Change is hard. And making changes in churches can be hard. Stu, Tim and Joel sit down for another chat around momentum in ministry and look at how static models can lead to crisis moments, upheaval and change. Alternatively, a model that institutionalises change creates an environment for experiments to be had and leads to less of a need for such a crisis moment.

00:52 Cultural Artefact or story: Stu went to a Hoodoo Gurus concert
04:40 Moments of awareness and institutionalising change
21:09 The role of spiritual maturity and growth in change
37:23 Humility it's role in scaling structure
40:21 Building a bridge to a new reality

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DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE

Hoodoo Gurus
Miss Freelove '69, by Hoodoo Gurus
Breakout Churches, by Thom Rainier
Good to Great, by Jim Collins
A Bridge Too Far
Operation Market Garden

CONTACT US

Shock Absorber Email
Shock Absorber Discord
Shock Absorber Website
Soul Revival Shop

In the shadow of the Queen of England's passing, Joel, Tim and Stu discuss her legacy of long term stability as a leader and what we can learn from such a legacy. As Thom Rainier explains in Breakout Churches, legacy leaders among the church are evangelical, long term, passionate and show unconditional love to the people they serve. Stu and Tim's varied experiences of ministry leadership become a great insight into how those gifts and skills develop over time, and the distinct benefits of leading from a position that is long term and relational.

00:00 Intro
01:15 What The Queen's stability teaches us
11:42 Longevity of leadership and stability
16:47 Legacy leaders
21:25 Maintaining longevity in church leadership and developing passion for ministry
32:27 Self-reflection in leadership
36:41 The characteristics of legacy leadership

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DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE

10 Surprising Things the Queen Said About Jesus
Queen Elizabeth II
September 11 attacks
Breakout Churches, by Thom Rainier
Thom Rainier's six levels of leadership
John Piper
Steve Jobs
Tim Hawkins
Craig Bellamy
New England Patriots

CONTACT US

Shock Absorber Email
Shock Absorber Discord
Shock Absorber Website
Soul Revival Shop

Check out what else Soul Revival is up to here: https://linktr.ee/JesusChangesEverything

Karen and Tim are in the Third Space Studio with Joel to continue discussing Momentum in Ministry. The term growth is inevitably linked to momentum. They look at the different types of growth and the key markers associated with it, including long term leadership and self-reflection.

They also work through the danger of only applying business principles when determining how to grow, which can sometimes lead to the squandering of the talents and gifts God has blessed us with. All in all, it is vital to focus on partnering with Jesus as he builds his church.

01:55 A brief recap of the growth at Soul Revival Church
07:07 Church planting is a great teacher
11:14 Why even talk about momentum and growth? Is it just about numbers?
22:26 What does unhealthy growth look like?
25:35 Breakout Churches by Thom Rainier
32:56 Longevity in leadership but also self-reflection
44:08 The danger of only applying business principles in churches
54:00 Mistaking efficiency for servant-heartedness

DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE

2021 Census shows changes in Australia’s religious diversity
Pastor Rick Warren's final Saddleback Church sermon is a lot like his first one in 1980
Breakout Churches: Discover How to Make the Leap, by Thom Rainier
Good to Great, by Jim Collins

CONTACT US

Shock Absorber Email: [email protected]
Shock Absorber Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Shock Absorber Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop

Check out what else Soul Revival is up to here: https://linktr.ee/JesusChangesEverything

Stu, Joel and special guest Ethan are here to kick off the latest season of the Shock Absorber - Momentum in Ministry. They discuss how to identify if a ministry has plateaued or is even in decline, what to we can do to encourage fresh ideas, and ways to look out for institutionalisation. Also is Huckleberry Finn an accurate picture of what church is like these days?

01:29 Cultural Artefact: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
06:10 Are statistics showing Christianity is in decline or just reflecting reality?
11:05 What can ministry plateau look like?
20:03 Examples of institutionalisation and plateauing
33:59 How to prevent institutionalisation and promote fresh ideas
39:40 Kick-starting momentum in ministry

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DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE

2021 Census shows changes in Australia’s religious diversity
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
What is a puncheon floor?
The Coming Revolution in Youth Ministry, by Mark Senter III
Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens
Industrial Revolution
Robert Raikes
First Sunday School in Australia
Max Weber
Discord
Century Egg
The Salvation Army
The Innovator's Dilemma, by Clayton Christensen
Space X

CONTACT US

Shock Absorber Email: [email protected]
Shock Absorber Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Shock Absorber Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop

Check out what else Soul Revival is up to here

The Shock Absorber is back with a bonus episode on a Soul Revival institution - Week Away. What started as a holiday amongst Christian friends grew into slightly edgy, counter-cultural move against church being watered down to just one hour a week. 25 years on, Soul Revival Church's Week Away sees 250+ people go away to spend five days in God's word and with each other. Stu and Joel chat about memories of Week Away, it's meaning and why it's such a pivotal moment in Soul Revival's yearly calendar.

01:53 Memories of Week Away
04:52 Week Away 2022 and village life
12:51 How do you get so many people to go away together?
16:51 The beginnings of Week Away and it's influence
28:41 Difference between Week Away as a church and as a youth community
31:29 How Week Away fits within the Shock Absorber

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DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE

Youthworks Conference Centres

CONTACT US

Shock Absorber Email: [email protected]
Shock Absorber Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Shock Absorber Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop

Check out what else Soul Revival is up to here: https://linktr.ee/JesusChangesEverything

Joel gives a quick update on where the Shock Absorber is headed next.

CONTACT US

Shock Absorber Email: [email protected]
Shock Absorber Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Shock Absorber Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop

Check out what else Soul Revival is up to here: https://linktr.ee/JesusChangesEverything

Tim and Joel close out the final episode of our season Whatever Happened to Evangelism? From Jesus' command in Mark 1:15 and touring through history, we gained an understanding of what has shaped evangelism up until today. Christianity is always going to be questioned but we can allow God to help us express a genuine faith and research reveals that people are more open to a conversation about Jesus than we may initially think. Tim and Joel then finish with what they've been encouraged by this season.

00:00 Intro
02:38 Cultural Artefact: Tim's experience of confident Christianity
13:55 Did we find out what happened to evangelism?
23:44 Christianity is seen by some as dangerous
34:29 Are people actually more open to a conversation than we think?
58:10 Genuine faith is attractive
1:10:08 What we've learnt this season

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DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE

Paddington Bear joins the Queen for afternoon tea at Buckingham Palace
The Bebbington quadrilateral
Does Religion Cause All Wars? episode
Bullies and Saints, by John Dickson
Tom Holland
Faith and Belief in Australia report, by McCrindle
Episode with Timothy Paul Jones
Where Did All the Evangelism Conferences Go?, by Ed Stetzer
Evangelism Explosion

CONTACT US

Shock Absorber Email: [email protected]
Shock Absorber Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Shock Absorber Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop

Check out what else Soul Revival is up to

This year, 2022, marks the 30-year anniversary since the inception of Soul Revival. The guys take a look over what's been learnt over the years to help Christians be humbly confident and as a result, continue to evangelise. This includes semiotics, giving your best night to God and spending time with one another, building relationships around Jesus.

01:29 Cultural Artefact: Soul Revival Semiotics
19:15 Using different tools to evangelise
29:16 Our distinctiveness as Christians
41:45 What are we making important?
57:07 Discipleship and mission starts the local church
1:15:11 Building relationship with other churches

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Soul Revival Shop

DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE

Studio Q interview with The Hives
Hard Quiz
Point Break
The Black Panther Party
Hegemony
Chip Lunch Crossover episode
Cronulla Riots

CONTACT US

Shock Absorber Email
Shock Absorber Discord
Shock Absorber Website
Soul Revival Shop

A trope that's often thrown at Christians since 9/11 is that religion causes all wars. Stu, Tim and Joel are in the Third Space Studio to examine the oft-raised comment and contend that a deeper dive into statistics and world history paints a different picture. They delve into where such arguments come from, how Christians can approach it and how to hold onto the evangelical line when doing so.

2:05 Cultural Artefact: Hacksaw Ridge
9:50 War is not glorious but intriguing
14:28 New atheism, 9/11 and post-Christianity
25:03 Adopting the right posture
33:53 Where does the argument come from?
52:27 Holding the evangelical line within the discussion
1:00:55 Final thoughts

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DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE

Henry V speech Stu was showing before the episode
Hacksaw Ridge
World War Two channel
The End of History and the Last Man, by Francis Fukayama
Is Religion the Cause of Most Wars?, by Rabbi Alan Lurie
Encyclopedia of Wars, by Charles Phillips and Alan Axelrod
God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, by Christopher Hitchens
Richard Dawkins loses ‘humanist of the year’ title over trans comments
Thirty Years War
Rene Descartes
Did Descartes Sleep in an Oven?
The French Revolution
Does Religion Cause Violence?, by John Dickson
The Myth of Religious Violence, by Karen Armstrong
US switching from biblical American Revolution values to secular French Revolution ones, by Os Guinness
The Magna Carta of Humanity: Sinai's Revolutionary Faith and the Future of Freedom, by Os Guinness

CONTACT US

Shock Absorber Email: [email protected]
Shock Absorber Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Shock Absorber Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop