34 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From Catalyst Labs: Bryan Lorrits

In our effort to help churches succeed, The Rocket Company will be live

blogging from this week’s Catalyst Conference.  As you know, the Catalyst team puts

on a series of labs on Wednesday prior to the main sessions beginning on Thursday.  The

afternoon session concluded with 34 Leadership Quotes And Lessons from Bryan Loritts,

Founding Pastor of Fellowship Bible Church in Memphis.  It was the most challenging

leadership session of the day.

1. I was growing with a holy frustration because the crowds I was speaking to were all white or all black and that’s not the gospel.
2. Whenever you walk into a city you must identify all the idols.
3. We are not a multi-ethnic church first.  We are a Jesus-first church.
4. Your race will not get you into Heaven.
5. I avoid leadership conferences like the plague.  I’d come to a leadership conference to try to get a quick fix to make myself great.
6. My biggest struggle is pride.
7. Our lives are anamorphic paintings.  Lurking beneath the surface of all sin is pride.
8. It was pride that the devil became the devil.
9. My struggle with social media is I become the star of my own reality show.
10. Social media is not narcissistic.  People are.
11. My obsession with self-reflection is not for healthy biblical reasons but “Did you like me?”
12. It’s almost impossible to offend a humble person.
13. Humble people don’t hold on to rights.  Humble people are not concerned with “me” but “we”.
14. “You put two men together their natural proclivity is to compete.” – Dennis Rainey
15. The nature of itinerant speaking narcissistic because it is people saying “I want you.”
16. I see this as a room where one narcissistic dude in a room full of narcissistic people.
17. The #1 killer in marriages – me.  The #1 killer of elder teams – me.  The #1 killer of staff teams – me.
18. I am not a sociologist.  I am not a leadership guru.  I am a preacher of The Word of God.
19. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you should start looking at your past about the goodness of Jesus.
20. When you start thinking, you’ll start thanking.  There is no reason for a follower of Jesus not to have joy.
21. One of the things leaders must constantly do is fight for unity amongst our staff teams.
22. In the South we have hidden behind relational cowardice.  Timidity is not humility.  It is actually the other side of pride.
23. Humility = harmony.  When you has a leader model humility, one of the outgrowths of that is harmony.
24. Pride is stealing what rightfully belongs to God and applying to myself.  Pride is taking what is rightfully God’s.
25. Leader, you are the keeper of your culture.
26. One of the things I love about the African-American culture is honoring the man of God.
27. Your five-year-old kid is not my pier.
28. If you want humility, look to Jesus.
29. Jesus did not coerce into the Kingdom.  He served us into the Kingdom.
30. Use your status, your influence, not to build your own kingdom, but to push others to the Kingdom.
31. It’s important as leaders – Serve.
32. Develop friendships and relationships with people who seemingly bring nothing to the table.  So many relationships are transactional.  What you will find is counter-intuitive.  They bring more to the table than you will know.
33. Live a grace-filled life.  It takes a humble person to really get grace.
34. Pride doesn’t break people.  Grace does.

Bryan is absolutely one of the best communicators you will

ever hear.  If you want to be able to preach like he does, then

download this FREE resource

Five Things That Kill A Sermon.  This free tool will make you

a better preacher of God’s Word.