{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Shock Absorber","title":"Don't expect people to know the culture of your church","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":5309,"description":"MINI-SERIES: Welcoming — Don’t Expect Them to Know\n\nWelcoming doesn't just happen on accident.\n----------------\n\nJoel, Tim, and Jai continue our mini-series on Welcoming, unpacking why we can’t assume newcomers will automatically understand the culture of our church. First impressions give people dignity, remove the unknowns, and either open the door to belonging or make someone turn away. That’s why intentional welcoming matters.\nThey trace the theology behind hospitality—drawing on Hebrews 13, Romans 12, and 1 Peter—and wrestle with the difference between a polite greeting and a genuine welcome that leads to belonging. Are we hosts who take ownership of our community, or guests who hope someone else will do the work of welcoming? The way we answer that question shapes discipleship and the life of the body.\nPractically, they explore Soul Revival’s approach: Come – Stay – Grow, meals that move people past small talk, “New-ish” conversations with the Senior Pastor, intergenerational ministry, and the importance of follow-up that builds trust rather than treating people like data points. Small, consistent practices—recognisable faces, invitations to dinner or community groups, and thoughtful training—compound over time to pull newcomers into long-term belonging.\n📌 Episode Timestamps\n00:00 – Intro and examples of welcoming\n21:28 – Theology of Welcoming\n44:55 – What is hospitality?\n51:22 – The Strategy of Welcoming\n1:12:09 – Practice of Welcoming\nDiscussed on this episode:\nThe Adventures of Tintin\nAsterix\nThe Adventures of Tintin movie\nMy Father the Hero\nSteve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson\nGary Vee's Jay Cutler jersey story","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/Xefvzfzzrkbs1GjU01qCch0kUaJzwBthG2qO_sgqCm8/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/Lzg4NjYvMTU4NTEz/OTEyOS1hcnR3b3Jr/LmpwZw.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}