Last night, I was the organizer for a Catalyst Meetup. The Catalyst Meetup concept is an informal way for individuals who want to connect with other likeminded leaders in their area. To connect with the intent of developing their leadership skills, networking and sharing their faith. We met at a great coffee and dessert shop, Café Intermezzo. The group that attended is totally excited about creating our next Meetup. Listed below are the 5 things that I loved about attending the Catalyst Meetup.
1) The Energy
The excitement that was present in the group was contagious. I am writing this the day after our Meetup and am still energized from the people that I met. The group that attended was mostly younger than me (quite a bit) and they were full of creativity and energy. Their energy and creativity will push me and allow me to be more effective in my faith and in business.
2) Brilliant Content
The content for this Meetup was developed by Andy Stanley so there is no doubt that it is brilliant and inspiring. I learned so much as I was preparing for facilitating the discussion centered on Andy’s message. Whenever I lead I always benefit so much personally. Considering the engaging discussion, brilliant content coupled with the practical application I am certain that the group gleaned value as well.
3) Accountability
One of the best parts of a Meetup is the accountability that comes from networking with other Christian leaders. Practical application will always be a part of the teaching content within a Meetup, at least if I am leading. It is important to have great ideas that you can immediately implement. Last night we encouraged each person in attendance to pull out there cell phone and text a friend this message” I have something important to talk about with you, call me tomorrow.” This opens the door for them to have a conversation about some area of life that they are struggling with or an area that they need to be held accountable. Practical application to accountability is good.
4) Relationships
I met inspiring people at this Meetup that I would have otherwise never met. Friendships were started that will continue to blossom due to having the same motivations and beliefs. These relationships will have opportunities to blossom through future events. The future events could be through Catalyst Conferences, Catalyst Oneday Events, Meetups or serving together in other ways. Relationships with great people are powerful and you can never have too many of them.
5) Development
There is virtually limitless content available on leadership. There is even a large amount available on Christian leadership principles. However, it typically comes from reading a book or watching a DVD. These formats have little personal interaction and relationship building which may not be suited for everyone’s personal learning style. Conferences, classes and seminars can be opportunities for leaders to learn and interact with others. However, cost and time can prohibit people from attending. The Meetup concept eliminates these hurdles and provides interaction, learning, personal development, relationship building with other leaders etc. etc. for absolutely NO COST and very little time commitment.
The content for the Meetup was Andy Stanley’s message to the 14,000 leaders who attended the 2010 Catalyst East Conference. The message was titled, The Tension Is Good. I have attached my personal notes that I took while I listened to Andy Stanley’s message.
Click Here to link to my personal notes.
Could you benefit from connecting with other Christian leaders?
Would you consider attending our next Catalyst Meetup?