Catapult Conference Inspires young leaders

Executive Director of Church and Community Engagement Donna Savill said Catapult brought together leaders of youth or young adult groups in their churches.

“The vision for the three-day conference is to be a watering hole for our youth and young adult ministry leaders to be refreshed, commissioned and poured into,” Donna said. 

“We include sessions on child safety each year, to equip leaders in creating safe environments for children and vulnerable people, and they return to their churches screened and trained in Safe Ministry Check, ready to start the year. 

“It’s a great investment. Participants get to do a lot of leadership development problem-solving, planning and setting vision with their teams.”

Catapult also serves as an opportunity to form inter-church relationships, which lasts long after the conference is over.

“One great example is Toowoomba North, which is a large church community, donated goods to help Kingsthorpe start a kids’ club, and another country youth group gained a hand from participants in a larger church so they can grow.”

“We do it over the last weekend of January, so participants can go back to their churches invigorated and inspired to face the year ahead.”

Participant feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with virtually every participant saying they would happily attend Catapult again.

Catapult and FUSE, which is designed for younger participants, are both events designed to build the movement and the Churches of Christ identity. They also provide leadership training for smaller churches which don’t have the capacity to run conferences.