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 of Christ, and how can churches value people beyond just their contributions?

They share how Soul Revival Church has intentionally moved away from a professionalised or approach to ministry teams and instead embraced the idea of “ministry as mates”—where friendship is foundational to serving together. When inviting someone to join a ministry, the question isn’t “Can you fill this role?” but “Do you want to be friends with us?”

They discuss how Soul Revival’s 10 service teams operate across seven gatherings, balancing a hybrid model of generalist and specialist pastor ministry models. They explain how this structure—organised by the Soul Revival Council—creates a space for volunteers to serve well without turning church into another workplace. At Soul Revival, friendship is the cultural engine that powers everything from preventing burnout to building a vision of Christian community that loves and serves together.

Finally, they take a deep dive into the logistics: how the coordinator model and ministry pairs allow service teams to grow organically, scaling from small beginnings to larger expressions of ministry. They also highlight how the Soul Revival Council ensures all ministries, big and small, have a voice.

00:00 Intro and CULTURAL ARTEFACTS: Wes Huff on Joe Rogan
20:33 Who is serving the body of Christ?
28:58 Friendship, service over professionalism
34:52 Love being sincere. Creating something bigger than ourselves
49:39 "Don't ask me to be friends with people"
55:48 People don't want to turn up to work again
1:08:20 Reducing frustration in churches

DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE

Joe Rogan Experience #2252 - Wesley Huff
Alex O'Connor on Wes Huff's episode
Gavin Ortlund Wes Huff's episode
Joe Rogan Experience #2219 - Donald Trump
Joe Rogan Experience #2221 - JD Vance
Bob Dylan Recalls Moment He Met Jesus
Amy Grant Reflects on Christian Music Beginnings, Mainstream Breakout
The Rest is History: Christmas
Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind, by Tom Holland
The Purpose Driven Church, by Rick Warren

CONTACT US

Shock Absorber Email: joel@shockabsorber.com.au
Shock Absorber Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop

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Ministry as mates

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