Welcome back to the Effective Ministry Podcast!
The first in a three part series on Identity, Sexuality and Gender, in this episode, Al James sits down with Simon Swadling to explore the phrase 'finding your identity in Christ.' They discuss the pressures young people face around identity, why the phrase might be more harmful than helpful, and its lack of biblical backing. Simon shares his thoughts on how the phrase can promote individualism and a disconnect between our spiritual and physical lives. The alternative is to focus on building deep, meaningful relationships with Jesus and finding new ways to talk about our worth and identity.

Simon is a Children's Minister at Summer Hill Anglican, as well as working for Living Faith and Single Minded.
You can access his writing and reflection on identity and other things at his Substack.

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Registrations for Leaders in Training (LiT) 2024/25 are open for:
-Spring (September 30-Oct 4, 2024) ***rego now closed***
-Summer 1 (January 22-26, 2025)
-Summer 2 (January 26-30, 2025)

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To find out more about Square One visit the youthworks website.
There is still space at Square One Spring 2 - 8th-10th November. To jump in, email [email protected]

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00:00 Introduction: The Pressure of Identity

00:19 Exploring Worth and Identity in Christ

01:13 Welcome to the Effective Ministry Podcast

01:20 Questioning the Phrase: Identity in Christ

03:35 Introducing Simon Swaddling

03:47 Simon Swaddling's Journey and Roles

05:42 Gut Issues with the Phrase

07:00 Personal Experiences and Identity

12:24 Broader Implications of Identity

14:29 Is the Phrase Biblical?

20:22 The Fracturing of the Self

23:40 Individualism and Identity in Christ

27:38 Dualism in Identity Narratives

30:23 Embodied Life and Worship

31:52 Particularity and Worth

00:19 Freedom in Christ

40:45 Youth Leadership Training

43:12 Challenges for Young Christians

49:53 Relational Identity in Christ

01:00:26 Developing Youth Resources