Catalyst Labs: Innovating New Lay-Driven Ministries for the City
One of the guiding principles that grew out of the Reformation was “reformata semper reformandi” which means “Reformed, yet always reforming.” The idea was that the reformation and biblical renewal of the church was not a one-time event, but an ongoing work.
This means that as we seek to be the church in the world, we cannot be satisfied with past successes. Instead we must, in a continual process of self-examination, repentance and reform, seek to return again and again to the call of faithfully embodying the changeless truths of Scripture in our constantly changing contexts. This, in large measure, is the theological foundation for Redeemer’s Catalyst Labs.
Catalyst Labs is a half-day innovation process that will take place in the new W83rd Street building on dates to be announced (waiting for the green light to use the building). It is designed to engage our congregants in generating new, lay-driven ministries that will provide fresh, new ways of being the church in our neighborhoods. It will be a unique opportunity for Catalyst participants, equipped with Redeemer’s theology of ministry through Gospel in Life, to produce new ministries and to lead the way in designing and implementing them together. As is so often the case, some of the best ideas come not from the top, but from the grassroots.
But Catalyst Labs is not the end of activating and empowering lay ministry; it’s just the beginning. It is our hope that as we renew and extend Redeemer’s vision into our collegial congregations, we will continue to nourish a culture where lay people are equipped and empowered to generate new ministries for the city. Catalyst will end, but our hope is that the change and the renewal will not.
So, if you are a Catalyst participant, don’t miss out on Catalyst Labs, an exciting moment that marks the beginning of a new chapter of our church—“Reformed yet always reforming.”
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