If you woke up in a third-world jail cell with one phone call, who would you ring to get you out? That person has high agency—the ability to get things done even in impossible situations.
Stu, Tim, and Joel explore what high agency means for Christian leadership and ministry, building on last week's conversation about Blue Ocean Strategy and Stu's PhD research. They dive into an essay by George Mack on high agency and unpack five low agency traps that hold us back: the vague trap (being captured by problems instead of solutions), the midwit trap (overcomplicating things), the attachment trap (being stuck on ideas without knowing why), the rumination trap (frozen by "what if" loops), and the overwhelm trap (paralyzed by too many options).
It ends with a theological reflection: does the Holy Spirit help us change our agency? Tim emphasizes faithfulness in small things and not equating high agency with cultural success. Stu argues that to be in Christ is agency itself—being active Christians, not sedentary ones, expressing the newness Jesus gives us in our generation.
Timestamps
00:00 - Intro: Who would you call from a third-world jail cell?
03:50 - Why Christians tend to be conservative and what holds us back
14:48 - The Vague Trap: Being captured by problems instead of solutions
20:55 - The Midwit Trap: Overcomplicating agency and seeking validation
25:26 - The Attachment Trap: Being stuck on ideas without knowing why
38:25 - The Rumination Trap: Frozen by "what if" loops
46:04 - The Overwhelm Trap: Starting with the smallest first step
53:18 - Does the Holy Spirit help us change our agency?
Discussed on this episode
High Agency essay
Chesterton’s Fence
The Wright Brothers
