Writing
Essays and working ideas from more than fifteen years of writing about faith, leadership, discipleship, the church, family, and life in Austin.
Start here
New here? These four pieces offer a way into the writing: what shapes the church, how we lead, and how faith takes form in community. Begin with the recent essays, then explore the earlier work that helped shape those questions.
The church and the Spirit · 2026
The Organizing Principle of the Church
Start with a recent reflection on how spiritual gifts shape the church, and why I’m revisiting an old conviction about mission.
Leadership in practice · 2026
Leadership and Administration
Why leading people and bringing order to the work are gifts to recognize and steward, and what gets lost when we treat them only as skills.
Community and mission · 2013
What is a Missional Community? – Definition
A short introduction to the definition we used at The Austin Stone, and why a community of Christians is essential to a faithful witness.
Leading through change · 2013
Transitioning Your Church to Missional Communities
The opening of a practical series on our transition at The Austin Stone, with lessons about patience, learning, and the time real change takes.
For sustained explorations of a topic, browse the Selected Series.
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Missional community · Leadership · Christianity · Church · Personal · Austin Stone · Discipleship · Theology
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Fall Alignment Series at The Austin Stone
Each fall at The Austin Stone, we take some time as a church family to do three things: Align our church to our vision through integrated preaching, resources, and missional community discussion Invite visitors to engage…
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Student Ministry and Life Transformation Groups
Over the next few weeks, I’ve asked several members of our team at The Austin Stone to write about how missional communities integrate with some of their areas of ministry. To start with, my friend (and…
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Student Ministry Gatherings
Over the next few weeks, I’ve asked several members of our team at The Austin Stone to write about how missional communities integrate with some of their areas of ministry. To start with, my friend (and…
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Student Ministry and Missional Communities
Over the next few weeks, I’ve asked several members of our team at The Austin Stone to write about how missional communities integrate with some of their areas of ministry. To start with, my friend (and…
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Why Don’t We Call Missional Communities Churches?
Friday FAQ Recently I was asked: “What would keep you from calling the missional communities “churches”? It seems to me that they are actually functioning and reflecting what a church is supposed to be.” That’s actually…
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The Family Meeting – Celebrating Communion
This series will drill down on the missional community practice called “The Family Meeting”. Although there isn’t a formula, here are some things to consider putting into practice: Sharing a Meal What Do You Talk About?…
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The Family Meeting – An Evening of Prayer
This series will drill down on the missional community practice called “The Family Meeting”. Although there isn’t a formula, here are some things to consider putting into practice: Sharing a Meal What Do You Talk About?…
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Transitioning to Missional Communities
Friday FAQ I am often asked: “What recommendations would you give a church that relies (and has relied for quite some time) on a traditional Sunday-school or small group model?” While every situation is different and…
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The Family Meeting – What Do You Talk About?
This series will drill down on the missional community practice called “The Family Meeting”. Although there isn’t a formula, here are some things to consider putting into practice: Sharing a Meal What Do You Talk About?…
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The Family Meeting – Sharing a Meal
This series will drill down on the missional community practice called “The Family Meeting”. Although there isn’t a formula, here are some things to consider putting into practice: Sharing a Meal What Do You Talk About?…
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Missional Community with Different Ages of Children
Perhaps the single most frequently asked question I receive with respect to missional communities is “what do we do with our children?”. For this next series, I’m going to focus on answering that question from multiple…
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The Insufficiency of Small Groups of Discipleship
I continue to be grateful for the kind team at The Gospel Coalition. They recently posted an article I wrote called “The Insufficiency of Small Groups for Discipleship“. Below is an excerpt: In my limited experience,…