The NINES Online Conference is coming to your computer this Thursday!  Catalyst had a chance to sit down with Leadership Network’s Todd Rhoades to talk a little bit about what is going on behind the scenes at The NINES. 

Where did the vision for an online conference like The NINES begin?
Well, the inspiration for The NINES came in the middle of 2009.  Leadership Network had just finished a big conference in Dallas called Innovation3 to help celebrate our 25th anniversary.  We brought in a ton of speakers to Dallas to share for 3 days.  It was an expense conference to produce.  So, with the advances in internet technology (especially) on-line video, we thought it would be really cool to try to do the same type thing, only totally on-line.  That's how the NINES was born.  We kind of had a silly concept:  9 minutes per speaker, 9 hours long, on 09/09/09.  From a marketing standpoint, it was succinct and easy to communicate.  We created a lot of buzz from the concept, and had a great experience learning how to (and how NOT to) host an online event.
 
Share with us a little peek behind the wizards curtain--what goes into putting The NINES together and how does it all work?
I think many people would be surprised at just how much work it is!  This year, we worked with about 150 different video submissions (that worked out to nearly 50 gigabytes of video to upload/download, render, and prepare!)  And we really worked hard this year to provide some additional resources, particularly our 125 page color NINES companion book, that offers full written-notes for each speaker.  We outsourced a couple of writers to help with the project.   We collected speaker information, pictures, and bios.  We created marketing pieces and website designs.  And scheduling and loading all of the videos for September 9 was a big job as well.  But you won't hear any of us belly-aching.  This has been a great project to work on... and when we think of all the church leaders that will benefit from the solid content that's been submitted, it makes it all worth it!
 
There are some incredible speakers lined up this year but we'd love to know who you are looking forward to the most? Who do we want to make sure not to miss?
There are a couple that really hit home for me.  I think that when Brady Boyd talks about the gunman that killed a couple of young women during church one weekend and how it changed New Life Church forever, is a very powerful story.  Brad Powell from NorthRidge Church in Detroit also shares an incredible gamechanger of how incredibly important the urgency of the gospel message is for each of us.  Both of those hit me between the eyes.  I'm sure that each person will resonate personally with a few like that.
  
What kind of impact are you hoping The NINES will have for leaders this year?
Here's the biggest takeaway of the day:  Each person will share their ministry gamechanger:  the one thing that changed them personally or their ministry the most over their career.  It is our hope that everyone watching will really connect and learn from a variety of choices; but more important, that God will use one speaker throughout the day to really help them discover a gamechanger that could happen in their own lives.  I have so much to learn... and The NINES will be an unbelievable opportunity to learn from the experience of others.

Catalyst is proud to be partnering with The NINES.  In fact, you’ll hear from many of our Catalyst speakers this year!  You can register (for free) for the NINES right now at thenines.leadnet.org.

Earlier this year I had the chance to meet with Allison Trowbridge and Kevin Austin from Not For Sale, a global campaign with one goal - re-abolish slavery.  I asked Kevin if he would share about Not For Sale and offer tangible insight into how you, and I, can be a part.  He offers a sobering glimpse into the reality of slavery in our world today AND two specific opportunities for us to help...

Re-Abolish Slavery.
By Kevin Austin

"There are more slaves in the world today than at any other point in human history. Real slaves – unable to walk away – forced to work under threat of violence.  Slavery permeates everything from our cell phones, to clothing, to our chocolate, and tires.  Slavery is not just an “over there” issue of Thai girls in forced prostitution or child soldiers in Uganda.  It also exists in our backyards.

The issue of modern slavery affects us all.  Our businesses are deeply impacted, our families are at risk, and our morality is challenged.  Slavery is one of the highest money making criminal activities in the world.

The good news is that we can do something about modern slavery.  There is hope. The abolitionist movement of the 19th century, in one generation, challenged the enormous, entrenched business of slavery and abolished it.  We can do the same.  We can re-abolish slavery in our lifetime.

Learning more and being fully aware is necessary.   But we must move beyond awareness and talk to action.  Talk will not change things.  Books will not change things.  Statistics are cold and lifeless.  What creates change?  Churches preaching and singing, soccer moms casting votes, politicians creating laws, neighbors changing their lifestyles, etc. Slow but steady change is necessary. 

Two specific things you can do to learn more and do more:

1. David Batstone, founder of Not for Sale, will be leading a lab at Catalyst in Atlanta on Wednesday, Oct.6. Attend the lab then visit with Not for Sale staff at Catalyst.


2. Register your faith community for Freedom Sunday, www.freedomsunday.org, and let worship be a change agent, creating new futures for those in slavery.

For more see: www.notforsalecampaign.org."

Kevin Austin is the Director of the Abolitionist Faith Community for Not for Sale.  Kevin is also a Free Methodist missionary, a pastor, and musician.  Write to Kevin: Kevin@notforsalecampaign.org.

SHADOWHANDS (this is a powerful video)

In January of 2008 I had the opportunity to meet with Luis and Kevin Palau during a roadtrip visit to Portland, OR...it was then that I first heard about their "Season of Service" campaign.  Now, two years later Kevin shares about how their collaborative effort with other area leaders is literally changing the landscape of an entire city.  Take a minute and be encouraged by this amazing update from Kevin...

Missional Living in Portland
By Kevin Palau


"Two years ago in Portland—one of the least churched cities in the United States—hundreds of churches came together to talk about impacting the region for the long-term. Led by the Palau Association as well as the likes of Rick McKinley (Imago Dei), John Bishop (Living Hope), and John Mark Comer (Solid Rock), the conversation focused around word and deed.

The questions:

1. How do we fulfill the Great Commission and the Great Commandment in a sustainable way?
2. What does Portland look like 20 years from now if we love and serve together?

The initial push was toward an evangelistic festival and huge community service effort. The festival—Portland CityFest with Luis Palau—drew more than 100,000 people to Waterfront Park, giving the Gospel center stage in a city often known for its secular perspectives. The community service campaign—Season of Service—opened doors to civic and corporate leaders and started dialogue that would prove monumental. 

Not only did the Good News go out clearly, but more than 27,000 followers of Christ came together to serve the community. In the months leading up to the festival, projects throughout the area gave Christ followers a tangible way to get involved and build bridges where chasms once existed.

Today, the landscape in Portland—as a result of the catalytic festival and ongoing Seasons of Service—is different: 

•    More than 400 churches have formed partnerships with cities throughout the region to continue to love and serve their neighbors. 
•    Annual efforts continue to focus on key areas such as homelessness, health and wellness, and human trafficking.
•    Annual Advent Conspiracy campaigns have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for community-wide initiatives identified by the city. 
•    Portland-area schools have formally requested churches to “adopt” schools in need.

One powerful effort—birthed out of the first Season of Service—was Compassion Connect. Growing from one medical/dental clinic to a full-fledged initiative serving thousands of individuals, this work has come to be one of the shining stars in Portland.

One of their new ventures—the Apartment Complex Initiative—was featured on the front cover of the Oregonian last week. It is yet another great story of how the Lord is using His followers to have a powerful impact here in Portland—for His glory.

The results speak for themselves."

Kevin Palau currently serves as the President of the Luis Palau Association and helps lead collaborative Kingdom efforts in Portland, OR.

Learn more about Kevin and the Luis Palau Association by visiting their blog, http://blogs.palau.org/.  You can also learn more about the Season of Service by visiting http://www.seasonofservice.com/.

Enjoy a surprisingly candid & authentic conversation with Mark Driscoll, Francis Chan & Joshua Harris on ministry & mostly what Francis is doing next & why. 15 minutes.

Today we are giving away the new book from Kary Oberbrunner, Your Secret Name: Discovering Who God Created You to Be.

We all have one–a Secret Name that is. The Bible tells us so. Yet few of us know ours. Many of us are stuck, caught up in the 'Name Game.' Using the story of the biblical patriarch Jacob as a backdrop, author Kary Oberbrunner calls us to stop accepting the world’s labels and start wrestling with God to discover our true identity.

Jacob spent years living out the meaning of his earthly name: 'deceiver.' Caught up in pretending to be someone he wasn’t, he was unaware that God would build a nation through him, unaware that Jesus would be one of his descendents, unaware of the lands he would inherit.

Then he heard God speak his true name and the future God had for him unfolded. Oberbrunner reminds us that we’ll be unable to discern what God wants to build through us until we discover how God has seen us all along. In Your Secret Name, readers will find the courage to abandon what they know in order to become who they were born to be.

Congrats to our winners!
Darrell Jordan, Andy Dunkin, Eddie Fearing, Julian Clark & Phil Bradley. Thanks everyone for playing!

If you didn't win, you can still purchase Your Secret Name on Amazon.com for only $10.19

TODAY WE ARE GIVING AWAY 5 COPIES!

Here's how to win:

1. TWEET THIS: Win "Your Secret Name" from @KaryOberbrunner today (5 copies) http://bit.ly/dpniLk

2. COMMENT BELOW: Comment below with your twitter name & your favorite song right now (just for fun)

3. AT 5PM EST TODAY: we will choose 5 winners from the comments below to receive one copy of Your Secret Name.

Contest ends TODAY at 5pm EST, Sept 1, 2010.