The Changes Ahead Podcast

With the recent release of Whanaketia – Through pain and trauma, from darkness to light, the final report from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care, we reflect with Jaimee on its implications, why it is so important to engage with this as churches and the desperate need for change in our spaces to do everything in our power to ensure abuse is no longer something anyone experiences in our spaces.

What does mutual flourishing look like within relationships, and why is this an important change that is needed in our church narratives? Hear the story of two people figuring it out and seeing each other thrive as they seek the best ways for each other to live into and out of their gifts.

Why do so many young people in New Zealand experience homelessness, and why should the church be interested in being a part of the solution? Aaron Hendry has some ideas backed up by over a decade of working in this space. He is a youth development worker, writer, podcaster, and advocate for social justice who has a challenge for those of us with ears and hearts to hear.

Sometimes, it can be hard to see what the Spirit is up to in the church, but for Paul Fletcher, who spends most of his time beyond the walls of the church he leads with people who are on the margins of society, the activity of the Spirit is far more evident. We can learn a lot from those experiences if we are courageous. Paul’s work also involves selling Common Good Coffee; it’s three times as good as regular coffee, a business that, simply by us drinking a great cup of coffee, supports people in some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable.

Without stopping to think, it could be easy to assume that slavery is a thing of the past, but in this conversation with Sarah, we will find out just how prevalent it is and why the church should get involved in working to eradicate slavery from the world. Welcome back to season 3 of The Changes Ahead Podcast!

We've reached the end of another season, and to wrap it up, Cathy and Steven reflect on The Changes Ahead that we've heard this year and are trying in our church spaces through the lens of the recently released Wilberforce 'Faith and Belief' study. Thanks for being on the journey with us for another year!

When expectations don’t match reality, what is going to get us through? For Nat, a small business owner and mother of two, the values that underpin why she started her business sustained her in the professional and personal space she was in. As Nat shares her story, we get glimpses into how faith, parenting, business and church intersect to drive her forward and could speak to some of the changes ahead necessary for the church.

Why are you voting the way you are going to this week? How does faith inform the way you vote? Answering these questions can be tricky, but we reckon they're important ones to try. Since it’s election week, we thought we’d have a chat about what this means for us with Brook, someone who is passionate about engaging positively and faithfully in the political process.

As someone with interests in the sciences, alongside studying law, Arunan helps us wrestle with what faith looks like in the post-Christian world he is living in. While holding a deep commitment to the benefits of the church to society, he challenges us to recognise our status and position in order to live up to the potential we have.

In this raw and vulnerable conversation, social worker Mary-Anne shares her story of experiencing abuse, the journey of healing she is on, and the place of deep relationships in faith communities in that healing. TW: conversations relating to child sexual abuse, rape, suicide and domestic violence.