All Episodes
The Shock Absorber — 214 episodes · page 1 of 3
Are podcasts good for the church?
Not 1976, Not 1826: Faithful Discipleship for 2026
Custodians of culture: Why deep loyalty makes church better
Strength and beauty: Francis Schaeffer and the church that captivates
The sound of rebellion: Rock 'n' roll, the gospel and the movement the church needs
New wine, old wineskins: How movements change everything
From Consumer to contributor: What a third place church actually asks
Subversive spaces: Why the church needs more than a service
Friendship is an ecclesial category
Deeper than just community
Enhanced Christianity
What we've lost
The thick relational ecosystem - why we need youth ministry more than ever
Relational and responsive
Organised messiness - An element of grace beats efficiency every time
Jesus is the synthesiser
School, church and the home: Who's actually responsible for your kids' faith?
Is it all a laugh?
Stop making church more like the world. Build this instead...
Is boring people with the Bible a sin?
Don't let them hate Jesus because of you
A new movement: Re-launching The Shock Absorber network
With or against the grain of God's design
Life and loyalty with Jesus
Have we forgotten about friendship?
He has the right to tell me how to live
Peace guards our hearts
Movements always happen and Christians are always in the middle of them
God is not a God of efficiency
What we want to be
Jesus frees us to experiment in ministry
Are churches giving tacit approval to be exclusive?
Infringing on our individuality is good for us
We’re not struggling with over-commitment to church
Preparing for God to grow us, and be ready if He does
Are we still exiles?
If you’ve got good news, you want to share it
Don't expect people to know the culture of your church
The missing piece in your digital ministry | Joel's talk at VCA Conference
Tech is a tool drawing people into community
It's not a mistake: God made us to be incarnate beings
If we were meant to fully grasp God, we wouldn't need Him
The Gospel is controversial in a media saturated world
Making lasting memories together
God's word simplifies things
BONUS: Tim's trip to Intergenerational Ministry Conference
Servant minded tech ministry
Pointing to God's word
How we serve together in Arts
Arts is about serving
Cultural memory in a forgetful age
Christianity is a movement, not a machine
The gap between practice and identity
How to "Small Groups"
The power and purpose of small groups
Better at growing when we're with others
What is your go to authority? - Live Berea tutorial (Part 2)
Developing a ministry framework - Live Berea tutorial (Part 1)
Building a comprehensive church training system
An engine room of ministry thought
Not what to think, but HOW to think
Ministry as mates
Is efficiency a good metric for ministry?
Ministry teams are like dragon boating — But is your church just watching?
It takes a village — and we need it back
Without a youth strategy, it’s disastrous
The theological consequences of living out what we learn
The world is changing (U.S. election recap)
Use meals to slow down life
The truth and love of sharing meals at church
We are made to eat together
Love in action vs. division
Enjoy the church planting rollercoaster
Curiosity + conviction is what shapes us
Are Christians more scandalous or more nuanced?
Traditions reveal a vanilla Christian
The future is slow and ad-hoc
Scaling Up: Ministry capacity for all sizes
Building a church from youth ministry
Just a Christian version of everybody else
Work for Jesus, get paid by...
Are we only pleasant strangers at church?
How do you best serve God?
The value of wisdom in cultural discernment
God doesn't owe you an easy life
Church audience reach = resilient disciples?
Bringing order to chaos
Are people looking for A.I. church?
Do we even need each other?
Is discipleship only for the individual?
Lack of growth is sub-normal
What even is discipleship?
Chip Lunch Crossover: What can He do?
Actions flow from identity
Social contagion transformed by Jesus
Are you sleepwalking through your ministry?
Pulling a Swiftie... Are the generations re-uniting?
Unintended consequences (w/Jon Dunbier)
Does Jesus GET us?
Pastors spend a huge amount of time convincing Christians to come to church