The Changes Ahead Podcast

As someone with interests in the sciences, alongside studying law, Arunan helps us wrestle with what faith looks like in the post-Christian world he is living in. While holding a deep commitment to the benefits of the church to society, he challenges us to recognise our status and position in order to live up to the potential we have.

In this raw and vulnerable conversation, social worker Mary-Anne shares her story of experiencing abuse, the journey of healing she is on, and the place of deep relationships in faith communities in that healing. TW: conversations relating to child sexual abuse, rape, suicide and domestic violence.

After experiencing PTSD, Sarah explored her own trauma story and, from that experience, offers amazing insights for us as followers of Jesus into how we can better support people on the spectrum of mental wellness and what the posture of the church and those of us who make it up should be towards each other as we all seek to integrate our bodies, minds and faith journey.

With courage and vulnerability, Deb and Alan invite us to listen to their story of navigating the complexity of unexpected news from one of their children. Prioritising love and safety, they share their journey of deep listening which leads them to a more profound understanding of how to love (or understanding new ways to love) their child who is transgender. [We acknowledge the diversity of thought within the church, in particular on topics of gender and sexuality.]

Jo is back to help us navigate conversations around porn, a topic that is too often ignored in church spaces. How do we have healthy conversations and give space to ask questions and figure out how to respond.

With grace, vulnerability, and honesty, Andrew shares the story of the death of his son. Hear how people around him responded, and about how his search for, and understanding of God changed. Together we reflect on something of the place of lament in our church spaces, and wonder how they might be transformed with more raw honesty. This is a raw episode, and so we encourage our listeners to take care of themselves as they sit with the story of someone else’s deep pain.

What does our response to the climate crisis require of us as individuals and faith communities? How does this response relate to loving our neighbours? In this episode, we hear from Chloe about her passion for sustainable living and how her discipleship impacts her study, future, church engagement and activism in the community.

We’re invited to listen in to one youth pastor’s experience of serving and working alongside Rainbow Youth at youth group. How has this work changed him? How has it impacted him? We acknowledge that this is a sensitive topic for the church today, and are happy to engage with anyone who would like to discuss the topic or episode.

What lenses do we bring to reading scripture? What are we missing by not considering the lenses different people bring to it? Jaimee offers us crucial insights into what a feminist lens offers the church today, including reflecting on the objectification of women that happens all too frequently in our church spaces. Jaimee’s reflections truly show us that feminism is good for everyone!

The word deconstruction within Christian circles can often have negative connotations. Kenneth encourages us, out of his story of living abroad in some really challenging contexts as well as his work in Spiritual Direction, to reconsider the way we think of the deconstruction process and find the love of God in the midst of it.

In this episode, we listen to Lindy’s story of leaving a high-demand religious context. We get to hear what that process was like; the trauma experienced both inside the high-demand space and the trauma of leaving. If we let it, the story can also hold a mirror up to our practices to identify any red flags. We also hear the hope of healing the Christian community can bring.

What does healthy sexuality look like? What are some of the challenges for people in faith-based contexts in this area? How can we celebrate the good that is our bodies? These are just some of the questions we explore in this frank and really important conversation with Sex Therapist, Jo Robertson.

We’re joined by fellow podcast host Andy Dickson from ‘Down to Earth Conversations’, who gives us an incredible vision for the simplicity of bringing a little bit of heaven down to earth by focusing on people first, embracing creativity, and always working towards what is just.

To acknowledge International Women’s Day, in a vulnerable and inspiring conversation, Grace talks about her journey following holy discontent into places of leadership and invites us to reflect on the way women are treated in the church, offering suggestions for the way forward. 

We start this new season hearing from Jess about her experience with politics as a Youth MP and how that impacts her view of faith and church, alongside the vital importance of meaningful representation and relationships so that all might thrive within faith communities.

In the final episode of the year and of this first season, Cathy and Steven reflect on what they’ve heard and what the changes ahead for the church might be.

As we begin to wrap up the first season of this podcast, we hear from two pastors who have listened to every previous episode. Together they highlight one of the themes that has been clear throughout all of the earlier conversations: of taking the time, and having a posture to listen to voices which bring challenge and critique.

What is it like to be exposed to new and vastly different ways of thinking to what you are used to? When we realise that there is always more than one way at looking at an issue, a question or truth, how do we reconcile that with our previously held perspectives. In this episode we hear from recent Carey Baptist College Pastoral Leadership graduate, Sacha Olson, about what her journey in these spaces has been like.

In recent times there has been some tension between the media and Christian faith. In this episode we talk to an award-winning journalist about how their faith intersects with their work in journalism, and explore together what the church can learn from those who are working in the media.

How can science and faith co-exist? How can science inform our faith? With the concerning implications of climate change for now and future generations, and if care for the planet is something humans are responsible for, where is the church in those efforts? We speak with Brook about his journey of expansion and his passion for working to reduce the impacts of Climate Change.

In this episode, we speak to Halee and Rui Peng, an entrepreneurial couple who are seeking to serve their community through sustainable business, alongside learning from people who are often not heard from in church that offer different and new insights into who God is.

In this episode we talk to Sarah about what it’s like to join a church without having grown up in one and the inevitable questions that come up in that process. Can we say, we’ll try to be like Jesus, instead of promising we definitely will be? What about how the church has contributed to the shame that some adolescents feel, and what can we do about it?

In light of the release of the Pathfinding report on the ARISE church, and Jaimee’s own reflections on its implications for the wider church, we unpack with Jaimee what it might look like if we were to take the 92 recommendations seriously. We’re invited to turn the spotlight on ourselves and consider our part to play as we wrestle with what the church is and who we are aspiring to be in Aotearoa today.

Are we just downloading information into people, or is it about journeying together to be formed in Christlikeness? In this episode Caleb reflects on his experience from his time pastoring and in his present role lecturing on the function of discipleship and how both church and theological institutions can either help or hinder that process. How too does the monocultural structure of the Western church contribute to a more ideological rather than character formation focus?