Writing
Essays and working ideas from more than fifteen years of writing about faith, leadership, discipleship, the church, family, and life in Austin.
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What is a Missional Community? – Definition
Over the next two weeks, I’ll be unpacking how we define missional communities at The Austin Stone. See the previous posts here: Part 1 – Other’s Definitions of Missional Community Part 2 – A Vision for…
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What is a Missional Community? – Vision
Over the next two weeks, I’ll be unpacking how we define missional communities at The Austin Stone. —– Like many churches, The Austin Stone has a very clear vision of what we believe God has called…
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What is a Missional Community? – Other Definitions
When others interact with an idea, it provides clarity on your own thinking. Below are some ways that other movements around the country would define missional communities. I have learned from each one of them: Jeff…
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What is a Missional Community?
In a previous series, I worked through the primary reasons we pursue missional communities at The Austin Stone. Whether you’re new to the idea of missional communities, or have been implementing them for a long time, I’d…
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Consumerism and Community
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.…
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A Pragmatic Reason for Missional Communities
Although there are a number of reasons why we have chosen to implement missional communities at The Austin Stone, there are a few critical reasons I want to highlight in this series of posts. First was a…
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A Philosophical Reason for Missional Communities
Although there are a number of reasons why we have chosen to implement missional communities at The Austin Stone, there are a few critical reasons I want to highlight in this series of posts. First was…
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Being a Disciple
The 2013 Verge Conference was themed around Discipleship, and has given me plenty to think about. As my family has grown and our church has continued to grow, my time is increasingly spoken for. It seems…
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A Theological Reason for Missional Communities
Although there are a number of reasons why we have chosen to implement missional communities at The Austin Stone, there are a few critical reasons I want to highlight in this series of posts. First: A…
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Reasons for Missional Community
Although there are a number of reasons why we have chosen to implement missional communities at The Austin Stone, there are a few critical reasons I want to highlight in an upcoming series of posts: A…
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2012 Verge Talk – Who is the Missionary?
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…
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An Overview of Missional Communities
A missional community is a community of Christians, on mission with God in obedience to the Holy Spirit, who demonstrate tangibly and declare creatively the gospel of Jesus Christ to a pocket of people. Last fall,…