I was grateful this week to engage in what has proven to be a valuable experience for me annually. I spent 2 days at the Catalyst Conference, which is a fantastic leadership conference for young leaders. Environments like Catalyst offer something of a leadership oasis for those who spend their days investing in others.
As a growing leader, I want to engage in these learning environments so I can learn new things, sharpen my skillset and re-ignite my passion. You have to discover what you do not know if you want to continue to grow. (click to tweet) Conferences such as Catalyst offer a chance to grow.
One of the great things I receive at a conference like Catalyst is outside perspective. I hear from people outside my work world and then find ways to process and translate it back into my unique environment. Sometimes these outside perspectives offer a new thought or a new way of looking at people. Often times they give me fresh perspective on the things I am currently walking through.
While there were many great speakers and topics, the common theme which stood out to me was a conversation about unity…specifically Unity of the Church.
Jesus prayed for the unity of the Church, and declared that our unity would make the Church stand out in a world of chaos. Our current culture points towards all of the things that divide us. Christ has called us to look beyond the things we do not have in common. We as the Church are invited to look beyond the dividing line of:
- Race
- Age
- Gender
- Size
- Style
You might not struggle with all of the above divides…but more than likely at least 1 of those has the ability to create disunity within your local church. It is so easy for us to look at those who are different than us and see that difference as a problem.
Wherever you serve – seek to be an agent of unity. In your church, and in your local community you can be glue and bind things together or you can be a saw and divide things apart. (Click to tweet)
Catalyst did a great job of walking through this topic for the Church. So let me leave you today with a few quotes, which help enforce this theme of unity for the Church:
- Unity is not uniformity – there is beauty in the diversity of the family of God – Craig Groeschel
- We cannot all be right, but we can all be one – Andy Stanley
- Err on the side of being “for” not “against” – Craig Groeschel
- Church is an infinite game. The goal is not to win, but to endure and be able to hand off the flag to the next generation – Simon Sinek
- Be a Church builder, not a Church critic – Brian Houston
- Imagine a world where people were skeptical of what we believe but envious of how we treat one another – Andy Stanley
Cory Lebovitz 