The Shock Absorber: Recent Episodes
Soul Revival Church
After a quick dip into Night Bombers and Culture Making, Stu and Joel talk about how Christians impact culture by expressing their identity in Christ. They touch on church networking, youth ministry, leadership structure, band night and creating action within the church and how it all brings glory to God.
Joey, pastor of Ryde gathering joins Stu and Joel on the pod this week to chat church planting, especially in the context of Soul Revival Church in Ryde. Using the ideas from syntropic farming, the guys discuss what it would look like to grow some weeds in certain areas in order to grow something out of nothing.
They also discuss ambiguity in ministry, why strategy is vital regardless of the context where church planting is happening and not doing anything can be more dangerous than doing something.
00:00 Intro
02:15 Syntropic farming
06:40 Joey and Soul Revival: Ryde
21:05 Ambiguity in ministry
30:32 What grows in different areas? STRATEGY MATTERS.
46:47 Experiential learning while church planting
52:22 Not doing anything is more dangerous than doing something
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Chip Lunch podcast
Joey's Chip Lunch
Syntropic farming in Lightning Ridge
Syntropic farming
CONTACT US
Shock Absorber Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
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
Brayden (Student Pastor, Arts Pastor, Youth Coordinator) and Ethan (Youth Mission Pastor) join the podcast to chat about Soul Revival Church's first ever youth camp - Origin. They run through how it was organised, what was hard, what was re-run from the old day and what wasn't. The discussion leads on to how holding a youth camp help grow the young crew in their faith and also their leadership capabilities.
00:00 Intro
02:11 The Origin of Origin
06:40 Planning and holding the youth camp
12:28 Why even hold a youth camp?
19:06 How it happened
33:06 The impact of camp and building leadership from youth
CONTACT US
Shock Absorber Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
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 use a question from Tim's Effective Ministry podcast as a springboard into a discussion on why we come to church and what our expectations are for church. Certain factors have possibly lead to a strong focus on cognitive engagement with the preached word of God. While essential for Christian formation, it perhaps has lead to a diminished focus on the other reasons we meet at church.
00:00 Intro and podcasts
07:38 What are we actually being distracted from at church?
17:13 How should problems be fixed?
22:19 The Reformation has shaped what we value at church
31:38 Both leaders and children shape the body of Christ
42:26 Children intuitively know if they are welcome
57:01 The yearning for community and contributing to the family
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Cal Newport
Deeper, by Dane C. Ortlund
House Conference by Youthworks
The Effective Ministry podcast
Cultivating an Intergenerational Heart, by Tim Beilharz
When the Church was a Family, by Joseph Hellerman
CONTACT US
Shock Absorber Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
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
The guys sit down to make have a chat and make some Jesus beads and the attempt to explain the gospel in five sentences. Later on, they discuss Stu's idea of reversing how the leadership should think about youth ministry (any young crew coming along is a bonus) and finish with a deep dive on what costly discipleship looks like in a world that actively teaches against it.
00:00 Intro and Jesus beads
03:14 Explaining the gospel in five sentences
15:30 Non-anxious presence in youth ministry
38:41 Costly discipleship in today's world
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Family systems theory
The Cost of Discipleship, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Atomic Habits
You Can't Hurt Me, David Goggins
David Goggins' Smoke Jumping
CONTACT US
Shock Absorber Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
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
This week on the Shock Absorber, the guys chat about ensuring tunnel vision does not develop when it comes to discipleship and mission. They chat about two clear examples of discipleship and mission at Soul Revival Church and what that entails for the church and also individuals as it pursues it's 2030 goals.
Quote of the episode: "Not everyone has to do evangelism, but everyone CAN do evangelism" - Stu
00:00 Intro
03:02 Ayrton's Senna tunnel vision
07:17 Discipleship and mission
21:54 Discipleship - Week Away
34:34 Mission - Colours of Life
51:44 Stu's Phd update
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Ayrton Senna
Wyatt Earp
White Fox Boutique
The Pastoral Cycle
CONTACT US
Shock Absorber Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
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 and Tim return to continue their intellectual stoush around Stu's Phd work. It leads to a discussion around the impact of suburbia from the 1950s onwards and the loss of community due to the subsequent individualism and materialism.
That also leads to questions about the church. Have Christians been lead to conflate the values of the gospel with the values of a middle class suburban identity? While the Bible affirms some aspects of culture but also critiques other aspects, what is the value of Christians living a counter-cultural lifestyle in a world that tells them not to?
00:00 Intro
01:14 Stu's trip to Collarenebri River Convention
06:59 The intellectual stoush between Stu and Tim continues
21:09 The impact of suburbia
32:39 Suburban happiness is challenged by the gospel
44:52 Is the Shock Absorber a new model of ministry or strategic?
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
The Rest is History podcast
The Tree of Man, by Patrick White
Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam
Ray Oldenburg
Hey, Nietzsche! Leave Them Kids Alone!, by Craig Schuftan
CONTACT US
Shock Absorber Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Shock Absorber Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop
Check out what else Soul Revival is up to here
Tim and Joel have the pleasure of having Aaron Smith, of the Aspire podcast, second year SMBC student and Student Pastor at Anchor Church Northern Beaches to talk ministry opportunities and pathways and how churches can continue to look for the next generation of pastors and ministry staff.
00:00 Intro and magic jackets
01:17 Welcome Aaron
07:49 Tim's trip to Nashville
12:12 Alone
15:30 Journeys to ministry can be quite different
46:00 The changing nature of ministry and it's pathways
1:02:08 Do you need to go to Bible college first?
1:12:43 How do churches look for ministers?
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Aspire podcast
Anchor Church, Northern Beaches
Shock Absorber with Dave Lovell from Christian Surfers
The Effective Ministry podcast
National Church Life Survey
Strengthfinders
CONTACT US
Shock Absorber Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Shock Absorber Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop
Check out what else Soul Revival is up to here
Sorry we don't have an episode for you this week, but WE WANT YOUR QUESTIONS!
Send them to joel@shockabsorber.com.au!
CONTACT US
Shock Absorber Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Shock Absorber Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop
Check out what else Soul Revival is up to here
Stu, Tim and Joel continue to debate ideas around Stu's phD and the Four Views of Youth Ministry. Just like the book, Tim has his rebuttal ready and waiting for Stu's announcement last episode of leaning more towards the Strategic approach than before. Stu gets to respond, while also reflecting that it's too hard to get feisty when he agrees with someone as much as he does with Tim!
The discussion though leads to questions about models of youth ministry and it's impacts. Mark Senter says that no one in the church listens to anybody in the congregation under 30. Should a church simply plant a new service location with a younger generation, or can the generations accommodate one another?
Is the Shock Absorber a new model or just an extension of the Strategic approach? How does it affect church planting? The differences between para-church ministry v local church ministry and what changes in ministry when it is approached holistically.
00:00 Intro
03:06 Beyond the Wall: East Germany
13:14 Different approaches affect the whole
22:55 Tim's rebuttal to Stu
29:53 Stu responds
36:23 Local church matters
48:33 Will the generations accommodate one another?
53:35 The Shock Absorber: A new approach? Or an extension of the Strategic approach?
1:00:45 Question from Aaron on the Strategic approach and the Anglican Church
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Beyond the Wall: East Germany, 1949-1990 by Katja Hoyer
Four Views of Youth Ministry and the Church
Aspire podcast
CONTACT US
Shock Absorber Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Shock Absorber Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop
Check out what else Soul Revival is up to: https://linktr.ee/JesusChangesEverything
REGISTER FOR THE 2022 SHOCK ABSORBER CONFERENCE
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
Watch this episode on YouTube
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
REGISTER FOR THE 2022 SHOCK ABSORBER CONFERENCE
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
CONTACT US
Shock Absorber Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
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
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
01:35 Cultural Artefact - George Floyd Protests
10:05 Culture wars or a battle of ideas?
26:30 Donald Trump: Christians for or against?
46:06 Seeing things the way God does
58:32 When we aren't afraid of dying, we aren't afraid of living
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JUMP ON THE DISCORD CHAT ON FRIDAY 10 JUNE, 1.00 PM AEST: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
George Floyd protests
Winston Churchill
Robert Baden-Powell
Robert Baden-Powell statue: Scouts founder monument given 24-hour protection as temporary removal is delayed
The Sacred Canopy, by Peter Berger
Alain Touraine
The 'teal bath' of independents heading to Parliament
Donald Trump
Donald Trump in Home Alone 2
Ryan Burge
Bebbington Quadrilateral
Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Ben Uniquely Stupid, by Jonathan Haidt
Mark Sayers
Breaking Points
The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution, by Carl R. Trueman
Episode with Timothy Paul Jones
The Sermon on the Mount
CONTACT US:
Shock Absorber Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Shock Absorber Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Shock Absorber Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop
01:47 Meet TPJ and Cultural Artefact - Skillet
11:38 The lines of evangelicalism and the current moment
28:34 TPJ's Fundamentalist church experience and the difficulty of bundling
34:43 The state of evangelism, challenging others and creating conversations
50:55 Embracing difference + family ministry
1:05:03 Navigating different cultural contexts while preaching
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You can listen to the Apologetics Podcast here
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Timothy Paul Jones
The Apologetics Podcast
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Sojourn Church - Midtown
Skillet
Wage War
Rose Tattoo
Carl F. H. Henry
On Christian Doctrine: De Doctrina Christiana, by Augustine
Backmasking
Roe v Wade
Research on evangelism by Barna:
Almost Half of Practicing Christians Milennials Say Evangelism is Wrong
Sharing Faith is Increasingly Optional to Christians
Is Evangelism Going Out of Style?
Most Open to Spiritual Conversations, Few Christians Speaking
Charles Taylor
Juneteenth
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop
01:15 Cultural Artefact - Party in the U.S.A. by Miley Cyrus
11:24 The paths of Christian evangelicalism
20:03 Progressive Christianity and bundling
40:11 Wrestling for the evangelical line
1:09:08 The Tea Party
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DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Party in the U.S.A., by Miley Cyrus
Roe v Wade
Scopes Trial
Anglicans Bishops block marriage statement at Synod
Alain Touraine
Deconstruction
John Stott
J.I. Packer
Gun buy back program
Australian Christian Lobby
New Atheism
Rob Bell
Bullhorn Guy
N.T. Wright
Stephen Fry's "How Dare You"
The Tea Party Movement
CNBC's Rick Santelli's Chicago Tea Party
01:42 Cultural Artefact - The internet's impact, especially football
06:30 The iPhone
10:44 The church responds to culture shifts post-9/11
24:06 Pluralism results in a pluralistic approach
28:11 The results of the new expressions of church
35:00 The New Atheists
Watch this episode on YouTube
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Liverpool F.C.
UEFA Champions League
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
The iPhone
Apple Newton
The Dark Knight
Heath Ledger
Alan Hirsch
Mars Hill Church
This Cultural Moment podcast
Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry, by Andrew Root
Liberation theology
Universalism
Mark Sayers
The Coming Revolution in Youth Ministry, by Mark Senter III
Sam Harris
Richard Dawkins
The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins
Christopher Hitchens
God is Not Great, by Christopher Hitchens
Daniel Dennett
MySpace
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Snapchat
TikTok
Islamic extremism
9/11 attacks
Lindt cafe seige
2005 London Underground bombings
Flying Spaghetti Monster and Pastafarians
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop
02:07 Cultural Artefact - Veggie Tales, DC Talk & Newsboys
07:33 Tim's experience and the events of 1990s
16:29 The Christian Right
18:36 Culture changes accelerating & reacting to youth
31:56 Influence of Rick Warren & Bill Hybels
46:15 The Evangelical Subculture
Watch this episode on YouTube
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Jesus Freak, by DC Talk
Breakfast, by Newsboys
Veggie Tales
Columbine High School Massacre
Marilyn Manson
9/11 attacks
Concept of the End of History
The Nineties: A Book, by Chuck Klosterman
Port Arthur Massacre
George W. Bush
D. James Kennedy
Netscape Navigator
Tool
Pantera
Blink-182
Green Day
Living End
MxPx
Moshing
The Purpose Drive Life, by Rick Warren
Rick Warren
Saddleback Church
Bill Hybels
Willow Creek Community Church
Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency
5Ms model of ministry
Watergate scandal
How America’s youth lost its religion in 1990s
The Spirit of Generation Y: Young People's Spirituality in a Changing Australia
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop
01:17 Cultural Artefact - Skateboards
05:25 The 1990s
17:36 Tracing the evangelical line
30:43 Ministry ideas of 1990s and inviting a response
44:44 Are fresh ideas a marker of an evangelical?
54:40 Youth Ministry discussions in 1990s and not selling out the gospel
Watch this episode on YouTube
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Episode with Andy Stephenson
Dogtown and Z-Boys
Time's Preceding with Caution article
Kurt Cobain
Penny Loafer
The Nineties: A Book, by Chuck Klosterman
Seinfeld
Friends
Tall Poppy Syndrome
Generation X
Grunge music
Christian Coalition of America
Clinton–Lewinsky scandal
Scopes Monkey Trial
Losing My Religion, by R.E.M.
Spice Girls
The Coming Revolution in Youth Ministry, by Mark Senter
Pantera
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop
02:08 Cultural Artefact - The Great Evangelical Disaster, by Francis Schaeffer
08:06 Defining evangelical/fundamentalist and the end of the Moral Majority
24:38 Unbundling Christian morality from political agendas
28:50 Christians coming to terms with changes in culture
31:05 Australian evangelicals and music
50:01 QUESTION from Andrew
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DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Affogato
Francis Schaeffer
The Great Evangelical Disaster, by Francis Schaeffer
L'Abri
Jerry Falwell
Life of Brian
Fred Nile
The Book of Mormon (musical)
Monty Python
John Chapman
Phillip Jensen
Two Ways to Live
Ministry Training Strategy
Peter Jensen
John Wimber
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop
04:18 Why the crossover?
08:34 Chatting evangelism with Hudson
23:40 Generation Z statistics
53:04 Inviting a response
1:02:14 Which generation is which?
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DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
The Zebra Hotel in Masaka, Uganda
Chip Lunch with Jabish
Australia's Generation Z Study
The Religious Life of Gen Z
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Website: shockabsorber.com.au
00:00 Intro
01:20 We're Not Gonna Take It, by Twisted Sister
14:36 How the '60s set the stage
26:34 Where the Jesus Movement fit within American culture and the Homogeneous Unit Principle
32:48 Christians being politically active
34:12 The leftovers from Christendom within America
39:13 1970s and Christian countries
45:30 Evangelism and fundamentalism
49:09 Prioritising Jesus over political engagement
56:55 Francis Schaeffer
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DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Rock Censorship: Big Brother Meets Twisted Sister
Parents Music Resource Center
MTV
PMRC’s ‘Filthy 15’: Where Are They Now?
Twisted Sister
Dee Snider
Dee Snider's PMRC Senate Hearing Speech
Unit, by Regurgitator
TIME's Is God Dead? at 50
The Great American Novel, by Larry Norman
Roe v Wade
Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson speaks about faith
Jerry Falwell
Rage Against The Machine Protest “PMRC” Naked On Stage
Roman Exposure of Infants
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Website: shockabsorber.com.au
00:00 Intro
01:31 Story/Cultural Artefact - Stu went to the Billy Graham Crusade at Randwick Racecourse
10:06 The through line of evangelicalism
24:58 When the fundamentalists became more politically active
31:15 Billy Graham's legacy
44:15 John Stott's legacy
49:52 Jim Rayburn, Josh McDowell, J.I. Packer
56:40 QUESTION from Leonie
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DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
The day Billy Graham transfixed a massive MCG crowd
Billy Graham crusade in Sydney
Navigators
The Crusader Union of Australia
George Marsden (historian)
Moving beyond the shock absorber: The place of youth ministry—past, present and future, by Stuart Crawshaw
Billy Graham
Amsterdam 2000 Called the Most Multinational Event Ever
John Stott
The 2005 TIME 100
Jim Rayburn
Josh McDowell
J.I. Packer
Knowing God, by J.I. Packer
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Website: shockabsorber.com.au
00:00 Intro and meet Jenn
04:07 Cultural Artefact - EzyDVD website
12:34 Are we uncomfortable with evangelism?
19:31 Talking to children about evangelism
28:48 What are children noticing?
34:42 The family is formative and making children's ministry a priority
48:14 Practical steps and intergenerational ministry
1:05:33 Standing before Christ at the end
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DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Jannali Anglican Church
Youthworks
EzyDVD website
Compact Discs
DVDs
Teaching My Children to Hate Me, by Tim Beilharz
How To Talk About Jesus, by Sam Chan
Episode on Evangelism in Youth Ministry w/Andy Stevenson
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Website: shockabsorber.com.au
00:00 Intro and meet Andy
08:26 Cultural Artefact - Andy's youth ministry story of late night rock climbing
13:08 The state of evangelism in youth ministry
28:34 Listening to young people
34:10 Andy's ministry and the impact of the youth ministry thinkers
49:51 Principles of youth ministry
55:06 Youth ministry has become harder
1:04:48 There are cultural issues, but no need to be fearful
1:15:32 Looking to the future
Watch this episode on YouTube
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Research on evangelism by Barna:
Almost Half of Practicing Christian Millennials Say Evangelism Is Wrong
Sharing Faith Is Increasingly Optional to Christians
Is Evangelism Going Out of Style?
The Stats behind “Re-thinking Evangelism”
Episode with Dave Lovell from Christian Surfers
Youthworks
The Effective Ministry Podcast
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Website: shockabsorber.com.au
01:20 Cultural Artefact - The Scopes Monkey Trial
12:34 The impact of the Industrial Revolution
26:30 The importance of prayer
39:21 The path to Modernism and it's impact on the church
48:45 Fundamentalism, modernism and evangelicalism
56:30 How do the evangelicals inspire us?
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DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Scopes Monkey Trial
Industrial Revolution
Robert Raikes
Sunday School movement
Barnardos
William Gladstone
Salvation Army
Temperance movement
William Wilberforce
John Newtown
Abolition movement
Karl Marx
Friedrich Engels
Adam Smith
The Laymen's Revival
Jeremiah Lanphier
The Ulster Revival
The Communist Manifesto
Max Weber
Charles Darwin
On the Origin of Species
Sigmund Freud
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Website: shockabsorber.com.au
01:21 Cultural Artefact - Benjamin Franklin in Church History in Plain Language, by Bruce Shelley
13:36 The rise of reason and de-mythologising the natural world
21:15 Christianity on trial and from sectarianism to denominationalism
30:09 The Great Awakening and individual conversion
56:59 Trial brings revival
1:00:14 Evangelism is a spiritual endeavour
Watch this episode on YouTube
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Church History in Plain Language, by Bruce Shelley
Research on evangelism by Barna:
Millennials Oppose Evangelism
Sharing Faith Increasingly Optional to Christians
Is Evangelism Going Out of Style?
The Stats Behind Re-thinking Evangelism
Nicolaus Copernicus
Johannes Kepler
Galileo Galilei
Isaac Newton
The Thunderstorm that Changed Martin Luther's Life
The Great Awakening
Jonathan Edwards
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Jonathan Edwards
John Wesley
George Whitefield
Bebbington's Quadrilateral
The Spirit of Gen Y
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Website: https://www.shockabsorber.com.au
01:38 Some books and the Cultural Artefact: Acts 1:8
09:38 Individual conversions have lead to social change
15:20 Recognising our sinfulness in evangelism
18:41 Christendom
21:48 The Crusades
24:41 The Reformation
32:55 The Enlightenment's impact on evangelism
40:48 Self-conscious evangelism
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But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. - Acts 1:8
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Bullies and Saints, by John Dickson
Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind, by Tom Holland
Protestant Christianity is booming in China
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Website: https://www.shockabsorber.com.au
00:00 Intro
02:42 Cultural Artefact: Why Don't You Look Into Jesus by Larry Norman
08:08 What is the good news? Defining evangelism again
12:30 The gift of bold evangelism
22:11 Losing friends for Jesus
24:47 How has evangelism changed over the years?
35:51 The evangelistic archetype
40:52 Letting love lead our evangelism
50:12 Unlearning stereotypes. It's part of who you are as a Christian
55:28 QUESTION from Leonie on expectations and loving each other
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DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Why Don't You Look Into Jesus?, by Larry Norman
The day Billy Graham transfixed a massive MCG crowd
Richard Dawkins
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Website: https://www.shockabsorber.com.au
00:00 Intro
02:02 Cultural Artefact: Jesus Beads
13:34 Defining evangelism and its transformative effect
20:36 The age we define our identity is ripe for evangelism
23:56 Who is an evangelist?
37:53 The problem with evangelism
50:19 The time to have real discussions and build relationships
55:46 Encouraging churches to be evangelistic
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DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Research on evangelism by Barna:
https://www.barna.com/research/millennials-oppose-evangelism/
https://www.barna.com/research/sharing-faith-increasingly-optional-christians/
https://www.barna.com/research/is-evangelism-going-out-of-style/
https://tellingthegospel.com/2021/05/21/the-stats-behind-re-thinking-evangelism/
Joe Rogan's influence on media
Taylor Swift, Egalitarianism and Anti-Institutionalism
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Joel jumps on to let you know what's in store for 2022 and the latest season on the Shock Absorber!
Across the Christmas break we'll be bringing you content from the Shock Absorber Conference held on 30 October 2021. In the third session Planting Pastor at Soul Revival Church Jai rejoins Joel and Stu to discuss implementing the Shock Absorber principles in various contexts. The conference is capped off with a final Q&A section.
Across the Christmas break we'll be bringing you content from the Shock Absorber Conference held on 30 October 2021. In this second session Paul, Stu and Joel discuss our Hospitality service team and implementing meal across all our gatherings, followed by a Q&A section.
Across the Christmas break we'll be bringing you content from the Shock Absorber Conference held on 30 October 2021. The first session is the keynote address from Stuart Crawshaw as he introduces the day and the main concepts of the Shock Absorber approach, followed by a Q&A section with Joel, Jai and Stu.
01:10 Who are The Chats?
02:36 Cultural Artefact: Pub Feed, by The Chats
06:19 The uniqueness of Australian culture
12:15 Australian culture and recalling tradition
18:21 The impact of punk music
30:49 How does the church respond to what The Chats highlight?
56:38 How our church gatherings can be more missional
1:03:32 Confident Christians
Watch this episode on YouTube
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
The Castle
Kath & Kim
AC/DC in America
INXS in America
The Angels
Friday on My Mind, by The Easybeats
Vanda and Young
Smoko, by The Chats
Paul Hogan
Radio Birdman
Know Your Product, by The Saints
The Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols on the River Thames
The Clash
CBGB (New York music club)
American Idiot, by Green Day
Pretty Fly for a White Guy, The Offspring
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life), by Green Day
Teenage Politics, by MXPX
I Hope Scott's House Burns Down, by Eamon Sandwith
Keep The Grubs Out, by The Chats
The Spirit of Generation Y, by Mason, Singleton & Webber
Brown Cardigan
The Inspired Unemployed
Gambling in Australia
The Shock Absorber with Michael Duckett
Democracy manifest and eating a succulent Chinese meal
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Website: https://www.shockabsorber.com.au
00:00 Intro
02:29 Who is Tame Impala and their impact on Australian music
12:44 Loneliness and isolation
22:01 The solutions to loneliness
27:04 God has the solution and the hope He provides
31:11 The practicality of listening and God's control
37:27 Apathy and how Jesus can enact change
Watch this episode on YouTube
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Ian Hussey
Who is Daniel Johns podcast
Silverchair
AIHW study on loneliness
Chip Lunch episode with Brad
Jonathan Haidt and self harm statistics
The Coddling of the American Mind, by Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff
On Death, by Timothy Keller
Shock Absorber episode with Michael Duckett
Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/jTD5KNAYVE
Website: shockabsorber.com.au
01:35 Introducing Ian Hussey
06:12 Contextualising the Bible and the reason for Describing Australians
09:26 Environment: mastery or nurture?
16:48 Social organisation: individualist or collectivist?
22:57 Power distribution: hierarchal or egalitarian?
31:31 Rule orientation: rules or relationships?
37:18 Time orientation: monochronic or polychronic?
47:04 How Christians can embrace or critique culture
1:02:24 What Australian culture can learn from others
1:07:22 Discussion around the Homogenous Unit Principle
1:15:47 What can't be learnt within intergenerational ministry
1:24:10 Wealth and consumerism and discussing such issues
1:31:48 The duality of culture and the influence of the internet
1:36:14 What is our stance towards culture?
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Ian Hussey
The Blitz
Chaser's War on Everything breaches APEC security
Rebuilders podcast with Mark Sayers
Stephen McAlpine
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/sxStMqnp
Website: shockabsorber.com.au
00:00 Intro
03:24 Cultural Artefact: Kanye's Sunday Service Choir
06:16 Background on Kanye West
15:07 Displays of power and anti-institutionalism
19:42 Being wary of syncretising culture
23:48 Kanye's shifts with culture and mental health
29:15 Kanye's Christianity
36:25 How consumerism plays out in Australian society
41:39 How do we have conversations about such issues?
1:00:03 God remains the same
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Polyphonic channel
How Kanye West Shaped the 2010s, by Polyphonic
What is Kanye West's Sunday Service?
Kanye interrupts Taylor Swift at 2009 MTV VMAs
The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill
Ian Hussey
Don't Waste Your Life, by John Piper
Australia II wins America's Cup
Psalm 73
John D. Rockefeller
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/pv5bQgbs
Website: shockabsorber.com.au
01:29 Michael's ministry
05:30 Michael's testimony
08:54 How Soul Revival and Macarthur Indigenous Ministry connected
14:05 Michael's painting
19:15 What Indigenous people have experienced
23:59 What progress looks like
29:58 Recognising the past and what the church can do
39:00 The Stolen Generation and its impact
43:50 The differences in cultural mindset and community
54:21 Getting our answers from Jesus
1:05:55 How can we move forward together
Watch this episode on YouTube
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Michael's message about Australia Day
The killing times: the massacres of Aboriginal people Australia must confront
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/FP2cbBSr
Website: shockabsorber.com.au
00:00 Intro
01:17 The world continues to change
09:20 Cultural Artefact - To Pimp A Butterfly
25:24 Kendrick's background
27:20 Multiculturalism in Australia
36:08 The church's response to issues around race
47:01 Response to is The Bible Racist? article
53:19 Kendrick's faith, an environment of listening and catechisms of the world
1:03:50 QUESTION from Michael
Watch this episode on YouTube
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
David Bowie episode
Taylor Swift episode
Beyonce episode
How Kendrick Lamar Shaped the 2010s, by Polyphonic
To Pimp A Butterfly album cover
Control ft. Kendrick Lamar & Jay Electronica, by Big Sean
Ian Hussey
DNA, by Kendrick Lamar
Is the Bible racist? from The Bible Society
Alright, by Kendrick Lamar
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/FP2cbBSr
Website: shockabsorber.com.au
00:00 Intro
02:06 Cultural Artefact - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It), by Beyonce
05:35 Beyonce background and discography
10:21 The three stages of Beyonce's career and her self-discovery
18:22 Beyonce's influence on 2010s
25:39 Control of the narrative and the BeyHive
35:29 Beyonce's identity and her alignment with social movements
51:47 Critiquing and embracing culture - post-modernism and pluralism
59:42 Providing a space to discuss cultural issues and bringing the Bible to bear
1:08:13 Question from Callan about discussing culture
1:17:55 Christianity isn't cultural, it's counter-cultural
Watch this episode on YouTube
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It), by Beyonce
Polyphonic channel
How Beyoncé Shaped the 2010s, by Polyphonic
Crazy in Love ft. JAY Z, by Beyonce
03' Bonnie & Clyde ft. Beyonce, by JAY Z
Run the World (Girls), by Beyonce
Don't Hurt Yourself ft. Jack White, by Beyonce
Homecoming on Netflix
Diana: The Musical on Netflix
Inside the BeyHive
Beyonce performance at Super Bowl L
If I Were A Boy, by Beyonce
I Have A Dream, by Dr Martin Luther King Jr
Malcolm X speech on police brutality
The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense
The Top 100 Beyoncé Songs, Ranked
Ian Hussey
Love on Top, by Beyonce
Party ft. J. Cole, by Beyonce
Royal Commission in Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/Vb6g4JzD
Website: shockabsorber.com.au
00:00 Intro
03:48 Cultural Artefact - Look What You Made Me Do, by Taylor Swift
08:40 Taylor's background and her cultural presence
12:07 Ian Hussey's framework for cultural analysis
20:19 Taylor's egalitarianism and anti-institutional stance
29:02 How the Bible helps us understand egalitarian and hierarchical structures
33:03 Social movements. Ideas replace economics
45:00 The church's response and the role of the Shock Absorber
55:55 The Bible's picture of the egalitarian-hierarchal dynamic
Watch this episode on YouTube
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Polyphonic's take on Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
Look What You Made Me Do, by Taylor Swift
Ian Hussey
Every Single Album: Taylor Swift, by The Ringer
Taylor Swift's letter to Apple
Taylor Swift, Scooter Braun, her back catalogue
The Billionaire Space Race
Jeff Bezos
Amazon workers' rights
Jeff Bezos & Tom Hanks going to space?
Exclusion and Embrace, by Miroslav Volf
Chrissy Teigen's social media
May '68 Paris Riots
Miss Americana
Taylor Swift sexual assault court case
Kesha court case
Me Too Movement
Philippians 2
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/Vb6g4JzD
00:00 Intro
01:54 Season 4 Intro
08:25 Cultural Artefact - Blackstar by David Bowie
11:27 David Bowie
17:07 Bowie, youth culture and the Homogeneous Unit Principle
22:32 Individualism and culture
27:20 Ian Hussey's 5 Cultural Dimensions
37:18 Collectivism vs individualism
39:29 Jesus determines our identity
46:34 Do we need to kill off our versions of church?
51:07 We can live out an individualism and a collectivism at the same time
Watch this episode on YouTube
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Ian Hussey
Polyphonic channel
David Bowie
David Bowie on Polyphonic: How Cohen and Bowie Faced Mortality, How David Bowie Said Farewell (Twice), How David Bowie Shaped the 2010s
David Bowie's characters/personas
1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything
Albums of 1971
The 27 Club
Understanding Church Growth, by Donald McGavran
Alice Cooper
Exclusion and Embrace, by Miroslav Volf
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/Vb6g4JzD
REGISTER FOR THE SHOCK ABSORBER CONFERENCE
00:00 Intro
01:08 The Shock Absorber Conference (REGISTER NOW!)
03:53 Cultural Artefact - Squid Game
18:19 Courage to sometimes say 'no'
24:01 The metric is faithfulness
26:49 Reflections on children's ministry
38:12 Reflections on youth ministry
58:06 Reflections on adult ministry
1:07:29 Our highlights from Season 3
Watch this episode on YouTube
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Squid Game
Ian Hussey
Game of Thrones
John Wick
300 (movie)
Final Destination
The Sopranos
Oldenburg's Third Place
Third Place on The Shock Absorber
Eliminator, by ZZ Top
Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes, by Paul Simon
Growing Young, by Fuller Youth Institute
Eshay culture
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord
REGISTER FOR THE SHOCK ABSORBER CONFERENCE
00:00 Intro
03:01 Cultural Artefact - Rabbit Proof Fence
05:30 How Soul Revival met Isaac & Eileen Gordon
11:22 Nan Peters
14:29 The River Conventions & Friendship Visits
21:03 Relational stories
29:50 Aboriginal Youth Ministry in 2010s
34:20 More yarns
39:46 Fingal Head youth ministry
41:12 Being intergenerational
Watch on YouTube
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Rabbit Proof Fence
Ted Lasso
Juraki Surf & Culture
Budjerah Slabb
Inside Out (documentary with Isaac Gordon)
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/Vb6g4JzD
REGISTER FOR THE SHOCK ABSORBER CONFERENCE
00:00 Intro
01:51 Defining what a para-church ministry is
02:36 Who is Leonie?
05:05 Cultural Artefact - The Blues Brothers
07:52 University ministry
12:43 The missional approach and it's links with para-church ministry
14:50 Sports chaplaincy
20:52 Sports chaplaincy at the Cronulla Sharks
29:42 Sports chaplaincy & getting involved
34:12 Para-church organisations offer ministry experiences outside of church
36:22 Para-church ministry and intergenerational ministry
44:32 Being a parent in local sporting community
Watch this episode on YouTube
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE:
The Blues Brothers - Rawhide scene, Nun scene
University of Melbourne
The Four Views of Youth Ministry, by Mark Senter III
Our chat with Dave Lovell
Sports Chaplaincy Australia
2016 NRL Grand Final
Chip lunch podcast
CONTACT US:
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/Vb6g4JzD
00:00 Intro
01:07 Who is Dave Lovell and his role at Christian Surfers
03:20 Cultural Artefact - The Ramones at Brighton Hotel Pier
06:08 Dave's background and becoming a Christian
17:13 Christian Surfers
19:32 God's song for us
26:15 Relational passion and purpose
28:53 Surfing culture + Australian culture
36:38 Christian Surfers + relational ministry
48:07 Final words
Watch on YouTube
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE:
Christian Surfers Australia
Christian Surfers International
Groundswell by Brett Davis
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Story of the Tune, by Larry Norman
Tommy, by The Who
Get Back, by The Beatles
Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?, by Gregory A Thornbury
Puberty Blues, by Gabrielle Carey & Kathy Lette
Puberty Blues film (1981)
Puberty Blues TV show (2012-2014)
Tim Keller
Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry, by Andrew Root
CONTACT US:
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/Vb6g4JzD
01:04 The green Kombi + Shock Absorber Conference (30 Oct, 2021)
08:06 Cultural Artefact: The 2000s Golden Age of Television + The Rise of the Anti-Hero + the iPhone
10:36 Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry
14:31 The importance of historical perspective
17:24 Root investigates the history of culture + Incarnational theology
26:34 How high schools affect youth culture
32:38 Being relational in ministry
35:30 Gramsci, The Black Panther, Triple J and hegemonies
42:27 Let's be Christians
46:32 Targets or people? Cool or overtly Christian?
1:01:34 Institutionalising relationships centred on the cross
1:06:21 Being Christian first
Watch on YouTube
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
The Rise of TV
Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry by Andrew Root
Antonio Gramsci
The Black Panthers
Panther (movie)
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Triple J
Donald McGavran
1 Thessalonians 1
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/Vb6g4JzD
00:00 Intro
01:16 Cultural Artefact: Malcolm in the Middle (CORRECTION: Bryan Cranston is the dad)
03:33 Pre-industrial revolution way of life and how technology changes family
09:19 What is the Family Ministry approach?
15:13 Homogeneous Unit Principle, industrialised relationships, outsourcing humanness and teaching of children
21:17 Is the core issue being addressed?
25:35 Christian parents pass on their faith to their children
27:33 Thinking Orange
30:34 Partnering with parents
38:30 Possible limitations of the Family Ministry approach - discipleship
44:08 Possible limitations of the Family Ministry approach - mission
51:49 The importance of listening to youth and children (again)
56:14 How the younger generations can experiment and communicate those ideas
1:00:40 Final thoughts
Watch this episode on Youtube
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Malcolm in the Middle
The Four Views of Youth Ministry, by Mark Senter III
Think Orange, by Reggie Joiner
Timothy Paul Jones
Jay Strother
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/Vb6g4JzD
00:00 Intro
01:22 Cultural Artefact - Blended movie
03:58 What is the Inclusive Congregational approach?
09:07 Should children and youth be part of everything, all the time?
15:01 Young people need the space to experiment and a place for us to communicate together
18:32 Inclusive Congregational reacts to the Homogeneous Unit Principle but misses the cultural context
19:34 Contrasting between the Strategic approach and the Inclusive Congregational model
21:57 Allowing children to be children
37:12 The perceived need to fit everything into a one hour service, and opening up to create more opportunities for discipleship and mission
48:14 Allowing teenagers to be teenagers
53:32 Embracing difference and being one big family
Watch on YouTube
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
The Four Views of Youth Ministry, by Mark Senter III
Blended
The Coming Revolution of Youth Ministry, by Mark Senter III
Erik Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/Vb6g4JzD
00:58 Cultural Artefact - 90s punk music, The Living End, band breakups
06:24 What is the strategic approach to ministry?
12:32 Why young people aren't listened to and the cultural shifts that affect that
22:43 What the strategic approach misses - cultural expressions are not the gospel
29:17 Institutionalising and has Soul Revival followed the strategic approach?
40:30 The importance of Soul Revival's theology of atonement
42:32 Tips for moving towards Intergenerational ministry
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
The Four Views of Youth Ministry book
Prisoner of Society, by The Living End
The night The Eagles imploded
The Darkness
Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End) by The Darkness
The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/Vb6g4JzD
01:19 Jamie and The Nonnas
04:15 What is the missional approach?
12:05 Examples of the missional approach
13:36 Missional vs Intergenerational
16:56 Discipleship and/or mission? Together or separate?
30:49 The counterintuitive impulse to the fracturing of discipleship and mission - intergenerational ministry
39:57 Examples of intergenerational ministry strategies
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
The Four Views of Youth Ministry
Jamie and The Nonnas
Chip Lunch podcast
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/Vb6g4JzD
00:00 Intro
02:39 Woodstock '99, the 90's and the end of the hippie movement
15:15 Youth ministry strategies in the 70's and 80's
17:58 Senter's Four Views of Youth Ministry + divisions in the youth culture
23:41 Soul Revival emerged in the 90's
27:30 The Preparatory Approach
34:35 Why children are part of the church today, not just tomorrow
37:12 The drawbacks of the Preparatory Approach
43:00 Making connections between groups
46:46 Listening to young people
50:27 An intergenerational approach embraces difference
59:15 No Guts, No Glory/Bead method
1:02:02 Real life experiences of intergenerational ministry
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
The Four Views of Youth Ministry, by Mark Senter III
Woodstock '99: Peace, Love and Rage
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/Vb6g4JzD
01:06 Mosaic chat
02:13 Moving forward on the Shock Absorber
03:48 Cultural Artefact - The 70s, AC/DC and The Jesus Movement
07:38 The 60s Youth Quake saw the rise of The Jesus Movement
16:36 How the Jesus Movement became part of the established church
22:19 Brass Tacks/Funnel Method
26:54 Every form of youth ministry institutionalises
29:23 No Guts, No Glory
33:00 How the Shock Absorber is the third way
50:42 How to prevent institutionalisation
Watch this episode on YouTube
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
The Coming Revolution of Youth Ministry, by Mark Senter III
The Four Views of Youth Ministry, by Mark Senter III
Double or Bust: The Church needs radical change to engage young people again
Overdose by AC/DC
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/Vb6g4JzD
( 01:34 ) Introducing Tim
( 06:06 ) Tim answers: Does the church have an image problem?
( 07:59 ) When Stu and Tim saw being intergenerational as key to ministry
( 15:30 ) Intergenerational theology in the Old Testament
( 22:20 ) Intergenerational theology in the New Testament
( 37: 42 ) Drop off points within the Homogeneous Unit Principle and spending time with those different to ourselves
( 42:51 ) Culture has become more individualistic and the emergence of Incarnational theology
( 53:05 ) The importance of sacrificial love and Atonement theology
( 1:00:03 ) An intergenerational response to Double or Bust article
( 1:05:50 ) Why is family more credible than institution?
Watch on YouTube
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
The Four Views of Youth Ministry book
Youthworks
Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry, by Andrew Root
Double or Bust: The Church needs radical change to engage young people again
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/Vb6g4JzD
( 02:18 ) The Chats - Pub Feed
( 06:45 ) Does the church have an image problem?
( 11:06 ) Where does the problem originate from?
( 28:46 ) Cultural changes in 1990s and 2000s
( 39:04 ) Avoid creating an echo chamber of adults
(41:58 ) What the reinvention looks like
Watch this episode on YouTube
DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Pub Feed by The Chats
Mark Sayers
1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything
Double or Bust: The Church needs radical change to engage young people again
Chip Lunch podcast
CONTACT US
Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Discord: https://discord.gg/Vb6g4JzD
The COVID-19 pandemic that struck the world also affected many churches. In Sydney and New South Wales, churches were forced to adapt even further when a statewide lockdown was imposed in 2020. The Shock Absorber allowed the younger generations of the church to come to the fore in order to still make church as normal as possible.
GOT QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? Email joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Since the youth ministry days, ministry training has been an important focus for Soul Revival Church. From what started as discussions in Stu's lounge room around theology and ministry has now grown into a widespread training program that caters for late primary schoolers to adults. Stu breaks down the importance of doing discipleship and mission together and how a robust training program facilitates that in an intergenerational context.
Got questions and thoughts? Email joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Following the planting of it's first off-site gathering, Soul Revival Church wanted to do it again with an ambitious plan to plant two new gatherings under the hub-and-spoke model. Pastors Jai McMordie and Paul Tait were at the forefront of that next foray in church planting and share their experiences and learnings of that time.
With Jai McMordie on board and a new gathering to plant, developments continued apace at Soul Revival Church. But with planting it's first gathering off-site, the church faced a number of challenges it had never experienced before. The lesson of planting with the 10 established service teams was learned, especially highlighted by the lack of Arts, Youth and Communications teams at the new gathering.
(00:00) - Coming up in Season 2, Episode 8
(04:06) - Where Soul Revival Church was in 2017
(05:31) - Why off-site?
(06:48) - Working with other churches while church planting
(09:16) - Making the first steps
(10:31) - Jai McMordie
(12:11) - Putting the launch team together & greenhousing
(14:40) - Hub-and-spoke model
(16:43) - Using the 5Ls
(18:00) - Spread too thin?
(20:00) - The 4 most important service teams and what was missed
(24:25) - Woolooware gathering run through
(26:12) - Learnings from planting off-site
(36:08) - The future of Woolooware
After planting it's first new gathering on a Friday, Soul Revival Church looked to plant it's third gathering on a Sunday morning. The key to being able to do this was the structure of the service teams that under the Soul Revival Council, were able to facilitate three gatherings - the model of generalist pastor, gathering pastor, central coordinator and gathering coordinator was how this was achieved.
GOT QUESTIONS? Email them to joel@shockabsorber.com.au
In 2015 it was time to plant another gathering at Soul Revival Church's Kirrawee factory. It was the second all-age, all-stage gathering on the same night as the church's senior primary and youth community gatherings. What started as an ambitious idea to plant another service developed into an integration of children , youth and adults as they served Jesus together.
(01:41) - Soul Revival Church in 2015
(03:00) - The decision on a second gathering
(04:25) - Why Friday?
(10:58) - The vision of Friday night
(12:20) - How did it start?
(13:52) - All-age, all-stage or Homogeneous Unit Principle?
(15:11) - Building a bridge to a new reality
(15:58) - The Commitments
(17:05) - Integrating a youth community
(22:45) - Friday night needed a green housing process
(25:35) - The structure of Friday night
(30:25) - Leadership as a peer group
(37:55) - Youth serving in ministry
(40:00) - Commitments Week + other initiatives
(42:42) - Childrens' Ministry
(47:05) - How to start planting and involve youth community
(48:00) - Multiplying service teams
GOT QUESTIONS? Email them to joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Joel and Stu rewind to 2014 and delved into the planting history of Soul Revival Church and how it moved to a larger venue.
They discuss the thinking that went into the new venue and expand on Oldenberg's Third Place Theory and how it influenced the design and architecture. The Shock Absorber and lounge room learnings from 20 years of youth ministry heavily influenced the choices that the church made.
After establishing in 2012, 2013 was a new dawn for Soul Revival Church as new people started to come along. This brought the spotlight onto two particular service teams as the church figured out how to be an all-age, all-stage gathering in the Sutherland Shire aiming to share the love of Jesus person-to-person, generation-to-generation, culture-to-culture and place-to-place.
The decision to plant Soul Revival Church's first gathering on Saturday night was borne from the lessons from the 20 years of youth ministry at Gymea Anglican Church. Just as in youth ministry, the choice acted as a counter-culture to the individualism, consumerism and transience had emerged due to the Homogeneous Unit Principle's ideas of segmenting church by demographics. Stu and Joel then take a tour through what a Saturday night looked like and how it operated.
GOT QUESTIONS???
Email them to joel@shockabsorber.com.au
The Shock Absorber podcast is brought to you by Soul Revival Church in Sydney, Australia.
Stu chats about The Life of Pi in relation to church planting.
The Shock Absorber podcast, on church and culture, is brought to you by Soul Revival Church in Sydney, Australia.
Check out the book Stu and Joel discuss: The Trellis and the Vine
The Shock Absorber podcast, on church and culture, is brought to you by Soul Revival Church in Sydney, Australia.
We are coming back with the second season of The Shock Absorber podcast! Get ready to hear how Soul Revival Church was planted in 2012 and all the challenges we've experienced up until the present!
Subscribe to get the latest episodes as soon as they drop...
In the last episode of season 1, Stu and Joel discuss the principles of the Shock Absorber that been developed over first 20 years of Soul Revival at Gymea Anglican Church.
Stu touches on a few pivotal events that occurred in the early 2000s which signalled that the youth culture was changing. While it was tough era, it genuinely tested Soul Revival's strategy and helped the ministry adapt to change. It lead to the realisation that rather than institutionalising ideas and becoming rigid, it was far more important to fight transience and institutionalise relationships between generations.
What transpired was the next era of Soul Revival as it re-articulated it's approach around three main principles:
- Theology
- Strategy
- Practice
The Shock Absorber is brought to you by Soul Revival Church
The Shock Absorber is a podcast brought to you by Soul Revival Church from Sydney, Australia. It discusses how the church can adapt to culture and maintain a strong Biblical presence.
On 27 March, Stu preached at Soul Revival Church's Friday night gathering on Matthew 22:37-40, a passage that has, and continues to have a huge impact on the Soul Revival model of ministry. In this short talk, he explores the idea of the Shock Absorber and how important we feel it is to have an all-age, all-stage approach.
After growing and establishing itself as an effective ministry, it was time for Soul Revival to develop more structure and solidity, and most importantly, a theological perspective.
The introduction of The Commitments helped create a regular and committed culture across youth ministry and church services. What resulted was a huge growth in the ministry as new Christians joined the community and energised the Christians that were already part of it. But with that fast growth came conflicts and controversies! The Commitments model became a weekly Shock Absorber to deal with the real issues young people (and even concerned parents) were bringing to the table.
Following the Jesus Movement, the church had moved to the Homogeneous Unit Principle, where churches had unintentionally widened the generation gap even further. Soul Revival came up with a corporate response to the transcient, individualistic, consumeristic church culture that resulted. Inspired by the 1991 movie The Commitments and Oldenburg's Third Place theory the leaders hit upon the need for a more regular and committed culture that would foster a fun and inclusive community in Jesus' name.
In episode 3, hear how after realising a paradigm shift in how they could do ministry, Stu was able to use his studies of the 1960s to create a new form of youth ministry that focused on living out a Jesus-led community rather than attempting to be relevant to multiple generations across the church.
Episode 2 sees Joel and Stu discuss how the Soul Revival ministry began.
Triggered by a desire for an adventure and a paradigm shift in their thinking, four people in a dumpy garage created a new way of doing youth ministry and laid the groundwork for the Shock Absorber.
From now on, the ministry wouldn’t be based around a certain interest but around Jesus and being friends because of Him.
In the debut episode of the podcast, Joel and Stu dive straight into the Shock Absorber and how it can be a framework for churches to biblically adapt to the changes in society.
Examples of such cultural shocks are discussed before delving into how it all began for Stu back when he was a young adult.
Stu's favourite movie - The Breakfast Club
The Shock Absorber podcast is brought to you by Soul Revival Church