Welcome Simon Holley

Welcome to another edition of Catalst Magazine.

At our UK leaders gathering in November we restated our purpose as:

"Catalyst is an apostolic movement starting and strengthening churches that multiply disciples to see God's kingdom fill the Earth." It encapsulates what we’re trying to do and believing God for together. These aren't just words to us; they're a reflection of our deepest hopes and our commitment to make a real difference in the world.

Looking back, I'm humbled by what we've achieved together. We've seen communities strengthened and lives changed. We’ve seen at least 300 churches planted in the last 10 years. We’ve grown and developed from a UK based movement to one made up of more than 800 churches that’s increasingly spanning a huge proportion of the world and now serving into over 45 nations. We now have 7 apostolic hubs that are carrying the real apostolic ministry and that are increasingly made up of people from multiple nations and that make Catalyst what it is. Sure, there’s work to be done. We’re a long way from where we need to be. I'm constantly reminded that there's so much more to do. But we have to be grateful for all the Lord has done and is doing! There are over 100 churches that have been planted in the last 12 months or will be in the next 12 months. We have disciples and leaders being raised up in many places - some in extremely challenging circumstances. I loved this story recently shared with me

“I felt a Muslim woman from Iraq at our language cafe is also a person of peace. We haven’t related outside of that setting much, but she’s always very warm, kind, turns the conversation to deeper things. So I prayed and messaged her and asked if her and her husband and kids would be open to spending time with my family, and she said “Richard my family have been discussing this for a few weeks, we had decided we wanted to relate more.” We are now all going to eat food together next weekend when her husband is off work and able to join. I’m loving the course!”

There are many out there still searching for hope, still in need of the transformative love we've experienced but we’re slowly and surely training and sending more and more people to bring the love of God and the power of the kingdom into their lives.

Recently, I've been thinking a lot about what's next for us. In a quiet moment of prayer, I felt a nudge, a whisper in my spirit, saying, 'train 1000 church planters.' At first, this idea seemed overwhelming – even impossible. But then I remembered that God has spoken to us like this before and we raised far more than the £100,000 he asked us to raise for the covid fund. If it’s from Him then he will enable us to not only achieve it but maybe even to exceed it!

This goal – to train 1000 church planters – is a big one. It's about more than numbers; it's about reaching, training and sending people with the hope we have. It's about being there for others in a world that often feels disconnected and divided. We’d have to focus not just on quantity but on quality. The coaching and support, both financial and otherwise, would be immense. I’ve shared this with the Catalyst Strategy Team and we felt that we should weigh this word together. For us to achieve it would take all of us - from Manchester to Malawi and from Nigeria to New Zealand. Women and men would both need to play their part, as would old and young. This won’t fly if it’s a banner on a website. It would need to be something we owned together. I don't have all the answers, and honestly, I'm not sure what this will look like. But I'm excited about the possibilities. So, as we move forward, let's keep the conversation going. We shared it at a recent Catalyst Leaders event and it did feel as if we had a rise of faith. But I’d love to hear from you. Let's share our thoughts, our concerns, and our dreams as we think about this and weigh it together. So please pray about this goal and ask God what this means for your church and hub. Let's seek God together to help us decide if this is something we should aim for. We might not know exactly where this path will lead, but I'm confident that together, we can make a huge difference in the nations that we’re working in. Thanks for being part of this journey. Here's to stepping into the future with hope!

Much love, Simon