The Shock Absorber

Stu, Tim and Joel hosts dive into a discussion sparked by Stu's recent visit to Texas, where he observed the strong sense of identity, friendliness, and open expression of faith that characterises much of Texan culture. They compare this with Australian cultural values like egalitarianism and mateship, examining how national myths shape the way communities live and relate to one another.

From there, the conversation explores how Christianity functions as a movement rather than a rigid institution—one that adapts to cultural contexts while maintaining universal principles such as love for neighbour, kindness, and human dignity. The ho...

Is Christianity really in decline — or is something deeper happening beneath the surface?

In this episode, the guys take a break from their recent mini-series' on Soul Reviaval's service teams to unpack a fascinating new report from Christian research group McCrindle on the state of Christianity in Australia. While headlines often focus on the drop in people identifying as Christian — from 61% in 2011 to 44% in 2021 — the data reveals a surprising undercurrent: over 784,000 Australians have moved from having no religion to identifying as Christian.

They explore what might be behind this shift, especially among older Australians where crisis...

MINI-SERIES: The Practice of Community Groups

The episode opens with a quick sidestep into Fantastic Four before diving into Joel’s latest read, The Death and Life of Australian Soccer by Joe Gorman. The book prompts a rich conversation about the origins and development of soccer in Australia, highlighting the deep roots migrant communities have in shaping the game. The guys explore the longstanding tension between preserving those ethnic identities and the commercial push to "de-ethnicise" the sport. This sparks a deeper reflection on how communities—whether around sport or faith—are shaped by identity. For Christians, that i...

MINI-SERIES: The Strategy of Community Groups

Joel, Tim, and Joey take a deep dive into the strategy of community groups, exploring how different churches structure them and why they are a vital part of discipleship. They begin with a cultural artefact from Freya India’s appearance on Modern Wisdom, discussing Gen Z’s shifting views on faith, the gender divide in religious engagement, and the loneliness crisis—especially among men. With more people searching for meaning and connection, they consider how the church can offer genuine community and firm foundations through small groups.

From there, they e...

MINI-SERIES: The Theology of Community Groups. While Stu is away, Joey joins Joel and Tim to chat about the Theology-Strategy-Practice of Community Groups...

They kick things off with a discussion on Cantopop and Mandopop, as Joey shares his experience attending Eason Chan’s Fear & Dreams concert. From there, they shift gears to explore small groups—how they have developed in churches and what their names reveal about their purpose. They consider the influence of the seeker-sensitive movement from churches like Willow Creek and Saddleback, as well as missional communities from the UK. The key question emerges: What are...

MINI-SERIES: Part 2 of our sneak peek of Berea as Stu continues the first tutorial from the Berea Internship.

Churches may share the same faith, but their theology, strategy, and practice often differ. They begin by using the Wesleyan Quadrilateral (Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience) as a diagnostic tool to assess how churches develop their ministry frameworks. What does it truly mean to build a ministry that is based on the Bible? And when tough decisions arise, what do churches and individuals default to—what is their ultimate authority?

They then explore the different strategies of ch...

MINI-SERIES: Get a taster for what Berea is like as Stu runs the first tutorial from the Berea Internship.

As Saturday Night Live celebrates its 50th anniversary, the guys explore how institutions evolve, questioning how ideas can be institutionalised while still remaining relevant over time.

Stu then starts up the Berea tutorial with a deep dive into ministry frameworks, beginning with Berea’s spiral method of learning—where content is introduced in layers, revisited, and explored more deeply over time. The key question: What does it look like to develop a ministry framework? Rather than pres...

MINI-SERIES: The PRACTICE of in-house ministry training with Joel, Tim and Stu.

As the next Federal election approaches, political leaders in Australia have started appearing on podcasts to connect with voters in a more direct and unfiltered way. But how does this approach compare to political campaigning in the United States? They explore the differences between the Australian and US election strategies, looking at how media engagement, party structures, and voter outreach shape the way campaigns unfold in each country.

Shifting gears, they take a deep dive into the Practice of Berea, Soul Revival Church’s...

MINI-SERIES: Tim, Joel and Stu use Berea as a way of investigating the strategy of in-house ministry training.

This episode begins with the launch of Tim’s book, The Child in God's Church, which explores theologically integrating children into the life of the church. Rather than seeing young people as a future project or a problem to solve, the discussion emphasises that they are already part of the church today. This shift in perspective shapes how discipleship and involvement of children and young people in the body of Christ take place.

A key aspect of th...

MINI-SERIES: Tim, Joel and Stu chat Theology-Strategy-Practice for internal ministry training, based off Soul Revival's which is called Berea. They explore why teaching how to think—rather than what to think—is essential for Christian discipleship.

They begin by unpacking Apple’s controversial Crush ad for the iPad Pro, which sparked backlash for its destruction of cultural artefacts. The discussion moves beyond the ad itself to the broader issue of cultural erasure—how progressive movements often attempt to reset culture by dismissing the past. Historically, new ideas were met with skepticism, but in today’s world, rapid cultural s...

MINI-SERIES: Theology-Strategy-Practice for ministry teams. Stu, Tim and Joel look at the practice element of ministry teams. They explore how friendship fuels the heart of ministry.

They kick things off by reflecting on Wes Huff’s appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience and the cultural shift toward appreciating Christianity’s influence on the West. Is this a Bob Dylan or a Jesus Christ Superstar moment?

From there, they dive into the often-quoted observation that 20% of the people in church do 80% of the work. Why is it critical to talk about who is serving in the body...

MINI-SERIES: Theology-Strategy-Practice for ministry teams - this time it's strategy behind church ministry teams.

The guys delve into Soul Revival's Strategy of ministry teams. Starting with cultural artefacts, debating the depiction of AI in fiction versus reality and sharing stories about our favorite libraries, setting the stage for a discussion on deeper societal reflections.

Next, they explore insights from a chapter of Stu's PhD, focusing on how the church can influence each other's social life by allowing Jesus to guide our friendships and placing the Bible at the forefront. This leads them to reflect on...

MINI-SERIES: Theology-Strategy-Practice for ministry teams, kicking things off by diving deep into the theology behind church ministry teams.

Drawing from Ephesians 4 and Acts 6, Joel, Tim and Stu explore the Biblical foundation that shapes our understanding of ministry teams and the essential role of pastors as leaders who raise up others — both paid and unpaid — to serve and love the church community.

They also tackle some pressing challenges facing modern churches: the decline of volunteerism, the professionalisation of ministry, and the misconception that paying someone to "do the job" will solve the problem. In many ways...

MINI-SERIES: Young People in the Church [PRACTICE]

In this episode, Joel and Tim dive into the critical importance of practice in youth and children’s ministry, exploring its role within Soul Revival's Theology-Strategy-Practice framework. They discuss how churches can be an essential pillar of stability for young people, providing relationships and networks that foster genuine community.

They unpack the ways Christians have uncritically adopted industrialised models of faith formation and psycho-social development within church. They challenge the notion that children's faith is "incomplete" and argue that we’re not waiting for kids to become Christians — they a...

MINI-SERIES: Young People in the Church [STRATEGY]

In this episode of The Shock Absorber Podcast, Joel, Stu, and Tim explore the critical importance of strategy in youth and children’s ministry as part of our Theology-Strategy-Practice framework. Strategy isn’t optional—it’s essential for creating meaningful, lasting ministry impact. Without it, churches risk creating transient, hollow experiences for young people, with disastrous consequences.

After briefly reflecting on the movie Hidden Figures, the team delves into why having a clear strategy is often overlooked and why its absence can have a devastating effect on both young pe...

MINI-SERIES: Young People in the Church

Tim, Stu, and Joel are back with a brand-new mini-series, exploring Soul Revival’s framework of Theology, Strategy, and Practice.

This series kicks off with a sneak peek into Tim’s upcoming book, The Child in God’s Church. Using it as a launchpad, the team dives into the theology of children and young people, reflecting on why God designed our growth and development the way He did. Could it be that He wants us to learn from young people? And why has He chosen for us to mature differ...

What began as a quick dive into a cultural artefact evolved into a full episode exploration. Stu, Tim, and Joel examine the result of the 2024 U.S. election and the shifting dynamics of political ideas and class across the globe. They discuss how new media is poised to play an even more significant role in shaping election outcomes and public opinion. Together, they reflect on a Christian perspective that transcends political upheavals: no matter the power shifts on Earth, nothing can remove God from His throne.

00:29 Class, ideas or identity politics?
09:35 New media rules
22:06 The...

In the final episode of their mini-series on meals, Joel, Tim and Jai discuss the implementation of meals at each Soul Revival gathering.

Firstly, they explore the industrialisation of food production and increase in the number of scientifically backed meal replacements and productivity drinks. Drawing from their experience in church ministry, they discuss how a strong strategy with a flexible practice is required is the key to serving meals to over 500 people each week at church.

This includes building teams to serve together, how meals are about sharing in the abundance of the Christian life...

Tim, Stu and Joel get together to discuss Soul Revival's strategy behind having meals at every Soul Revival gathering.

After reminiscing on some food memories, namely finger food and meals at Soul Revival when it was a youth community, they get into the "how" of meals. They explore what it means to spend meaningful time together—by preparing and sharing meals, which feels counter-cultural in today’s fast-paced world and most churches. The theology of serving in response to the Gospel is the heart of the strategy, where preparing and serving a meal is an example of bein...

In this episode of the Shock Absorber, Stu, Tim, and Joel delve into the theology behind incorporating meals into all Soul Revival gatherings. They explore the practical and spiritual significance of sharing meals, grounded in the spiritual calling that we are called to be living sacrifices, expressing unity in Christ and serving one another.

What begins with a discussion on the Hindenburg (05:23) turns into the question of whether the theology of meals is prescriptive or descriptive in Scripture (15:15). This leads to an examination of Paul's exhortation in Romans 12 to offer ourselves as living sacrifices and the role...

Stu and Joel are back to discuss where the Shock Absorber will be heading in the next few months (00:00).

As the 2024 Presidential Race heats up (02:46), they take a look at the candidates embracing new media in the lead up to the vote. Then, Stu shares insights from his recent overseas trip, offering a fresh perspective on global issues (30:38).

They shift gears to explore what’s next for the Shock Absorber (33:37), including exciting plans for future episodes followed by a theological underpinning of Soul Revival's approach to church, drawing from Romans 12 to connect theology, strategy, and pr...

In this episode of the Shock Absorber, the guys dive into a range of topics that related to church planting given Joey (Ryde gathering) and Jai (Yarrawarrah and Cronulla gatherings) were on the episode.

They start with a number of cultural artefacts—including a discussion on the new Extremely Large Telescope in Chile, a documentary on WWE’s Mr. McMahon, and the biography of John Paton (01:04).

The guys then focus on iterative church planting and its role in shaping long-term growth (19:28), then highlight the struggles church planters face, particularly when reaching out to diverse demographics and...

In this episode of the Shock Absorber podcast, Tim and Joel they explore key cultural and spiritual issues affecting the modern world. We begin by discussing how sub-cultures that used to be characterised by rebelliousness and aggressiveness are becoming less tribal (01:28). Next, inspired by Jonathan Haidt's post, they delve into the hypocrisy of tech CEOs changes how we are thinking about technology and smart phone use (06:53). Such use can turn into another form of addiction, which is counter-formative to a life in the Spirit (21:20). They also return to two books (Crisis of Confidence and Scandal of the Evangelical Mind...

Tim and Joel dive into the world of football, ministry, and evangelical thought!

They start with wide-ranging discussion on football, from the history of Adidas and Puma, World Cup Finals, the Danubian effect on football's development as well as the unique ownership structures of German clubs.

They then chat about Tim’s Book Club, where they are exploring Children’s Ministry and the Spiritual Child. We talk about moving from children’s ministry controlling behaviour to fostering relational discipleship. The importance of “holy curiosity” and how to create a ministry environment where kids develop a lasting lo...

In this episode of the Shock Absorber podcast, Tim, Joel and Fi explore the role of church traditions in clarifying what we believe, particularly through the lens of confirmation and youth camp experiences.

They dive into how these traditions help young people, especially those in Years 9 and 10, as they navigate a time of self-determination and begin to count the cost of their faith journey. As we reflect on these formative moments, they finish with some thoughts, courtesy of listener Greg, on the rise of artificial intelligence and how, in some ways, it seems to be eating itself.<...

In the latest episode of the Shock Absorber podcast, Tim shares exciting news as he joins the Soul Revival staff full-time! He opens up about his new role and what he's most looking forward to as he embarks on this new chapter.

Tim also reflects on his departure from Youthworks by discussing his "9 Points on the Future of Youth and Children's Ministry." He shares his insights on how the future of ministry is evolving to be more slow, pagan, and intergenerational. He emphasises the importance of acknowledging that child faith is real, holistic, and often ad-hoc. Finally...

In a shorter episode of the Shock Absorber podcast, Stu and Joel dive into a range of insightful questions about how Soul Revival approaches ministry. They explore the dynamics of different congregation sizes, discuss the language used to describe them, and the importance of targeting your base effectively before expanding.

They also chat about Stu's 13 years of church planting experience, reflecting on the pitfalls they've encountered, including the challenges of balancing tradition with modern cultural adaptation. The conversation touches on the use of the Bible as a grounding reference point and the lessons learned from trying to...

Join Stu, Tim, and Joel as they dive into the Christian moments that stood out at the 2024 Olympic Games. They also tackle some intriguing questions Stu has about Soul Revival's approach to church planting, youth ministry and growth. Hear about the rationale behind Soul Revival's decision to start a Friday night gathering and how they're crafting a natural path for young people at church.

Plus, they explore the concept of 'moderate intergenerationality' and its crucial role in Soul Revival's strategic vision. Don't miss this insightful discussion!

00:00 Intro
01:17 CULTURAL ARTEFACT: Christians at the Paris 2024 Olympics<...

In Part 5 of our Resilient Disciples series, Stu, Tim and Joel dive into the Last Supper death work showcased at the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony and explore how Christians can respond with both sorrow and love in the face of God being mocked.

They also unpack how being a resilient disciple involves living counter-culturally and partnering with God in His mission to make more disciples. As the world grows increasingly secular and Christians become a minority, it's crucial to resist the temptation to conform church practices and ourselves to societal norms. Instead, we’re called to return to...

Tim and Joel look at the fourth practice of Resilient Faith from Faith for Exiles which leads them on a discussion of how we can encourage Christians to be disciples in all aspects of their life, including their vocation. Have we handled the discussion well? Are we helping people bridge the divide between the sacred and the secular?

Younger generations are becoming more ambitious because of the culture, but how can we help them pursue goodness, truth and beauty when they are at school and work?

"I work for Jesus and get paid by Toyota"<...

Resiliency in discipleship is the name of the game as Stu, Tim and Joel chat about how intergenerational relationships can improve it, based on the research in Faith for Exiles.

Are rosters and a highly specialised church environment lead us to only be pleasant strangers? The Bible calls us to be more than that where the church community can be transformed by the Spirit's sanctification. The problem is, we get lonelier and lonelier as a society. Intentional, meaningful relationships can be the antidote.

00:00 Intro
02:46 CULTURAL ARTEFACT: Biblical Critical Theory
26:20 The choice we get...

Tim and Joel as sit down with Anthony, who, along with his wife Trudi, is preparing to move to Ethiopia. Partnering with CMS and Kale Heywet Church, their attention is to equip and develop future leaders in the country.

In this episode, Anthony shares the story behind their call to Africa, highlighting the incredible work God has already done and continues to do in Ethiopia. He gives us an insight into country's life, traditions, cultural practices and religious heritage but also real-life stories of how the gospel in changing people's lives in the region.

00:00 Intro<...

Joel and Stu chat about why cultural discernment is an essential skill of a resilient disciple and what kind of posture we can adopt towards it and be equipped to engage with it?

Key to this is applying Biblical wisdom, but in a world where we are educated by search engine, what place does wisdom have and will it even be listened to? How do we build the muscles of cultural discernment - slow down and make room for conversation.

00:00 Intro
07:08 CULTURAL ARTEFACT: Come Fly With Me
16:58 Cultural discernment in digital Babylon
26:36...

Tim, Joel and Fi talk about what it takes to be a resilient disciple because God doesn't owe us an easy life.

Resiliency reveals itself through a certain form of resistance, which as a Christian, can only come from an intimate relationship with Jesus. The book Faith for Exiles helps the discussion on what gets in the way of that relationship - religious clutter, individualism, layering Jesus over the top of what's cultural acceptable.

00:00 Intro
01:15 The Second Best Rescue + Silo + Bonhoeffer
19:56 Resiliency is...
33:15 The intimacy loop with Jesus
40:17 Clearing religious clutter<...

Tim and Joel continue the discussion on the intersection of technology and discipleship. Topics range from applying Vygotsky's theories to faith formation, a Christian response to the creator economy, and whether we exist in a digital Babylon in Australia as posited by Mark Matlock and Dave Kinnaman in their book Faith For Exiles.

00:00 Intro
01:15 Tim's expedition to Chicago
14:36 Applying Vygotsky's theories in faith formation
26:06 Dangers of the creator economy and a Christian response
49:24 Discipling in a digital Babylon when gospel inoculation is common

DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE

Children's Spirituality...

Tim, Fi and Joel are here to discuss video games and what the difference is between escapism and rest. Where do video games and other forms of escapism fit into the ordered, disordered and unordered parts of the world? And are we bypassing God's intended order for our productivity and contribution to the world?

00:00 - Intro
01:04 - CULTURAL ARTEFACT: Twitch Jesus and streamers
13:43 - If we need to escape, something is wrong
27:10 - "The definition of failure is to succeed at something that doesn't matter"
39:03 - Order, disorder and unordered
52:28 - Bypassing...

Stu, Tim and Joel are back together to discuss individualism, progress for progress' sake and how it affects mission and discipleship.

Why do we shy away from costly discipleship? Why are we reticent to do hard things when we know it's the only way to grow? Are we becoming less reliant on each other as we become more reliant on technology?

Some of the answers lie in a willingness to open our lives and serve each other. Some answers lie in a possibly diminished the scope of discipleship and mission at church, and how can...

Stu is back from writing leave and joins Fi and in continuing the discussion on discipleship. They re-iterate that the most important thing is a personal relationship with God, but then move on to discuss how that relationship can be expressed individually and corporately.

There are formal and informal ways of doing it, and perhaps some have been lost because either mission and discipleship can be found missing at church these days. They go on to discuss the practicalities of that and how we can encourage Christians to be outward looking rather than inward looking.

00:00...

Tim and Joel continue the discussion on discipleship and how our approach has been clouded by the rise of individualism and how personal habits more often than not trump corporate habits. Such a current worldview leads to an assumption that discipleship is only an individual pursuit , but conversely, we are also designed by God to be corporate Christians.

00:00 - Intro
01:26 - The Third Space Studio
14:07 - CULTURAL ARTEFACTS
25:22 - Literacy lost or the rise of individualism?
43:57 - Corporate discipleship is as important as individual
56:58 - Discipleship must be hard
1:04:41 - Individual...

Fi drops into the Shock Absorber to continue the discussion with Joel and Tim on discipleship and growth. They talk about how there is something wrong if we aren't growing as Christians and that is healthy to have the expectation of continual growth. They also discuss that it is essential to be in community to grow because we are made for and need each other.

00:00 - Intro and CULTURAL ARTEFACTS
18:54 - There's something wrong if you're not growing
29:37 - There must be an expectation of growth
35:54 - How do you know if you are...