Todd Engstrom

Category: leadership

  • When Exposition Is Not Enough

    Why Many Christians Know the Bible but Miss the Story A couple weeks ago, I was reminded of the quiet power of expositional preaching. Our church is currently working through a series on the kings of Judah. A few Sundays ago, we studied the story of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20, where Judah faces an…

  • Lessons I Shared With a Younger Leader

    Yesterday afternoon, I met with a younger pastor and mission leader here in Austin. We grabbed a cold frosty beverage and settled into one of those conversations that quickly move past small talk and into the deeper questions of calling, leadership, and life. He came with a notebook full of questions. I came with a…

  • Who Do You Love?

    I keep coming back to John 17. This high priestly prayer is beautiful and rich, and continues to bear weight on my life and ministry. For years, I taught this chapter as part of training leaders for missional communities. I loved it then for its clarity. Jesus ties the unity of his people to the…

  • 2025 in Review

    2025 in Review

    As Advent began, I started looking back over this year and trying to make sense of all that God has done. It has been a full year for our family, our work, and our hearts. When I think about it, three words keep rising to the surface. Striving. Selling. Serving. They describe more of a…

  • Revolutionary

    We love to call things “revolutionary.” A new idea, a product launch, even a church ministry model—if it breaks the mold, we call it a revolution. The word has become shorthand for anything innovative or disruptive. But at its root, a revolution is simply a turning. One complete cycle—360 degrees. The earth makes a revolution…

  • Re-Formation: How is God Reshaping the Church Today?

    When we hear the word Reformation, our minds often go to the 16th century—Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and the dramatic upheaval of the Church. That moment in history was a turning point: The Reformation wasn’t just reform for reform’s sake—it was a Spirit-led recalibration around the authority of the Word and the centrality of the gospel.…

  • Jesus Has All Authority—Stop “Releasing” People to Do Ministry

    I was talking with two friends recently, and one of them was wrestling with something I’ve heard many times before: “I want to make disciples in my home… but I’m not sure if I have permission.” This kind of confusion is more common than we’d like to admit. In many churches, faithful believers are left…

  • Forerunning, Not Competing

    I recently got back from a spring break trip to Florida—family, friends, sunshine, the usual mix of chaos and rest that comes with traveling with kids. I left a day early, though. My oldest had a playoff soccer game, so I packed up and hit the road solo while everyone else stayed behind. That night,…

  • The Deadline Dilemma in Ministry

    I love deadlines. Others hate them. The word itself sounds ominous—essentially, cross this line, and you die. But where did it even come from? It turns out that deadline has a fascinating etymology. Originally, in the 19th century, a “deadline” referred to a literal boundary in prisons—if a prisoner crossed it, they could be shot.…

  • Thinking Out Loud: Groundbreaking

    I’ve always found ground breaking ceremonies a little funny. There’s a circle of people dressed in nice suits and fancy shoes, all wearing hard hats for a quick photo while they shovel a bit of dirt. It makes me scratch my head—why celebrate at the very start of a building project? And grand openings with…

  • 2025 Theme: Patience and Presence

    As we step into 2025, the dawn of a new year in our culture is an invitation to dream, plan, and set new goals. As a leader in the church and God’s kingdom, I have found this cultural rhythm to be a good opportunity to prayerfully consider what God may desire to do in my…

  • Assessing Candidates – Character

    Over the past few weeks, I’ve focused on staffing in the local church.  This series will focus primarily on assessing candidates who emerge for potential roles on your team.  There are four primary areas of assessment that are crucial in assessing someone for a position on our staff: Calling Character Capacity/Competency Culture/Compatibility This series will…