ATLANTA — More than 8,000 next-generation church leaders gathered in Atlanta, October 8-9, for Catalyst, a leadership conference that has become one of the pre-eminent annual events in the evangelical community. Going On Faith magazine, as well as several other faith-based travel organizations, attended and exhibited at the conference.
Catalyst was launched in 1999 by a number of leaders from various evangelical denominations. Among key founders was Andy Stanley, senior pastor at Atlanta’s North Point Community Church and son of famed preacher Charles Stanley. The conference targets what it calls “Catalyst leaders” — anyone who loves the local church and wants to see it grow.
Each year’s conference includes presentations from Andy Stanley and a variety of other Christian thought leaders. The 2015 edition included addresses from Louie Giglio, author and pastor of Passion City Church, as well as Christian rapper Trip Lee and Charity:Water founder Scott Harrison. John Maxwell, a legendary pastor, communicator and leadership teacher, made a surprise on-stage appearance as well.
The conference attracted a wide variety of church representatives, including senior pastors, associate pastors, youth pastors, volunteer lay leaders and ministry students. With so many influential attendees, the event also included dozens of top-tier sponsors and exhibitors such as Compassion International and LifeWay Christian Resources. Travel industry exhibitors included a number of tour operators, the Jordan Tourism Board and the Israel Ministry of Tourism.
Going On Faith signed on as a sponsor as well, and executive editor Brian Jewell attended the conference on the magazine’s behalf.
“We’re really focusing on reaching the next generation of church leaders with the power of faith-based travel, and the audience at Catalyst represented just those sort of people,” Jewell said. “I met hundreds of church leaders and discussed the role that travel plays in their ministry.
“Many of the leaders I spoke with had either traveled to the Holy Land or were very interested in doing so. Others expressed interest in learning more about missions opportunities, church retreats, youth travel or fellowship vacations — the exact subjects that we cover in Going On Faith.”
Several dozen Catalyst attendees registered for subscriptions to Going On Faith and have been added to the magazine’s circulation.
