1st Time Guest’s Thoughts on Catalyst

This past Sunday (Dec 7th), a Christian leader in his fifties from an area mega-church came to Catalyst – - I asked him to evaluate the entire experience from beginning to end.  We are always seeking to learn and improve our efforts at reaching people far from God!  Here are some of his observations:

“I liked that the theater where worship is held is next to a tattoo place personally-it feels a little edgy…”

“Everyone I encountered who was in a volunteer capacity was pleasant, smiling and enthusiastic. (big plus).”

“Worship team/music/AV-excellent! I wish more people got to experience them. AV would be even more effective with bigger screen, but you’re probably limited by your equipment and the building. Quality was what I’d expect from a church 10-20 times the size of Catalyst. I’m assuming your New Spring experience heavily influenced that.

Teaching: You obviously have a gift as a teacher and communicator, in being able to present the Gospel in a way that seekers and newbies to the faith get the main message, but more experienced Christians can get new insights at the same time. That was a pretty challenging passage you taught on yesterday, and I thought you were able to communicate the theme in a nuanced, but effective way, without clubbing folks over the head with the main point.

I noticed there was no offering taken (seeker-sensitive, I assume), but it would have been very easy to miss the collection basket in the dark of the theater on the way in.

I thought it was encouraging that so many folks stuck around to talk after the service. Felt like your younger folks were developing community.

Overall, I really liked the experience. In Craig Groeschel terms, you guys seem to have “it” (the sense that God’s present and doing something through Catalyst).“

“Obviously, you’re the expert on church planting, so take my remarks for what they’re worth, but my primary takeaway was that Catalyst has great content from a worship experience standpoint (music, teaching), but the location and nature of your physical space may limit the potential for growth and diversity of attendees at the church.

I was privileged to experience Sunday morning in the early days of what will be a great church. Thanks for having me!”