Catalyst - Andy Stanley

Last Thursday and Friday I attended Catalyst, a church leadership conference in Atlanta.  This was my second time attending, and I hope I can make it an annual trip.  We heard from some insightful, motivating speakers and participated in some intense worship sets.  It is amazing how much they are able to pack into these short two days.  I will recap the highlights from several of the speakers over the next few days.

As we entered, we were welcomed by all of these signs.  They made sure to cover everyone from golfers and runners to loud talkers and twitterers.

There were some powerful people in attendance, but I'm afraid ol' G.W. wasn't one of them.

Andy Stanley:

• Leaders must have moral authority (i.e. practice what you preach).  
• Make your family the number one priority.  If they even feel neglected, it is your fault.  Don't prioritize the role nobody can play (i.e. husband, wife, father, mother) for the role many can play (i.e. your role in the church).  I would imagine this was pretty liberating for most to hear; it sure was for me.  I can't remember ever hearing anything like this before, but it makes so much sense. 
• In terms of your finances - give, save, live on the rest.  Could it be any simpler?  So many people get hung up on the fact that the New Testament doesn't say a tithe is exactly 10% of your income, but Stanley suggested that the least we can do is give God back a tenth of what he has given us.  He demonstrated this with ten $1 bills.  One for God, one for the future, and eight for me.  Seems like the deal really works in our favor!

Tomorrow: Jim Collins, author of Built to Last and Good to Great