vision & values

Catalyst Church is a unique church provoking lasting change by sharing compassion and hope.


We are glad you're here!  We hope that in this church you will find people who are welcoming and a place where relationships are a big deal.  A place where you can know God more and worship him freely.  A place where you will be challenged but also welcome to learn and grow at your own pace.  A place where you can be yourself and find friends.  But most importantly, a place where you feel at home and you can connect with Jesus and his mission for the earth in a real way!'

The key values that capture the type of church that we are and the way things happen at Catalyst are expressed by the following values:

1.  All people matter – We believe that all people matter to God and therefore ought to matter to us.
2.  Authentic community – We believe in being real, honest and down to earth in our relationships with God and each other.
3.  Generational – We believe God has a plan and purpose for all generations and will embrace all, but we will be intentional in equipping and empowering the emerging generation.
4.  Relevance – We believe in remaining innovative and creative in our expression of love for God and that the communication of the gospel message is critical to fulfilling our mission.
5.  Excellence – We believe excellence honours God and inspires people.
6.  Missional - We are generous in giving ourselves, our time, our resources and energy in serving God’s mission in our community.
7.  Team based Ministry - We value every person and acknowledge that everyone has skills and talents to use and is most effective when serving in teams together. We are stronger together than apart.

our story

Catalyst Church was founded on 7th January 1980 by Pastor Vince and Denise Esterman. Pastor Phillip and Mandy Mutzelburg were the senior leaders who led the church for 21 years until February 2010.  Ps Carl Mutzelburg is the current lead Pastor of the church and has a desire to see the church continue to be relevant and impacting people across our community.  
The church has had a unique opportunity to help establish Ipswich as a well known spiritual centre around the world. The founding minister moved from Ipswich to Paris, France where he has established a network of over twenty churches.

Our church has in recent years been the leader of an innovative movement amongst Australian churches of many denominations that want to network with their local communities. That network now comprises over 650 churches. We are also part of a network of churches across called A2A (Acts 2 Alliance).

Catalyst Church is situated in the old Suttons Foundry at Brassall, Ipswich. When the church purchased the property most onlookers wondered what the finished product would be like.  Years later the church campus is undoubtedly one of the most innovative in the city with significant development and improvement of our community facilities planned in the next few years. Visitors are continually surprised by the retention of the original character of the foundry while rebuilding to serve all the needs of a growing church community. View more on our history here.  

who is catalyst?

Catalyst is a community of people who believe that God transforms lives and that He enables us to make a difference in our community.  We aim to always be relevant and exciting in the way we connect with those around us. We aim to do things in an excellent way that honours God and inspires people, while remaining true to the Bible.  We are innovators, creative and flexible in the way we express the message of the gospel. We are a church for all generations but are intentional about embracing and empowering the emerging generation.

We believe in being real, honest and down to earth in our relationships with God and each other.  We genuinely care for one another, encouraging each other to grow and be more like Jesus Christ.   We believe each individual is uniquely gifted to serve in their world.  We are stronger together than apart, committed to authentic relationships with God and each other. 

We have a ‘Father’s heart’ for empowering the ‘local church’ in Australia and overseas.  Our mission is not limited to just this city as we are intentional about sending people and releasing resources that help people connect, grow, serve and go at many other locations across the world.