Organised Messiness: Why an Element of Grace Beats Efficiency Every Time
Running a church well doesn't mean running it like a business. Stu's concept of organised messiness — and the framework of ministry slide that sits underneath it — offers a way of managing church that has grace structurally built in from the start.
Joel, Stu and Tim work through why efficiency isn't a godly value, and what it actually looks like to hold people and mission together at the same time.
School, church and home: Who's actually responsible for your kids' faith?
Church attendance in the Sutherland Shire has dropped from 11% to around 1% in a generation. Newcomers to churches have more than halved since 2001. And a generation of young people is quietly assuming someone else is handling the faith formation of their kids.
Joel, Stu and Tim sit down with the Principal of Shire Christian School to ask the question every Christian parent is avoiding.
Is It All a Laugh?
When men pay each other out, are they building friendship or enforcing conformity?
Joel, Stu and Tim open with Easter baptisms at the river and end up deep in NT Feather's tall poppy syndrome, Gramsci's hegemony, a proverb about flaming arrows and the question of whether Jesus ever made a joke. Honest, wide-ranging and worth your time.
The Yellow Submarine at Full Scale
What if youth ministry wasn't just a program but a "shock absorber" that helped the entire church navigate cultural change?
Stop Making Church More Like the World. Build this instead…
The attractional church model told us to make church more like the world so more people would come. Donald McGavran called it the homogeneous unit principle. Willow Creek made it famous.
But sixty years on, Joel and Stu are asking whether it's actually worked — and explaining the countercultural Yellow Submarine alternative they've been building for thirty years instead.
The Yellow Submarine
What if youth ministry wasn't just a program but a "shock absorber" that helped the entire church navigate cultural change?
Don't Let Them Hate Jesus Because of You
Don't make people hate Jesus because of you — let them hate you because of Jesus. That's the order, and getting it right changes everything about how you show up as a disciple. Joel and Tim work through screen time data, shrinking family networks and John 15 in one of their best conversations yet.
Life With Jesus — Not Just Life From Him
The algorithm rewards content that people finish, follow and return to. But is that the right metric for a church? Joel and Tim trace a line from Real Madrid's trophy cabinet through Genesis 1, the ancient trifecta of good, true and beautiful, and Peter Drucker's most important line — and land on something more useful than any content strategy document you'll find online.
The Power and Purpose of Small Groups
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.
Better at Growing When I'm With Others
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...
The world is changing…
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
Use meals to slow down life
Joel, Tim, and Jai discuss the implementation of meals at Soul Revival gatherings…
The truth and love of sharing meals at church
Tim, Stu and Joel get together to discuss Soul Revival's strategy behind having meals at every Soul Revival gathering.
We are made to eat together
Stu, Tim, and Joel delve into the theology behind incorporating meals into all Soul Revival gatherings.
Love in action vs. division
Stu and Joel are back to discuss where the Shock Absorber will be heading in the next few months…
Enjoy the church planting rollercoaster
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.
Curiosity + conviction is what shapes us
Tim and Joel we explore key cultural and spiritual issues affecting the modern world. Sub-cultures, tech hypocrisy, hyper-individualised self-expression and evangelical thought leadership.
Are Christians more scandalous or more nuanced?
Tim and Joel dive into the world of football, ministry, and evangelical thought!
Traditions reveal a vanilla Christian
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
The future is slow and ad-hoc
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