Reverb from Catalyst/Being or Doing?

30 of us from TNC attended the Catalyst Conference last week. It was a good conference with super music and challenging speakers. Instead of reviewing every speaker, I'll direct you to Mark Waltz's blog at http://www.becausepeoplematter.com/. Mark did a great job of reviewing each speaker.

I'll just say that Craig Groeschel probably spoke to me the most followed by Rick Warren. I've heard Rick many, many times in the last 20 years and that is the boldest message that I've ever heard from him.

Yesterday in our weekly staff meeting, we debriefed a little about the conference. Catalyst is designed for Christian leaders but over the last couple of years it seems to be more about trumpeting each speaker's causes and books. I wonder if Zondervan or Tyndale or other book publishers are subsidizing the expenses for Catalyst because almost every speaker is selling his latest book. In addition to that, many of them expose us to their pet cause so that by the end of the two day conference attenders aren't sure if they should give to a water project in Africa, an urban ministry in Philadelphia, a Christian art movement in LA, or buy a specific brand of shoe that promises to give shoes to the needy in return for your purchase.

It can get a little fuzzy.

Back to our staff meeting...I mentioned that the Catalyst workers shirts said, "What will you do?" The post-modern Christian movement is more about doing than being, it seems. The twenty-something generation, we are told, wants to do more hands on ministry than the baby boomer generation. It's all about action, they say. Rick Warren had the most memorable quote in my opinion when he said, "The body of Christ has amputated its arms and legs and all it is now is a big mouth."

Ow!

He's right. We have to do more than talk the talk, we have to walk the walk. But I cautioned our crew yesterday that there has to be a balance between "doing" and "being." Just go to http://www.wikipedia.org/ and type in Social Gospel or Walter Rauschenbusch (pictured above) and you'll see that those in this movement who are all about "doing" sometimes leave the Gospel behind. They forget that the reason for the ministry is done ultimately to lead people to Christ. The opposite is true also. A fundamentalist Christian is so separate from the world (i.e. "being" holy) yet overly aggressive with the gospel that he many times harms the reputation of Christ. So what's a Christ-follower to do?

Balance. We need to learn to be like Christ. When we learn who Christ is and what his expectations of us are, then we will "do" things in a way that honors him. If we "do" without "being," our efforts are no different than the local Rotary or garden club. If we "be" without "doing," we make no impact at all.

It's a quandry. And one that I won't settle in this early morning post. But that's just some stuff I've been thinking about since yesterday afternoon.

Steve talked about Thinkers, Feelers, Doers, and Talkers last Sunday. I lean toward being a thinker so I "think" that everyone should practice their faith like me! But I know that is not the case and that different personalities grow in different ways. It's all part of the journey...