it simply too high.

So here's the inspiring ending.  We've counted the cost, too.  And we've determined that as best we can practice it, the cost of following Christ and providing a different kind of church to reach unreached people in unique and practical ways will never be too high.  We want to pay the price it takes to help people feel safe to explore who God is, free from judgmentalism and criticism, available to experience clarity and transformation through the power of Christ.  And so, we walk away from this experience encouraged, that a new wind of opportunity is blowing through our area.  It seems like we may be putting up the sails just in time!

A few insights from today's "Go Local"

Preface

One of the things that my good friend Nate has been helping me understand is that for the rest of my ministry, assume nothing.  Assume no previous knowledge or experience people might have had, no matter their background, upbringing, education, whatever.  He didn't go exactly that far in his statement, but I'm realizing that it really is that important to just be certain you're communicating (speaking and hearing) clearly.

Point two.  Be much clearer than you think you need to be.  See point one.  I've worked hard this past year to be more clear/less ambiguous in my communication.  Lesson learned?  I've got to work harder this year to keep that clarity even more in focus for me.  Both of these little preface lessons came forward today as our team experienced Go Local Sunday.

Okay.  So today's assignment for Team Catalyst was to check out as many local churches as possible from a predetermined list I'd written a few weeks ago based on hearing stories about them in the community, seeing their websites, or just my own unquenched curiosity.  

So in addition to some of our team at Crosspoint today, others were at 6 other local/area churches.  All but one were in the Pendleton area, and we didn't get to every church I wanted to (we'll catch a few more in a few weeks).  We called it Go Local Sunday.  And after we finished at the services, we got together for lunch and to debrief.  This was great for a couple of reasons.  One, I don't have to take 10 Sunday's to get everywhere.  Two, I get to see with different eyes and hear with different ears the experiences our team shared.  Three, it's a teachable moment because when you go someplace new, you get to see if what people say about themselves actually matches the experience you have with them.  And what we learned is that sometimes those self-descriptions match reality, and other times...not so much.

So, I sent each of our mystery worshippers with a little card that had some questions I wanted them to answer/look for about their experience.  If you're interested, I've posted that card on the downloads page of our website.  Click here to check it out.  To give you an in depth report of everything that was shared would be much longer than you want to read.  I think I'll try to break it into two posts, one tonight and maybe a second tomorrow.

Now, I want to preface this by saying, we did not go into these churches to

a)judge or critique what other churches were doing, merely to observe and allow our observations to help in the formation of our own weekend experience.

b)recruit people from other churches.  While we know we need team members with some spiritual maturity, we're not there to divide established churches or to headhunt (take the best of someone else's flock, if you will)

c)name any of these churches publicly.  Our experience was to go and learn from others, not to publicly embarrass/ridicule anyone's style, staff or philosophy.  

What lessons/thoughts we'd already had were totally affirmed?

1.  People's definition of the word contemporary range across a pretty narrow perspective.  People use the word because they think it's what unchurched people really want in order to make the decision to attend church.  What we're learning?  Unchurched people don't care and most of what is being done is not contemporary, it's just late model traditional.  It's not 1950's traditional.  It's 1980's traditional.  That's not a slam on anyone, and honestly, those experiences may in fact be ultra contemporary for our communities.

2.  Unless we find something radical in our future go Local experience, we will be the most contemporary church in the area right out of the box.  In fact, in my conversation with Brad, our worship leader, I actually said to him, "I want us to be the most _____________ (insert your word meaning modern/postmodern that doesn't have theological undertones but just...well...new, innovative) church in the area, but we're going to have to be careful not to go too far to the other end of the spectrum, because we may lose people just out of fear.  There are some things we can get away with in Fishers without batting an eye that may be a half step further than people are willing to go here."  That will be an ongoing conversation I think, but one that's a good conversation to have.

I'll finish up this post tomorrow in part 2, talking about an indifferent mega-church, a megachurch worship concert, intinction assumption, safety and plastic surgery on an octogenarian.  How's that for a teaser to check out part 2?

Forest for the trees

I never understood what that statement meant for the longest time.  We can't see the forest for the trees.  And especially when you're a big picture person and not a detail person like me, you never think that this mental picture describes you.  But right now I'm in the middle of the forest.  And I'm having a hard time remembering what the aerial view looks like.  Sometimes the trees are just important projects.  Sometimes the issue is I'm comparing myself to others, trying to meet others expectations of what they think the forest should look like instead of staying true to the mission God is calling me to.

Either way, it's wise for me to hear from the people closest to me (friends and family) to keep perspective, be who I am all the while accepting the challenging from those who lead me, and remember this is a journey.  People are not numbers, they are people.  Goals are meant with the intent that we're engaging people, not just building a list.  And I'm praying today that God will help me see clearly both the forest and the trees, both the big picture and the details.  That will definitely be a God thing, because right now I'm definitely one or the other, but rarely both simultaneously, which is a pretty helpful skill if you're going to plant a healthy new church.

Quick Update

It's been a busy and important week at Catalyst already.  Had our first Monday night life together group. 23 people (15 adults, 8 children) were here.  Great food, good conversation.  Looking forward to week 2 already.  Our goal is to meet together for one more week then to divide into two groups beginning April 27th.  It's very possible we could need a third group by mid-May.

Today we had our Catalyst advisory board meeting.  We discussed the big push that's ahead in attempting to basically double our launch team and connect with a lot of new disconnected friends over the next six weeks.  Of everything that's happened to this point, the funds raised, the relationships built, we need God to work among us and to open people to conversations about joining us in this next 6 weeks.  Our team members need to be looking around our circles of friends and be open and excited about inviting them to be part of this life-changing experience called Catalyst.  We need your prayers more now than ever.

Later this week I have meetings with our sound provider and the school custodian, one of our staff team members, and our family health mentors and friends, Jared and Deann.  We're checking out local churches, getting giveaways for our community connection event May 1-3.  And we've got a significant community contact we're trying to get printed to make contact with all the new move-ins in our area.

Pray for us, pray for us, pray for us.  Everytime you think of us.  You can't imagine what it will do to lift our spirits and launch us toward the future God intends for us.

Chris

Blog talk back and life together groups

Let me begin with a little discussion about our life together groups.  What do they look like?  How long do they last?  Is there food involved?  And other questions you may have.

We began our life together groups on Thursday, March 5th.  Life together groups are our term for small groups.  I read in nearly every publication about church planting that you never start small groups before you launch public worship services.  The reason?  Too involvement intensive when you're trying to build a crowd who you are trying to get fully engaged in your worship gatherings.  Why did we throw off conventional wisdom?  Two reasons.  First, we recognized that most people that we're trying to connect with couldn't necessarily give a rip about the weekend gatherings.  If they did, they'd probably already be involved in a church.  But nearly all of these unconnected folks do have a longing for growing friendships.  That's pretty much the focus of these life together groups, a place to cultivate deep, growing friendships, and at the same time, a place to explore spiritual questions all of us have and may not have the answers to.  Already, since we've moved here, I can say without reservation that my very best friends here are the ones that I share my life with.  This began with our being part of our life together group, but those relationships have expanded beyond our gathering to us taking care of each other's kids, eating meals together and looking for each other every weekend.  (when someone from our group is not at weekend gatherings, we notice, and we really miss seeing them)  We know there are other people we've met who could gain from the experience of life together.  We also know that life together groups can be an entry point to church for some people.  That's why we started with groups first.  Oh, and because we watched it be very successful for Crosspoint, too!  So we know it can be done and done well, so we're starting with life together groups.

So here's how it works.  In our group, group begins by eating dinner together.  We potluck it, everyone pitches in and we enjoy time around the table together...every week.

Then, we spend time in some discussion (usually not so brief but enjoyable none the less), right now about the vision/values of Catalyst Church.  We feel like people need to know about the CHurch, but honestly these are values that we would hold whether or not we were beginning a new church.  I think they are questions people are asking.  And we are open to any question that comes about during the context of our discussion.  

Group usually lasts about 2.5 hours including meal time, and often the only thing that pushes us out the door are tired children, because our lives have become so deeply connected, we love those relationships too much to pack it in early unless someone is sick, has an early morning the following day, or a child that has said "Enough."

Actually, it's not group night, but we're going to be with some of our Crosspoint group friends tonight...just because!  We'll eat, play cards, laugh, watch the Masters (the guys at least, vicariously wishing we were there in person but knowing that between the 4-5 of us we couldn't pool the cash for 1 ebay purchased ticket) and just have a great time...together.  Isn't that what it's about?

Now in about two weeks we're anticipating that our life together group will have to split.  We know that as much as we love being together, there's not enough room in one house to make room for more people.  But in two houses, we have open spaces.  And that's also what it's about. Throwing open ourselves relationally to inviting other people to join this little movement we're beginning.  So before long, there'll be three groups, then four, and a year from now?  Well, God only knows what life groups will look like.  And I'm sure I'll be blown away because it'll be far beyond what I could have anticipated.

Okay, now for the blog talk back.  I pretty much write about whatever I want to talk about on these posts.  But I'd be more than willing to write about what you want to hear about.  So to all our faithful readers, if you have questions about the church plant trail, what's going on, how many gray hairs I've gained since October unrelated to Camden, how many Mt. Dews a day it takes to plant a church (more than 6....just kidding!) or anything else you'd like to know about, let me know and we'll try to address it.  You can send your questions to chris@iamcatalyst.org by clicking here and click the mail link in the bottom left corner.  (Hint:  this is also the Catalyst website.)

I've also posted the Catalyst vision message I taught at Crosspoint on Sunday, March 22nd and you can access that by clicking here.  

Grace and peace and may your experience of the resurrection of Christ be real, be very present, very here and now.  Because the resurrection still changes things.  Always.  Every day.

Chris

Other resources are available, too.  If you'd like to get our eburst, our weekly email newsletter, send me your email address and I'll put you on that list.  It usually will come late Thursday night.

If you're a twitter...er, you can follow us at CatalystPndltn.  This is the place where I post random Catalyst stuff, and give real-time updates on anything exciting that happens in the life of Catalyst Church.

 

Lessons from the First Catalyst Backyard BBQ

We had our first Catalyst team get together last night.  Our BBQ had to be moved inside thanks to a driving rainstorm the entire time.  Thankfully we missed out on the snow which is coming today.  We had a great time and everyone got lots of food and fun out of the deal I think.  And we're off to another good start with Catalyst launch team.  25 people at our house last nigh (16 adults and 9 kids).  Missed the friends who couldn't be with us, and hope that this is the first and last time our house is large enough to actually host the group (because we will continue to grow exponentially from here).

Here's some great lessons I learned yesterday, in no particular order.  Hopefully these will be helpful for your life someday.

1.  Mercury Cougars are not a truck model.  As such, you can only fit one 6 foot table and 4 folding chairs in them.

2.  Always buy more folding chairs and tables than you think you need, unless you have situation 1 above.  In that case, simply scramble for a place for everyone to sit.

3.  Match light charcoal....LIES.  THERE IS NO SUCH THING.

4.  It's very difficult to light a charcoal grill in a driving rainstorm, however...

5.  Charcoal grills are also not meant to be operated in a garage, even with the door up.

6.  Charcoal ready in 10 minutes....LIES.  Tell me that when we put the food on the grill 30 minutes later.

7.  Rainy days are great for long driveways, so people can park in your driveway, instead of 1/4 mile up the street!

8.  Supersweet brownies make children do funny things.

9.  I love our friends.  Last night was one of the coolest nights in our time here, as we got to engage with so many of our new friends.  

10.  You know who your true friends are when they will stand with you in a garage full of smoke and endure your grilling when they could be inside breathing clean air and eyes not burning.  Thanks guys...you're the best!

11.  I refuse to run around like crazy at other events like last night became a little bit, but I think everyone had a great time getting to know one another, which was the primary purpose of the evening.

12.  Carlotta is a much better host than I believe she thinks she is.  And honestly, between life together groups and last night, she has held us together and pulled off great food everytime.  Thanks babe!  Glad we're doing this together.

13.  I still slip back into talking too fast sometimes.

14.  If it doesn't make it in picture or video form to the internet, it didn't happen.  I forgot to take any photos last night!  But I promise, this isn't all made up.  It really did happen.  

15.  I'm already looking forward to what we can do for May for our team gathering.

All in all, when I look around that room last night, and thought also about our friends who are on board but were unable to be with us last night, I know that Catalyst is going to be a great place to be part of just because of them.  I also told them, although I'm so thankful for everyone of the people who joined us, we can't launch Catalyst by ourselves, and to be on the lookout for those who might join us on this journey!  We're taking this week off for life groups and then moving to Monday beginning April 13th.  Our journey really begins in earnest now!  So keep on praying for us, and if you're in the area, we'd love to have you join us.

Launch team

Okay, so there's a million things to do in beginning a new church.  Obviously one person cannot do these million things alone.  So how does a new church go from the God's heart to the mind of a few people to a gathering of hundreds in the span of 12 months?  With a team of people united with the same purpose/vision for connecting themselves and their community with God in a deep way.  

So, how many people does it take to launch a church?  How many does it take to launch Catalyst Church?  Well, you can launch with all size launch teams and honestly get churches started of varying sizes.  Our plan for Catalyst is as follows:  

75 adults on our launch team.  These 75 are part of the "all hands on deck" crew, getting all kinds of tasks accomplished from serving in community connect events over the next months, running our preview services, inviting people to join us on a journey with Jesus from wherever they are in terms of faith, and inviting people like crazy to join the team or to join us during our previews and launch month.  These people will be pouring lots of sweat and passion into helping birth Catalyst Church into the world.  

50-75 "Go for" team members.  These partners are persons who may currently be part of other local churches, but have offered to lend themselves to the cause by serving in particular areas of ministry for a period of time to help us get going.  These are kinda the "midwives" of this delivery process.  Though they may not be with us to see this baby through to childhood and adolescence, they are certainly critical to getting the baby "born."  Some of these helpers will be asked to simply help provide that critical mass feeling during our launch.  We want a packed house because a packed house just creates an energy and momentum moving forward.

I know that some of you are reading this from a good distance away.  I'm asking you to mark your calendars now for the four Sunday's in October.  Maybe for one or two or all of those Sundays you'd be willing to come help us "deliver."  If so, I can't tell you how huge that would be.  There'll be all kinds of areas to serve, from Tech and Hospitality to children's ministry and even setup/tear down.  We'd love to have you join the go for team.

So, that's the launch break down.

75+75=150 people before we ever send out the first postcard inviting our friends and neighbors to this new thing called Catalyst.

So where do we stand right now...?

Glad you asked.

Right now we're at 20 launch team and 11 go for team members.

In other words, we're at 20%, with 6 months to go til opening weekend.  So in other words, we're on our way, and we're asking for your serious prayers that God will lead other people to join us on this journey as we invited disconnected people to connect with God in deep and significant ways through interpersonal connection.  And if you'd be willing to add your name to that Launch team or Go for team, please always feel free to email me at chris@iamcatalyst.org. I'd also encourage you to take a look at our website, http://www.iamcatalyst.org, for some up to date information about what Catalyst is beginning to look like.  If you're a Twitter person, you can follow us at CatalystPndltn for real-time updates as well.

Grace and peace to each of you who journey with us via blog.