Archive for February, 2009

TASCC Missional Communities Blog

Posted by Todd Engstrom in austin stone, missional on February 10, 2009

Stew and the Community team have been working on putting together a Missional Community Blog for The Austin Stone.

Here’s an excerpt:

How to stay focused on the vision and mission

As leaders we must clearly communicate the vision and mission and what it means.
Review the vision and mission often. Intimate knowledge of the vision and mission is a call to commitment and action. When the direction is understood as God’s direction and not that of man, we can mobilize with a higher authority. A clear understanding will gain commitment which should lead to application and action.

It will be a great resource, so check it out!

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Fivefold Leadership | Dream Awakener

Posted by Todd Engstrom in leadership, missional on February 9, 2009

I’ve found this post and the whole series from JR Woodward particularly insightful in applying the APEPT/APEST model of leadership to a western, contemporary church context.  JR has a unique way of articulating these ideas into a framework that makes sense for me.

I first encountered this idea of missional leadership through the writing of Alan Hirsch in The Forgotten Ways, and I think I’ve been understanding more and more the necessity of having a well rounded ministerial team, and the synergy produced when people with different giftings are around the table.

These different personalities bring a healthy, multi-perspectival approach to strategy and ministry.  Alternatively, I think they promote some good fights in meetings, as Patrick Lencioni suggests in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.

I’m hoping to work through some of this with our Campus Minister Network in the future…

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Practice is the Embodiment of Value

Posted by Todd Engstrom in austin stone, missional on February 7, 2009

I listened to Alan Hirsch at our leadership conference (via Shapevine), and he busted out the title of this blog.  He was talking about the idea that intellect moves us to action being a complete reversal of reality.  Another quote from the day that really rung home for me is below:

Act your way into a new way of thinking, rather than thinking yourself into a new way of acting.

I love the way this guy thinks (and acts), and it was a joy to hear him articulate ideas on gospel and mission.  The idea that practice embodies value, or that action demonstrates what we treasure, is an excellent way to phrase why we have Partnership commitments at The Austin Stone, not just core values.

I pray that God would continue to move us toward practicing what we value as a church.

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The Austin Stone on Campus Audio

Posted by Todd Engstrom in christianity on February 6, 2009

I had the awesome opportunity to preach to the college students of The Austin Stone a week and a half ago at The Austin Stone on Campus.  God presence was palpable through the evening, and it was truly a blessing to be a part of.

If you’d like to listen to/download my message from The Austin Stone on Campus, you can find it here.

To view the summary of the night, click here.

Let me know what you think in the comments!

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Lessons in Evangelism | Gentrified

Posted by Todd Engstrom in evangelism, missional on February 6, 2009

Logan is doing a quick set of posts on Evangelism at Gentrified.

Below is an excerpt:

I am far from gifted in evangelism, if there was such a thing as ungifted that would be me, but I’ve learned that Paul’s exhortation to Timothy to “do the work of evangelist” likely means Timothy wasn’t either, but the command is still the same. I am starting with the question of “Why should I evangelize?” because it deals with the motivation of your heart which in turn reverberates through the actions you take. Evangelism always felt simply like a command (which it is) and a duty, which left me feeling guilty and ashamed of not doing it more, but my motivations for evangelism have been changing so that it is starting to feel normal.

I’ve come up with 3 changes in motivation that explain why I have evangelized more:

1) I love God and His gospel.

2) I’ve started to actually love and care about the people around me.

3) It causes worship in me and exalts His name.

Click here for more.

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I have watched the last few months as Logan has been ignited with a passion for this, and it is an encouragement and challenge for me to continue to share what God has done in my life, and the power in the cross of Christ.

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