Todd Engstrom

Category: church

  • The Lobby – Day 1

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    Todd Engstrom
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    It’s been a great day gathering with so many thoughtful and humble leaders here in Atlanta.  Today was centered around four different discussions: Session 1: Disciple Making Our first discussion centered around the idea of making disciples, and Rick Howerton provoked some good healthy discussion and serious reflections on whether or not our systems were…

  • Individualism and Community

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    Todd Engstrom
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    I think, therefore I am. One simple phrase that Descartes penned helped define a worldview for a future generation. No longer would humanity be fettered with group-think, old wives tales, and crude explanation. No, we would be released into the glorious future of rationalistic reasoning and society would soar to new heights. Centuries have passed,…

  • Consumerism and Community

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    Todd Engstrom
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    Consumers, simply speaking, are people who purchase goods and services to meet a perceived need. In the most basic of forms, consumption is necessary to human existence. Each and every one of us is a consumer of something. But what happens when consumption goes from necessity to pleasure, from provision to identity? Consumerism. Our American economic ingenuity…

  • 2012 Verge Talk – Who is the Missionary?

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    Todd Engstrom
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    At Verge this year, I referred to the video above from Verge 2012 as the reason why we are pursuing missional communities. It’s a simple argument for the need for new forms to engage our cities with the gospel. What do you think needs to change about how we gather as the church?

  • The Church and The Surprising Offense of God’s Love

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    Todd Engstrom
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    I’ve been reading The Church and the Surprising Offense of God’s Love by Jonathan Leeman, and although I’ve had some disagreements with the book, it has been an excellent read.   I wanted to share a few quotes that have been particularly challenging for me. Below is a good challenge to teaching “community” as the solution…

  • A Gospel-Centered Reader | Timmy Brister

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    Todd Engstrom
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    I stumbled across this resource a couple of weeks ago, but neglected to post it…the link below is an excellent compilation of Gospel-centered resources from Timmy Brister.  Give it a look! A Gospel-Centered Reader Timmy also just posted a links to Soma Community’s resources of “Living Inside the Gospel Story” here.  I’m planning on doing…

  • Multisite Church | Christian Standard Interview

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    Todd Engstrom
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    If you have been interested in the multisite discussion as a missional church, then I’d recommend reading the article below.  Todd Wilson does a great job of highlighting the upside of multisite planting, and a holistic perspective on how it fits with church planting strategy. Christian Standard Interview – Todd Wilson on Multisite I think…

  • Book Review | Total Church

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    Todd Engstrom
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    The second book I read over my vacation was Total Church: A Radical Reshaping around Gospel and Community by Steve Timmis and Tim Chester. The overall perspective of the book is applying to the church the two foundational principles of gospel and community.  As a short synopsis, it is an excellent basic theology primer coupled…

  • Book Review | Vintage Church

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    Todd Engstrom
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    Although it wasn’t the first book I read on vacation, I’m going to start with Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears. I have grown to thoroughly appreciate the ministry of Mark Driscoll, and am consistently thankful that he preaches the gospel faithfully to his church, as well as…

  • Multisite Church

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    Todd Engstrom
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    I just finished reading through the new 9 Marks Journal on Multisite church.  I thought it was a fantastic and balanced presentation of arguments both for and against the concept.  Ed Stetzer dialogued through the basic objection most have to multisite here, and I’m also asking a similar question. The article by Jonathan Leeman titled…

  • The Ordinary: The Rabbit and The Elephant.

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    Todd Engstrom
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    We have some great students who think deeply about the church universal and the church local, and are living expressions of mission on their campus.  Aaron is one of them, and I’ve been blessed to watch him wrestle with the concepts of missional community.  He’s writing about it at The Ordinary, and here is an…

  • Parachurch and Church | Moore to the Point

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    Todd Engstrom
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    This is an interesting insight from Russell Moore about campus ministries and the necessity of connecting with a local church.  I would probably take a less hard line approach than he does and value a less “formal” expression of church, as well as argue that a church needs to adapt to its cultural context to…