Partnering at Catalyst

At Catalyst, we don't use the word 'membership' to describe joining our church. Instead, we use the word 'partnership' because it better reflects the idea that we are all working together, not just belonging to a club.  Becoming a partner at Catalyst means joining our church family. You do not have to become a partner to worship or grow with us., but we believe it is God's plan for Christians to be "on the team" and not just "in the stands" of the local church.

This page serves as a digital version of our Connecting Point class and can serve as a way for you to partner with us. Please read it and watch the video from our pastor. If you want to join team Catalyst, we are ready to help you get connected! 

The Bible teaches us that when someone repents of their sins and trusts in Christ for salvation, they become a Christian. So, in one sense, we are all “members” of Jesus’s Church, or what Paul called the Body of Christ. But this doesn’t automatically make us “partners” of any one local church. This is where we must make a distinction. To put it simply: Membership to the Body of Christ is automatic, Partnership in a local church is voluntary.

Being a Christian, or member of the Body of Christ, comes with some requirements. Christians are expected to learn and practice spiritual disciplines like prayer, worship, Bible Study, fasting, etc. Christians are also expected to be an active part of a local body of believers. Finally, Christians are expected to reflect the character and love of Christ in the way they live. In the same way membership in the Body of Christ is instantaneous, these expectations of Christians are automatic and not optional. Being a partner of a local church, on the other hand, is optional. Christians can choose to become a partner of the local church that best suits their family. Each local church will have its own requirements for partnership.

Biblical expectations of Christian membership:

• Attend faithfully (Hebrews 10:19-25)
• Serve joyfully (Romans 12:10-13)
• Give generously (2 Corinthians 9:6-11)
• Submit humbly (1 Peter 5:1-5)

Catalyst requirements for partnership:

• Public profession of faith in Christ as Savior and baptism by immersion
• Transfer of membership from another Bible believing church
• Testimony of previous conversion and baptism
• Must have attended the Connecting Point class

Catalyst Community Church was born in 1951 and was originally named Bethany Baptist Church. We are a Southern Baptist church that was planned and planted where we are today in Newport, Delaware. In the 50's, Dupont was relocating families to Wilmington. Bethany was planted to offer a Southern Baptist Church to those relocating to the area for work.  Over the years, the building was built, expanded, and finally updated to the way you see Catalyst today. In the mid to late 2010's, the church decreased down to just a few dozen people and the decision was made to revitalize. It was this process that rebuilt Bethany into Catalyst Community Church. In late 2021, God called Pastor Bill Yomes to lead Catalyst and he has been the pastor since. Catalyst still partners locally, nationally, and internationally with the Southern Baptist Convention in missions work every year. 

Catalyst is a Southern Baptist Church that holds to historic traditional Christian doctrine. Pastor Bill likes to say that "Unity is not uniformity." There are many areas of Christian doctrine and belief that are open for discussion and debate between Christians. There are some, however, that are not. Here is a short review of our beliefs. For a fuller understanding, please visit our beliefs page.

• We believe the Bible is the Word of God.
• We believe there is one God who has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Spirit.
• We believe salvation is only found in Jesus.
• We believe the Church is a local group of baptized believers who worship, work, and grow together.

Catalyst is a fully autonomous, elder-led, congregational church. This means the highest authority in our church is the congregational vote of our partners. Our congregation votes to call the pastor, elect elders, elect deacons, approve the annual church budget, and other business items as they become necessary. We currently have three elders. Pastor Bill serves as the lead elder and is responsible for teaching, leadership, and vision. Bill Crook is our financial elder and is responsible to keep the finances and facilities of the church secure and compliant with all legal and budgetary guidelines. Jim Bouchat is our shepherding elder and is responsible to lead the deacons in caring for the families that call Catalyst their home church. Each elder also leads a team that serves in their area of responsibility. Pastor Bill leads the team of ministry leaders, Bill Crook leads the budget & stewardship and facility management teams, and Jim leads the deacons in shepherding and care. 

Because we are a congregational church, the finances of the church are open to all partners.  We welcome anyone to request and view our annual budget or monthly financial updates. However, the giving records of individuals and families are not publicly available. The finance team keeps our records with the least amount of human eyes possible. If you choose to give to the Lord at Catalyst, your gift is between you and God and that's how we see it. Operationally, the finances of Catalyst are audited monthly by an outside accounting firm to guarantee the trustworthiness of our financial systems to our partners. 

Our vision is to represent Jesus as a loving community that meets needs, builds relationships, and matures Christians. Everything we do at Catalyst is directed by that aim. We believe the church's job is help individuals grow in their faith, work together for the gospel, and impact the world around us for Jesus, not for ourselves. This is who we are and why we do what we do. 

Why do we want you to choose to be a partner at Catalyst? The answer is simple. Every team needs a roster. We want to know that you are interested in getting on the field and in the game to help us accomplish what God has called us to. That's the key difference between those in the stands and those in the game. You are welcome to attend Catalyst either at our Wilmington Campus or online in our app without becoming a partner. We want you to see who we are and what we do... but we really want you to join the team and get in the game with us!

At this point, people usually have questions. This is not only a good thing, it's important. We do not want anyone feeling pressured in any way to join team Catalyst. Every one of our in-person Connecting Point classes ends with a Q&A  with Pastor Bill. We hope that you also have questions that Pastor Bill can answer for you to help you make your decision. Please use the button below to schedule a time to talk with Pastor Bill and ask those questions; he LOVES questions. That's not a joke... he really does. If you don't have any questions and you're ready to move forward, please use the button below to become a partner and join team Catalyst.