Gordon interviews Adrian Blenkinsop of Access the Story in Adelaide, which runs the Junction cafe op shop and supports scripture engagement and youth mental health, and also houses Converge Oceania. Adrian describes the “Your Story” nationwide Australian research (439 respondents aged 16–20 connected to Christian contexts) exploring influences shaping young people’s experience of God, highlighting that faith is complex and non-linear. He reports churches help most when they welcome young people, respect their agency, and allow doubts and questions, and harm when they misuse power or act coercively; he shares examples including a same-sex attracted young person welcomed by a small church. Reports are free at convergeoceania.com, with schools and churches applying findings (e.g., longer home groups, mapping relational ecosystems, and eight faith trajectories). Adrian also recounts his daughter Imogen’s death from brain cancer at 13, his anger and lament toward God, grief as waves where joy and sorrow coexist, and his critique of Christians offering simplistic “God’s plan” answers instead of presence and practical support.

00:40 Reconnecting in Goa
01:42 What Access the Story Does
02:33 Junction Cafe Op Shop
03:10 Converge Oceania Overview
03:52 Your Story Research Origins
05:38 Church at Its Best
09:08 Beyond In or Out Faith
10:14 Young People Stepping Away
13:47 Who Was Surveyed
15:20 Negative Influences Power
19:21 Reports Without Prescriptions
20:29 Early Responses in Schools
21:00 Home Groups After Lunch
22:29 Faith Grows Relationally
23:04 Eight Faith Trajectories
24:00 Discipling With Small Teams
25:08 Imogen’s Cancer Story
27:54 Anger Lament and Faith
30:44 Grief and Joy Together
33:43 When Christians Get It Wrong
37:36 Jesus the Alongsider
40:50 Staggering Forward