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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All writing
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Where Jesus Wants Us To Go
The second half of the definition comes first, because where Jesus wants people to go is what grounds everything else. That destination is the Great Commission, the model is the way Jesus invested in the first…
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What is Biblical Leadership?
Biblical leadership is meeting someone where they are, and taking them where Jesus wants them to go. That definition came out of a seminary assignment and has held up across discipleship, leadership development, and organizational leadership…
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Gender Specific Missional Communities?
I recently received this question from a partner at The Austin Stone, and I thought it would be beneficial to address here: Hey Todd, thanks for your faithfulness to getting this information to us. It’s proven…
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Institutionalizing the Change to Missional Communities
The Austin Stone didn’t begin as a church committed to missional communities. Through several years, we have transitioned our church from a traditional community/small group model to our current model of missional communities. This series of posts will help…
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Building on the Change to Missional Communities
The Austin Stone didn’t begin as a church committed to missional communities. Through several years, we have transitioned our church from a traditional community/small group model to our current model of missional communities. This series of posts will help…
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Celebrating Wins in the Transition to Missional Community
The Austin Stone didn’t begin as a church committed to missional communities. Through several years, we have transitioned our church from a traditional community/small group model to our current model of missional communities. This series of posts will help…
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Empowering Others to Act in Missional Communities
The Austin Stone didn’t begin as a church committed to missional communities. Through several years, we have transitioned our church from a traditional community/small group model to our current model of missional communities. This series of posts will help…
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Mission in the Suburbs || Outreach Magazine
I’m proud of my friend Jon Dansby for having his article “7 Ways To Do Mission in the Suburbs” published over at ChurchLeaders. Check it out here!
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Creating Environments for Launching Missional Communities – Part 2
Over the next few weeks, I will be featuring a number of posts from my teammates here at The Austin Stone on a variety of topics related to missional communities. This is a two part series from our Downtown…
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Communicating the Vision for Missional Communities
The Austin Stone didn’t begin as a church committed to missional communities. Through several years, we have transitioned our church from a traditional community/small group model to our current model of missional communities. This series of posts will help…
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Crafting a Vision for Missional Communities
The Austin Stone didn’t begin as a church committed to missional communities. Through several years, we have transitioned our church from a traditional community/small group model to our current model of missional communities. This series of posts will help…