Catalytic Team Leaders and Team Members

 Catalytic Team Members in the Gospels:

1.     Jesus had gathered a sizable community of those apprenticing to him as disciples.

2.     Jesus seems to have had some relationship with these men (and women), especially those who were called to join his apostolic team.

3.     Jesus spent the night in prayer and then called/invited his apostolic team from among the larger group of disciples, who seem to have continued to relate (even travel) with him.

4.     Within this apostolic team there seems to have been a more specific team that received additional relationship and training.

Catalytic Team Members in the Book of Acts:

1.     Paul and Barnabas were selected through a process of prayer and fasting.

2.     Paul and Barnabas included John Mark on the mission.

3.     Silas (and Judas) was assigned to Paul by the leadership of the Jerusalem Council to help promulgate their decree. He was a seasoned leader, had prophetic gifting and ministry experience, and probably also teaching (or shepherding?) gifts/ministry experience.

4.     On later journeys, Paul chose Silas to join him. Barnabas selected John Mark. Paul’s selection based seemingly on “fitness” of gift, personality, etc.

5.     Timothy was recommended by local city church leaders to Paul and Silas, who took him on in a protégé capacity. Others who were being discipled and developed were also part of the team: Luke (notably), plus many others rotating in and out.

Insights and Applications:

1.     “Silas” Team Member:

a.     Seasoned elder in their own city church.

b.     Commended/affirmed by peers that we trust.

c.     Track record of working together with fruitful faithfulness.

d.     Emotional maturity demonstrated by tempered resiliency and practicing healthy relational skills.

e.     Preferably has successfully navigated “the Wall” and passed through to “Stage Five” on their spiritual journey.

f.      Complementary capacities in APEST functionalities, spiritual gifts and temperament.

g.     Complementary connections in geographical/relational network streams.

h.     At least 80% of 100 & 80 Catalytic Leader Competencies.

i.      Flexibility and availability with time, energy and resources.

2.     “Timothy” Team Member:

a.     Commended by the local churches in their network.

b.     Familiarity with the scriptures and the story, ways and character of God.

c.     Preferably has familiarity with the local “churched” and “unchurched” cultures.

d.     Demonstrated ability to serve faithfully and fruitfully with minimal oversight for moderate periods of time.

e.     Probably in a mature “Stage Three” on their spiritual journey.

f.      Recognized as loving the people of God.

g.     At least 50% of 100 & 80 Catalytic Leader Capacities.

h.     Availability with time, energy and resources.

3.     Neither Jesus’ nor Paul’s approach is a failsafe against betrayal and hardship.

Traits & Competencies Verified to Fit 100% of all Effective Movement Catalysts

Potential Movement Catalyst has a demonstrable track record and/or is known for displaying this quality? 1) Consistently to a great degree, 2) Routinely or to a moderate degree, 3) Somewhat consistently or with some fruit, 4) Very inconsistently or not at all

1.     Hunger for God:

a.     Hungry for depth with God

b.     Yearn to love God more deeply

c.     Seek to hear God’s voice and obey

2.     Expectant Faith:

a.     Expectant that God will grow a movement among their people group/population center and save many soon

b.     Great faith that God will show his power through their lives

3.     Confidence:

a.     Experience confidence in their spiritual gifts and skills

b.     Exhibit a sense of confidence

4.     Drive for Responsibility:

a.     Experience a sense of responsibility for the people group/population center they serve and for engaging them with the gospel

b.     Motivated by a sense of responsibility

5.     Dependability: Reliable and trustworthy, so that others can depend on them

6.     Persistence:

a.     Tenacious in spite of challenges and amidst difficulties

b.     They don’t give up

7.     Empowering: 

a.     Empower and enable local folks to be the key players by putting responsibility and authority in their hands from the beginning

b.     Develop the gifts of local folks

8.     Confidence in the Holy Spirit: Confident in the Holy Spirit and have faith in him to accomplish his intended work in the life of all God’s children, as they are enabled to obey his commands

9.     Confidence in the Bible:

a.     Deep confidence in the Bible to be their movement guidebook

b.     Deep assurance in the Bible’s power to accomplish what God desires

10.  Influencing of Beliefs:

a.     Talk often about their most important values and beliefs

b.     Consider the moral consequences of decisions with people

c.     Emphasize the importance of living toward the purpose one is created for

11.  Inspiring Vision:

a.     Articulate a compelling vision of the future

b.     Talk enthusiastically about what needs to be accomplished to see a growing movement

c.     Express confidence that goals will be achieved

Traits & Competencies Verified to Fit 80%+ of all Effective Movement Catalysts

Potential Movement Catalyst has a demonstrable track record and/or is known for displaying this quality? 1) Consistently to a great degree, 2) Routinely or to a moderate degree, 3) Somewhat consistently or with some fruit, 4) Very inconsistently or not at all

1.     Emotional Stability:

1.     Emotionally mature and stable

2.     Able to master their emotions in ways that are helpful for interactions with others

2.     Initiative:

1.     Take the first move when something needs to be done

2.     Initiate new enterprises

3.     Adaptability:

1.     Adjust their behaviors to changing situations

2.     Adapt their approaches as situations change

4.     Tangible Love:

1.     Genuinely care for the people to whom they reach out

2.     Express true love and genuine interest in their lives and welfare

5.     Drive to Achieve:

1.     Motivated by achieving goals

2.     Have a strong desire to get things done and attain results

6.     Desire to Excel:

1.     Give their very best efforts to any work they do

2.     Strive to excel in their gifts and talents

7.     Fervent Intercession:

1.     Pray regularly and for extended time on behalf of their “target people” for many to be saved in growing movement

8.     Evangelistic Zeal:

1.     Passionate urgency drives them to see the gospel shared with all the lost in their “target group”

9.     Confidence in Locals:

1.     Fully believe in the local worker(s) who lead the movement

2.     Have a strong sense of trust in them

10.  Perpetual Learning:

1.     Actively engage in experiences, expecting that in every situation there will be something new to learn

11.  Intelligence:

1.     Skillfully use intellect and reason, in order to understand situations and solve problems

12.  Complex Thinking:

1.     Use their mental capability and judgment to make sense of complex and ambiguous situations, in order to steer complex processes

13.  Innovation:

1.     Use their imagination to come up with creative ideas, innovative approaches and solutions

14.  Movement knowledge:

1.     Familiar with CPM theory and methods as well as other areas of knowledge relevant to the catalyzing of a movement

2.     Know how to apply them

15.  Sociability:

1.     Demonstrate culturally appropriate interpersonal skills

2.     Characterized by pleasant conversation and companionship

16.  Boldness:

1.     Bold and brave to advance the gospel, even in the face of danger and threats

2.     Courageous to hold on to their convictions in spite of difficulties and resistance

17.  Discipling:

1.     Intentional in disciple-making in the context of a relationship that leads to heart obedience, where folks actually grow in character and spiritual disciplines

18.  Coaching:

1.     Skillfully ask insightful and powerful questions which draw from other people’s experience and learning, in order to facilitate discovery of things for themselves

19.  Partnering:

1.     Initiate, build and maintain trust relationships with partners, on the basis of which they foster cooperation to accomplish more together

20.  Inspiring Personality:

1.     Displays a sense of authority and confidence

2.     Acts selflessly in ways that build other people’s respect for them

3.     Instill a sense of honor in others for being associated with them and other followers of Jesus

21.  Challenging Assumptions:

1.     Question people’s assumptions to re-examine whether the assumptions are appropriate

2.     Get others to look at realities from different angles

3.     Seek differing perspectives when addressing problems and suggest new ways of looking at things

22.  Personal Consideration:

1.     Consider an individual as having different needs, abilities, and aspirations than others in the group

APEST Team Functional Focal Areas:

1.     Apostolic:

a.     Essentially the steward of the DNA of the movement

b.     The sent ones who help ensure that the faith is passed from context to context and generation to generation

c.     Guard and embed the DNA both theologically and missionally

d.     Establish churches in new contexts

e.     Develop leaders and leadership systems

f.      Strategic missional perspective

g.     Translocal networking

2.     Prophetic:

a.     An ear towards God and acts as mouth for God, often in tension with dominant consciousness

b.     Truth-teller to believers

c.     Discerning and communicating God’s will

d.     Ensuring obedience of the covenant community

e.     Questioning the status quo

3.     Evangelistic:

a.     The recruiter, carrier, and communicator of the gospel message

b.     Truth-teller to those not yet following Jesus

c.     Calls for personal response to God’s redemption in Jesus

d.     Making clear the offer of salvation so that people might hear and respond in faith

e.     Recruiting to the cause

4.     Pastoral:

a.     Cares for and develops the people of God by leading, nurturing, protecting and discipling them

b.     Cultivates a loving and spiritually mature network of relationships and community

c.     Makes disciples

5.     Teaching:

a.     The ministry that clarifies the revealed mind/will of God so that the people of God gain wisdom and understanding

b.     Discernment

c.     Guidance

d.     Helping the faith community to explore and seek to understand the mind of God

A Potential Movement Catalyst will likely exhibit characteristics related to more than one of these team functions, with a lean towards the apostolic as at least one of them.

From Starfish and the Spider, “the Catalyst’s Tools:”

1.     Genuine Interest in Others: loves their stories

2.     Loose Connections: meaningful casual interactions with a great many people

3.     Mapping: who they know, how they relate, and how they fit into a huge mental map

4.     Desire to Help: drives the desire to connect people

5.     Passion: provides the drumbeat for a decentralized organization

6.     Meet People Where They Are: attunes to situation rather than pushing advice

7.     Emotional Intelligence: emotional connections and bonds precede strategy

8.     Trust: because can’t control the outcomes, foster interpersonal relationships of trust

9.     Inspiration: inspire working towards a goal that doesn’t involve personal gain

10.  Tolerance for Ambiguity: creativity and innovation in the face of ambiguity

11.  Hands-Off Approach: they get out of the way and don’t over-monitor

12.  Receding: they leave after their central work is done

CEO v Catalyst

Boss v Peer

Command & Control v Trust

Rational v Emotionally Intelligent

Powerful v Inspirational

Directive v Collaborative

In the Spotlight v Behind the Scenes

Order v Ambiguity

Organizing v Connecting