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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Missional Community vs. Community Group
Community groups tend to make community the destination, and once the friendships are established that is where they stay. They die out when circumstances change, because they lack the imperative of mission. In John 17 Jesus…
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Missional Community vs. Bible Study
A missional community is not a bible study, but a missional community studies the bible. The difference is expectation. People come to a bible study to consume something and come to a missional community to contribute…
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Assessment of Missional Communities – Coach Assessment
If the mantra “what you measure is what you value” is true, then we need to have a way to measure and assess the health and effectiveness of missional communities. The series that follows will summarize…
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Churches Planting Churches
This Sunday, The Austin Stone joined with many other Acts 29 Network churches to preach to our congregations about church planting and support the mission to make disciples and plant healthy churches. I continue to be…
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Assessment of Missional Communities – Leader Self-Assessment
If the mantra “what you measure is what you value” is true, then we need to have a way to measure and assess the health and effectiveness of missional communities. The series that follows will summarize…
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Assessment of Missional Communities – Philosophy
If the mantra “what you measure is what you value” is true, then we need to have a way to measure and assess the health and effectiveness of missional communities. The series that follows will summarize…
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Gospel, Community, Mission and Summer
Community, Mission and Summertime Summertime always prompts images of grilling in the backyard, vacation road trips, watching baseball, and adventures in the neighborhood. In the church, it’s often a season where we “take a break” from…
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Coaching Missional Communities – Who Coaches?
I am in a series of posts on coaching, specifically as it applies to missional communities. The posts in this series are: Philosophy of Coaching The Gospel and Coaching Coaching Questions Who Coaches? —– Who Coaches?…
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Coaching Missional Communities – Coaching Questions
I am in a series of posts on coaching, specifically as it applies to missional communities. The posts in this series are: Philosophy of Coaching The Gospel and Coaching Coaching Questions Who Coaches? —– Basic Coaching…
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Coaching Missional Communities – The Gospel Foundation
I am in a series of posts on coaching, specifically as it applies to missional communities. The posts in this series are: Philosophy of Coaching The Gospel and Coaching Coaching Questions Who Coaches? —– The Gospel…
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Top 5 Posts for April
For the month of April, these are the most visited posts here: Fitting the Practices of Missional Community Together Missional Community Practices – Life Transformation Groups Missional Community Practices – The Family Meal Individualism and Community…
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Coaching Missional Communities – Philosophy
I am beginning a series of posts on coaching, specifically as it applies to missional communities. Primarily, I will be discussing: Philosophy of Coaching The Gospel and Coaching Coaching Questions Who Coaches? —– Philosophy of Coaching…