Verge Reflections

The last two posts are the highlights from my notes on the Verge Conference.

Above all the notes, I appreciated the heart of worship and the centrality of the gospel in the conference. There wasn't a watering down of the gospel of Jesus, but rather an intentional focus on letting mission be the identity of the church.

Sometimes it is easier for me to think about how to apply this in our church, but I want to make sure that I think about how to apply it to my life first. I have always thought of myself as a missionary to Austin so the identity is clear but some of the practical outworkings are missing. I feel that I often leave my neighborhood to go serve on mission in another part of town where the need is more pronounced. I recognize that the needs in my neighborhood may be "imbedded" as Hugh Halter said, but I need to be intentional in seeking them out. I spend my life pastoring, but how often do I think about pastoring our community? This conference was a great reminder that mission is discipleship and living missionally is the call of Jesus.