Good to Grow: Dave Stroud... and mission

Dave Stroud and I have worked together within Newfrontiers for some years and I have valued his friendship as well as his leadership and encouragement. This is his endorsement that went to the publisher for inclusion on the cover of Good to Grow:

‘Any church leader who wants his church to grow will benefit from reading this book. Steve writes with honesty and insight about the remarkable growth that he has experienced at Kings Church, Catford. The result is a powerful tonic to mediocre leadership. Anyone who reads this book will finish it challenged and equipped to lead more effectively and with greater wisdom than ever before'. David Stroud, senior pastor - ChristChurch London

Here are another couple of quotes from Good to Grow – to hopefully whet your appetite!

‘I truly believe that mission must take centre stage in the life of a local church, and I am convinced that we must build mission-focused communities and avoid any separation between normal church life and our mission agenda. This historical separation has led to an increasingly pastoral church and a growing number of parachurch organisations and agencies which have arisen to fill a gap.’
‘It has been my practice to operate on the basis that we ‘staff for growth’ rather than because of growth. For good reasons, most churches that I know do the opposite, the rationale being ‘We need more staff because we have grown.’ It’s a matter of asking the question: which comes first, the leadership capacity for growth or the leadership capacity to care for that growth? A mission-driven church is far more likely to staff for growth. The risks are higher but the commensurate rewards are greater. I’m glad to report that King’s now sees people saved, on average, every week – I believe that the above approach has helped towards that result.’