Big Is The New Small

The Catalyst Conference is the premiere leadership conference for next generation leaders.  Imagine over 12,000 next generation leaders who are passionately pursuing God and have the desire to be that next level leader that can be a part of changing the world.

Catalyst is just over 1 month a way and is set to take Center Stage in the City Of Atlanta October 7-9.  If you still don’t have your ticket you can still get single tickets for $319 and special discounts for groups of 10 or more.  You can also get a special discount rate if you use the promo code “Scott.”

If you would like a chance to win a free ticket to Catalyst ($319 value) you can do so right here at BigIsTheNewSmall.com. It’s quite simple 1.) Subscribe to BigIsTheNewSmall.com  2.) Find my tweet @scottwilliams  offering a chance to “Win A FREE Ticket To Catalyst” and re-tweet it.  3.) Post a comment right here at here stating “I have subscribed, re-tweeted, commented and was referred here by @(fill in the twitter name) or blog address. Now let me win my Catalyst Ticket!”  In your own words of course.  If you don’t have Twitter, you are still eligible to win; simply comment without Twitter info.

Everyone who comments will have a chance to win; however the more your Twitter Name appears in the comment section, the more times you will be entered to win.  Flex your Social Media Muscle for a chance to win; even if you don’t need a ticket or can’t make it to Catalyst; you can always bless someone else!  Comments will be accepted until 11:59p.m. central Saturday Sept. 5th. READY, SET, GO!

I really don’t think on-line conferences are stupid; however I do think they are S-T-U-P-I-D: Smart, Time-Saving, Universal, Practical, Innovative & Dynamic… STUPID.   In my opinion, this was a much better blog title then something like “Check Out This Conference!”

The Conference Season is officially here and there are a bunch of them to choose from, my girl Anne Jackson blogged about some upcoming conferences here and my boy Bobby Gruenwald blogged about some upcoming conferences here.  I’m blogging about one conference only (at-least for today) and that conference is THE NINES.

Some of you might be reading this and saying What Is THE NINES and Who Is THE NINES For?

The Nines is a Free On-Line Leadership Conference for You… that you includes you and you and you and you.  The Nines answers this question: What if you could sit down across your desk with some of the best church leaders from around the world and hear what they would say to you? That’s the idea behind THE NINES.  THE NINES is a free one-day event that will take place totally on-line. It is designed for church staff, volunteers, members and anyone who wants to be motivated and stretched in their leadership.

Here is the question for those church leaders Presenting: If you had nine minutes to talk one-on-one with thousands of church leaders, what is the one thing that you would tell them? The result is a series of passionate and personal 9 minute video messages that will help you and your church navigate into the future.

This conference kicks off on 9/9/09 at 9:09 am central time and it will roll all day long.  You can actually view the conference right here at BigIsTheNewSmall.com as we are one of the selected simulcast sites hosting the conference and I am one of the speakers producing a nine minute message.  So block out your day, plan on having lunch at your computer and log on to BigIsTheNewSmall.com on 9/9/09 at 9:09.  For a full list of #TheNines simulcast sites check out my buddy Bruce Reyes-Chow’s blog here for the entire list.

There are over 75 great speakers, 5,000 7,000 people pre-registered, thousands more will register in the next 12 days, you must be pre-registered and its totally FREE so register here, spread the word and if you’re on Twitter use hastag #TheNines.

There will be a wide range of great, challenging, controversial, inspiring… topics.  The title/topic of each speakers talk have not yet been released.  I’m curious as to who you are excited to hear from and what topics are you interested in hearing about?

This was the Line-up at Get Motivated: Rudy Giuliani, Zig Ziglar, Colin Powell, Tamara Lowe, Steve Forbes, Joe Montana, Laura Bush, Robert Schuller, Phil Town & a guy with a very common name Jim Smith.

Have you heard any of these above speakers Live? Have you been to a Get Motivated Seminar? Share Your Thoughts!

Dangerous Church (Main Session): “Three Point Play”  Three Random Bullet Points

Ed Stetzer: Lifeway Research

• Sexual Brokenness must be addressed: Churches that thrive will learn how to address sexual issues: homosexuality, marriage, porn…   Who would have thought that the complaints and protests prior to the inauguration in regards to prayer delivery would be about a Evangelical Pastor Rick Warren and not gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson.
• The Dangerous Church will learn to wade through the post-seeker movement; by finding new ways to reach people around the world, partner with other churches and more clearly define the term evangelical.
• Can women be pastors?  The Dangerous Church will appropriately and scripturally wrestle through this issue.   65% of the young unchurched feel that if a church didn’t include women in their ordination it would negatively their opinion of the church.

Nancy Ortberg: TeamWorx2

• Innovation is not a soundbite, a gimmick, or a stroke of luck… It’s about the Gospel that transforms people.
• Collaboration is extremely important… It’s insisting that everyone shows up with their ideas; not simply telling people or teams to go do (blank).  You have to ask questions as a leader: Favorite question as a leader: “I don’t know what do you think?” Leadership is more about managing tensions than solving problems.  As you are solving problems you have to be willing to take risks and fail’ risk and failure are kissing cousins.  Great preachers don’t come without a list of bad sermons and great leaders don’t come without confidence and a list of risks and failures.
• There is a tension with Infrastructure v. Innovation and Passion v. Humility.  God has wired some people to be rockstars and some to be turtles a great leader will recognize gifts and activate them.  A great leader will also hire people better, brighter and smarter than themselves and not be threatened by them (check their ego at the door).  There is something magic about being on a team that is wired to do what God has called them to do!

Bob Roberts: North Wood Church

• God is exploding all over the world…just not here.  We need to catch up with the rest of the world and truly live out The Great Commission… Go make disciples of all nations.  We need to be missional and realize that it’s more than a few mission projects of feeding the poor.  Chances are…Where hell is breaking loose God is already there.
• Some of the greatest Christians leaders are emerging in the world right now and they are not in America.
• You self centered, scum bag, money hoarding, non fulfiller of the great commission you…

John Bishop: Living Hope Church

• Oh we don’t count people. Really?  Do you count your offering?  I guess money counts and people don’t.  We see people as a tool and not a part of God’s story… Reach people because they will spend eternity somewhere.  Give people the Truth, that’s what they want; they don’t want some candy-coated version of the Gospel.
• Some of the silly methods that we use in church are often not necesarily to reach people; as much as they are to stroke our egos.   Ask yourself the question:  If our church ceased to exist, would it even matter?
• “The Church” We need to be less about competing with each other and more about celebrating each others wins.

Do any of these points or thoughts resonate with you?  Share your thoughts!

I3 Main Session “Drive-By” Random Bullets:

Pete Briscoe: Bent Tree Church

• 1 Thessalonians 2:1-6
• We are not looking for praise from man… 
• Most TV Preachers have impure motives
• God is crazy about us… Grace
• It’s not about whether you missed your campaign goal; it’s about how you missed it
• Theology of the Cross allows us to redefine repentance…
• My impressions: easy to listen to, passion for missions

Tim Keller: Redeemer Presbyterian Church

• #1. You’ve got to go after God for Blessing ( Jacob’s Life)
• Everyone needs someone to bless them… someone other than yourself to bless you
• We are looking for blessing in the wrong places… 
• Human blessing will kill you because it only lasts five minutes
• Take the gospel and pound it into your heart every day by grace; until it catches fire
• the only way we will ever be spiritually is to fail 
• My Impressions: Old school, kept it relevant, good story-teller brings the Bible to life

Tracy Spencer: New Directions Christian Church

• Figure out who you are going to be first
• your brand is not your logo, look… your brand is what other people think you are
• Go after the Pookie’s and Laquesha’s
• Don’t let your church get out of alignment
• Quit going after a;ll the big executives, and big givers… go after the Pookies, and the Laquesha’s go after the swag
• You’ve promised more in the showroom than you have in the stockroom
• Use what God gave you…
• My Impressions: I really like this guy, good energy, likability, relevant, real

Craig Groeschel: LifeChurch.tv

• Leaders to have It are willing to fail and have divine sense of courage “Those who don’t have “It” are unwilling to fail!
• Shared accounts of Peter failing
• Sometimes you have to try, fail, learn and adjust… try, fail, learn and adjust!
• God will use those failures!
• Failure is not an option, it’s an absolute necessity…
• Create a culture that allows for failure, we learn from experiments and we will fail aggressively! Anything short of sin to reach people for Christ.
• Fail forward
• My Impressions: I love this guy… Ability to connect people in the form of video communication is a true gift, his message of “It” always works, challenging, relevant.  I get it try, fail, learn and adjust!

Marc Driscoll: Mars Hill Church

• Righteousness, Risk, Repentance
• Attempts to be validated by someone else can be putting them in a God position~Mark Driscoll
• Do you question the goodness, love, power or existence of God?  Theology of Glory- God is only to be found in those places of blessings, good stuff
• Attendance up God is Good, Attendance is up God is blessing me… attendance goes down we are not blessed, attendance goes down God doesn’t like us
• Does success or failure effect how close you feel to God? Make you feel more holy? Alter how you see God?
• Ministry is not for righteousness but from righteousness
• Trying to increase nickels and noses
• Churches can be in a season of pruning and not always harvest
• My Impressions: Deep thinker; very calm and collected