I’ve been given the awesome opportunity to attend the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta this week. I’m pumped and very much looking forward to it - the road trip, getting out of town, the chance to connect with people from church, the days off work, the conference itself. Gonna be a great week!

What is Catalyst?

The Catalyst Conference is the largest gathering of young leaders in the country, but it pains us to call it just a conference. Catalyst is more than just a three-day event – it’s a movement, a convergence, an experience where you find yourself fully immersed in learning, worship, and creativity. Catalyst brings people together – the influencers, the do-ers, the cultural architects, and the change agents who will reclaim our communities and culture for good.

Catalyst has been described many ways but once you’ve experienced it, you’ll call it what we call it – pure leadership adrenaline.

We are bold, vocal, and driven. We have a unique perspective of the future. We are compelled by all things excellent and passionate about participating in something big. We are intentional about doing good and believe we can make a difference. We lead, yet we humbly follow. We are diverse, yet we are one. A leader’s life is by definition social. We value intentional community and long for biblical unity within the Church. The Catalyst community is like a family, which makes this event more like a family reunion. The practice of togetherness fuels love, life, and leadership. We need one another to finish well.

I’ve heard great things about Catalyst from friends who have attended in years past as well as buzz on the web, so I’m pumped for the opportunity to experience it for myself this year. The line-up of speakers is incredible:

• Billy Graham (Needs no introduction, appearing via video)
• Franklin Graham (President and CEO, Samaritan’s Purse)
• Dave Ramsey (Author and National Radio and TV Host)
• Seth Godin (World Renowned Blogger; Author, The Dip and Purple Cow)
• Andy Stanley (Lead Pastor, North Point Community Church)
• Craig Groeschel (Senior Pastor, LifeChurch.tv)
• Steven Furtick (Lead Pastor, Elevation Church)
• Matt Chandler (Lead Pastor, The Village Church)
• Tim Sanders (Former Chief Solutions Officer at Yahoo!; Author, Love is the Killer App)
• Jim Collins (Author, Good to Great)
• William Paul Young (Author, The Shack)
• Andy Crouch (Author, Culture Making)
• Brenda Salter McNeil (Author, A Credible Witness)

I’m especially looking forward to hearing from Andy Stanley and Jim Collins. All sessions should be great, though! I’ll blog about the conference afterwords, and I hope to have a lot to share.

Atlanta, here we come!