The Austin Stone Community Church

Bridges helps Christians connect with Muslims. Whether you encounter Muslims in the grocery aisle or are preparing for full-time service overseas, Bridges will expand your knowledge of Islam and equip you to bridge the gospel to the Muslim heart and mind. You will be equipped through Biblical teaching about Islam and what Muslims believe, opening the door for better understanding between belief systems. Class fee includes materials.

Week 1- "Islam Rising"
Week 2- "Belief & Ritual"
Week 3- "Attitude of an Ambassador"
Week 4- "Bridging the Gospel"
Week 5- "Understanding the New Testament's Credibility"
Week 6- "Understanding Jesus' Sacrifice"

To teach young college men how God has designed, redeemed and called all men to be the servant- leaders of their family, local church and society.

Week 1: Created in God’s Image yet Broken by Sin
Week 2: The Authentic Man- Jesus Christ
Week 3: Discipleship- Entrusting to Faithful Men
Week 4: The Call of an Elder
Week 5: Warring Against Sin
Week 6: Work, Sexuality, and Next steps
Week 7: Q&A

This class is specifically designed for those students seeking to understand how to engage different cultures. We will examine culture and its impact on relationships and explore how God wants us to respond to a multicultural world. In this course, we will process how our culture affects our behavior, beliefs and even our understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. You will participate in hands-on cross cultural experiences and will be assisted in identifying barriers and bridges to building relationships cross-culturally.

As Christians, we should wrestle to understand the deep things of our faith and share all that God has revealed about Himself and His promises. Join us as we reflect on all that God has done for us in the gospel and give reason for the hope that is in us by digging into big questions like: How can a loving God send people to Hell? How could a good God allow suffering? Class fee includes book.

Week 1: Intro
Week 2: How can we trust the Bible
Week 3: Redefining the Gospel
Week 4: How could a loving God send people to Hell?
Week 5: How could a good God ordain suffering?
Week 6: Mighty to Save: God's plan for salvation
Week 7: Q&A

"Phenomenal. This class has broken my heart even further for the lost."

"This class has transformed my life from the inside out. It took every question, doubt and baggage I had and blew it out of the water. I had been walking around in religious bondage for years only to be let loose in power and confidence."

Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God”, so everything then hangs on the question, “Am I born again?” We will utilize the book, “Finally Alive”, by John Piper to explore what it means to be born again, examine God’s role and our role in this rebirth, and learn more about how to share this truth with others. Class fee includes book.

Week 1: Introduction, Chapters 1 & 2*
Week 2: Chapters 3 & 4
Week 3: Chapters 5 & 6
Week 4: Chapters 7, 8 & 9
Week 5: Chapters 10 & 11
Week 6: Chapters 12 & 13
Week 7: Chapters 14 & 15
Week 8: Conclusion and debrief

* Week 1 reading will be done prior to the first week of class.

The Austin Stone is partnering with Arrow Child & Family Ministries to host their foster and foster adoption training at the Austin Stone. This training will certify families, singles or couples to provide respite care for foster families, to become foster parents, and to adopt from the foster care system. It is not necessary to know in advance which particular opportunity families will be pursuing. Training will cover such topics as: communication, abuse/neglect, child development, and grief and loss.

The fact that God finds His ultimate satisfaction in Himself and not in us is the greatest news in all the world. This truth has tremendous implications to our understanding of the gospel and missions. This class will study how the nature of God’s happiness is designed for our ultimate joy and compels us to take His Name to the nations.

Week 1: Intro
Week 2: The Source of God's Joy
Week 3: The Source of Our Joy
Week 4: What is the Gospel
Week 5: Battling Unbelief through Faith
Week 6: The Purpose of Missions
Week 7: Gospel Proclamation through Word and Deed

How does God change a heart? How can God use fellow-sinners and strugglers as His instruments of change in the life of another? Many of us want to help others but don’t feel competent and equipped to reach out in an effective way. Learn how God changes the human heart through the power of the gospel and how He can use you to be an instrument of change and comfort to another. This class also serves as the entry class for training to become a Gospel Counselor with the ASCC Care and Counseling ministry.

Week 1: The Goal – God is the goal of Biblical Counseling
Week 2: The Condition of Man/Sin – The Problem with Us
Week 3: The Gospel – The Solution for our Guilt (Past Grace)
Week 4: The Gospel – The Solution for our Identity/Security (Present Grace)
Week 5: The Gospel – The Solution for our Hope (Future Grace)
Week 6: The Sovereignty of God and Suffering – The Promise of Perseverance
Week 7: The Community of Faith – The Context for Biblical Counseling
Week 8: Question and Answer Session/Charge to Counselor

The end goal of Identify is that women will fall more in love with Jesus, trusting in what God says in His Word, and obeying Him completely. The Austin High School class is a Get Connected class, designed to connect women who are not currently in a missional community with a community that will continue after the semester is over. Women in the Get Connected class will meet once a week in addition to class time on Sunday. The St John's Campus class is for women already in a missional community.

Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: Clothed with the Identity of Christ
Week 3: Children of God
Week 4: Foundations of Biblical Womanhood
Week 5: Purity
Week 6: Panel
Week 7: Ambassadors of Christ

"This class introduced my to a great group of girls - many of them struggling with the same things that I struggle with. These people were mentors to me and showed me how to deal with these struggles and bring myself closer to God. By knowing these girls, I felt more comfortable coming to the Austin Stone - I felt like I was really a part of the church and the congregation."

"This class, along with my overall experience at Austin Stone, has drastically changed my life forever. I now understand the true meaning of a real relationship with the Father, the definition of discipleship, the truth that I myself have spiritual gift(s) that are meant to further His kingdom, and the purpose that Christ has for us to be on mission for Him daily. I AM ON FIRE FOR GOD and I want to share with the WORLD."

For couples who have been married 3-10 years, this class is designed to tackle the real issues of marriage and life through the lens of scripture, and to help you get connected to biblical community at The Austin Stone. Together, we’ll walk through what the Bible teaches about building stronger marriages, exploring issues like communication, finance, and conflict. Course commitment includes weekly participation in groups outside of class. Designed for couples who are not already in a missional community. ONLY ONE PERSON FROM EACH COUPLE NEEDS TO REGISTER.

Week 1 - Marriage and Community
Week 2 - Purposes of Marriage
Week 3 - Our roles within marriage
Week 4 - Love and the Gospel
Week 5 - Communication and your design
Week 6 - The roots of conflict
Week 7 - Finances
Week 8 - Sex and the Glory of God
Week 9 - What's next

"Being new in town, we were able to connect with other Christian couples and make new friends."

"It made me more aware of the dynamics of our marriage and has definitely given us things to think about for the future in dealing with the changes we have coming."

The purpose of this class is to equip and encourage business leaders to be on mission with their business practices and to honor God in all areas of their lives. How do you lead in business as a follower of Christ? How should the gospel impact the way you hire, pay employees, and seek profit for the company? This class will look at the gospel principles behind godly business practices and focus heavily on practical application.

Spend time with others in this important life stage and learn principles of a Godly marriage, while discussing practical issues that we face when two become one. This class is meant to connect couples to a missional community, and group participation outside of class is required. If you're already in a missional community, we suggest temporarily leaving your existing group for this class. Please consider taking the class after you have completed Pre-Marital counseling. ONLY ONE PERSON FROM EACH COUPLE NEEDS TO REGISTER.

Week 1 - Intro/Get to know you
Week 2 - Biblical Foundations of Marriage
Week 3 - Needs/Roles/Responsibilities
Week 4 - Conflict Resolution
Week 5 - Communication Leading to Full Disclosure
Week 6 - Finances and In Laws
Week 7 - Sex and Sexuality
Week 8 - Q&A Panel

"1) The class encouraged my wife and me to engage in fruitful discussions, 2) The class provided a venue for making friends in the same life stage, who we now live missionally alongside, 3) The class informed us about marriage and how Scripture defines and guides this relationship."

"This class has given us a great group of fellow believers and new friends to love and to be on mission with. It has given us great understanding and wisdom to apply to our marriage to glorify God in it."

"It has better prepared me for the reality of marriage."

Roughly 76% of the Bible is the Old Testament and there are over 2700 allusions to the OT from the NT. What we see is that the OT gives the background for why we all desperately needed Jesus and why He is the only way a man can be saved. So if we are to appreciate Christ’s work, purpose, message, His language, His terms, and His concepts as he spoke and taught, what we realize is that we critically need the OT. This class is ‘The Beginning’ of the journey through the OT as we cover at a survey level the first five books of the Bible.

Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: Genesis - Creation, Rest, & Yahweh/Elohim
Week 3: Genesis - The Fall Man & The Rise of Sin
Week 4: Genesis - Abraham & Isaac
Week 5: Genesis - Jacob & Joseph
Week 6: Exodus - Growth & Deliverance of God's People
Week 7: Exodus - Covenant, Law, & the Tabernacle
Week 8 :Leviticus - The Purpose of the Law
Week 9: Numbers - The Land of Canaan
Week 10: Deuteronomy - The New Covenant & Wrap-up

"Helps me see the world through the perspective of God revealing Himself to His people. Gives me a fear of God in my daily life."

Part of being a church for the city is becoming all things to all people in Austin, that we might win the more (1 Corinthians 9). The end goal of this class is to practice the method that Paul uses in Acts 17 to reach the people of Athens – engaging art and culture to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Screwtape Letters is a “modern classic” of Christian literature, and is a great work to use to this end. Course fee includes book.

Week 1: Introduction -­ the Gospel and culture
Week 2: First Tuesday
Week 3: Letters 1-6
Week 4: Letters 7-12
Week 5: Letters 13-18
Week 6: First Tuesday
Week 7: Letters 19-24
Week 8: Letters 25-31

AN ORDINARY WOMAN AND AN EXTRAORDINARY GOD. Out of one of the darkest periods in the history of God’s people comes a book of hope and a story of redemption. Join us as we learn from God’s pattern of creating something out of nothing and explore what it means to be women of faith.

What is the gospel? Why does God allow suffering in the world? How could a loving God send people to hell? How can one religion claim to be 'the only way'? The Inconvenient God will walk through these basic questions of belief and the overarching story that the Bible tells. If you have questions or are exploring Christianity, this class is a great place to start.

Week 1: Intro
Week 2: Is the Bible God’s Word?
Week 3: The problem with hell
Week 4: If God is good why is there suffering?
Week 5: What is the gospel?
Week 6: Q & A

"I was on a slippery slope regarding my faith because I didn't fully understand why God allowed certain things to happen in my life so it was hard for me to trust Him. Now that I know what God's purpose and mission is through us, it is so much easier for me to obediently follow without thinking why am I doing this."

"I feel like before this class I was very dead inside. I didn't have a heart for Jesus. I didn't seek His influence in my life nor did I see it. I had a lot of problems with scripture that were creating am emotional barrier in my relationship with Jesus. More than anything I wanted to get over these problems but I couldn't do it on my own. Taking this class helped me discover things about God that struck fear, awe, and love into my heart So many of the things we learned I had known previously on an intellectual level, and although Ronnie was a great teacher, it was purely God's influence that let me believe it in my heart. He answered my prayer, and I am tremendously grateful that he provided this class as a means to do so."

"It shakes you up. My foundation, my footing, is more uncertain. And I think that is a good thing. Not easy. But good."

We believe that the Word of God is living and active and that it is able to pierce deep and dissect every miniscule detail of our lives. What does the entire body of Scripture say concerning God? The Word of God? Man and the Fall? About Christ? These are the things that we will be looking at together as we take Theology from the Head to the Heart and from the Heart to our Hands. Course fee includes book.

Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: Revelation and Scripture
Week 3: Attributes of God (Incommunicable)
Week 4: Attributes of God (Communicable)
Week 5: Trinity
Week 6: Humanity and Sin
Week 7: Person of Christ
Week 8: Work of Christ

"This class has given me a lot to spend time praying and thinking about all the while, increasing my affections for Christ."

"This class has really confirmed my love for doctrine and theology and also changed many of the views I previously learned when growing up in the church. I have loved learning more about God's work and how the Bible is a narrative all pointing to Christ."

God created woman and gave her a purpose and a role. Through 3 women of the Bible - Eve, Gomer, and The Proverbs woman we will look at the role God designed for women along with the Good News of the gospel.

Week 1 - Introduction and Eve part I (3 p's for Godly women)
Week 2 - Eve part II (The fall, the judgment, redemption and restoration)
Week 3 - Gomer part I (Our unfaithfulness - how we are unfaithful to God)
Week 4 - Gomer part II (His forgiveness - how God calls us to Him)
Week 5 - Proverb's woman part I (Living out the 3 p's for Godly women)
Week 6 - Proverb's woman part II (Living out the 3 p's for Godly women)