David Stroud

What's your thing?
Leadership, Church Planting, Author, Preaching

David leads ChristChurch London & the work of Newfrontiers in the UK. He is passionate about building churches that engage effectively with the surrounding culture and equipping Christians to have a positive influence in shaping society. He is the author of Planting Churches, Changing Communities.

My Articles

Lime Street Exchange

The ancient Athenians were committed to building a great society. They put huge amounts of thought into what that would look like, and had a word for people who didn't see its importance: that word was idiot.

We are convinced that God wants us to love the society in which He has put us, and commit ourselves to helping it reach its full potential. The Everything Conference is a key part of this, and on the evening before it, we are offering the opportunity for people who want to explore in more detail what it means to be Salt and Light in society, through the Everything Dinner on Friday, 16 March 2012.

The Everything Dinner draws together people from all walks of life who are passionate about seeking the flourishing of our society, for a three-course meal in a central London location. Renowned author, social analyst and public speaker Os Guinness will be joining us for the evening and speaking on “Christian influence in the public sphere”. This will be an inspirational evening with opportunities to ask questions, connect with others, share stories and see the potential we have to make a difference together in our nation.
 
This year’s venue will be the Lime Street Exchange, situated in the heart of the City of London, within easy reach of several mainline and underground stations. It takes place on Friday, 16 March at 7:00pm.
 
Follow this link to book your place and choose from a selection of delicious menu options. Please note that this ticket does not give you entry to the Everything Conference on the following day. Tickets for the conference are booked separately through this link.
 
Places at the dinner are very limited, so book your place as soon as possible.

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An invitation to dinner

The ancient Athenians were committed to building a great society. They put huge amounts of thought into what that would look like, and had a word for people who didn't see its importance: that word was idiot.

We are convinced that God wants us to love the society in which He has put us, and commit ourselves to helping it reach its full potential. The Everything Conference is a key part of this, and on the evening before it, we are offering the opportunity for people who want to explore in more detail what it means to be Salt and Light in society, through the Everything Dinner on Friday, 16 March 2012.

ain't too small to dream big. by DaedaLusT

I would love to hang a sign outside my church saying “Dreamers Wanted”. In churches as a rule there are lots of ‘nuts and bolts’ people, but not a lot of dreamers. Both are vital to the life of the Church.

Picasso, speaking of the creative process, once said “I dream my painting, then I paint my dream”. Our nation will benefit hugely from those who will dream big and then follow the dreams that God gives them, so I want to ask you: What’s your dream?
 
The dreaming process is incredibly important. Without it we spend a lot of time and energy on things that neither fulfil us nor make the unique difference that God designed us to make. So take a minute to ask yourself, what is it that God has put on your heart? What would be your contribution to God’s mission?
 
Here are a couple of signposts that can help indicate whether you’re on the right track:
 
It will be fun. Whatever your contribution to God’s mission is to be, it will be great, huge, enormous fun for you! You should pinch yourself from time to time that you’re really allowed to serve God and do this. It may mean that there are days when you sleep less or get up early because you’ve found something that demands your attention, your energy, your passion and your life. Eric Liddell, the Olympic Athlete profiled in the film Chariots of Fire, expressed it like this: “God made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.”
 
It will be worth sacrificing for. When you’re following your dream, you’ll find you are willing to sacrifice things you never thought you could give up. There may be times where you’ll take a job with a lower salary, you might live somewhere you never thought you’d live, or work with people you never thought you would work with. Any time you get a bigger vision you’ll find that suddenly there are things you’ll sacrifice that you never would have done otherwise.
 
It will use your gifts. Do you know what your gifts are? Do you know yourself? There are some people who are really energised by being around people – they wake up talking in the morning, talk all day, and go to bed talking! They just love interacting with people. Whatever their contribution is, in their part of God’s mission, it is with people.
 
Others love organising things. If they go to an event that is badly organised, it frustrates them, and they struggle to concentrate on what is being said because of how it is organised. If that’s the case for you, then you need to be finding your part of God’s mission, then getting involved in the organisation and the running of it. It should fit with your gifts.
 
It is important to know who you are and where your gifts lie, and also to understand that no big dream has ever been implemented by just one person. As you start to dream, it’s easy to think ‘I’m the key player in this task’, but that is not always the case. William Wilberforce is the name we associate with the abolition of the slave trade, but without the great team he had around him – famously known as the Clapham Sect – bringing their money, their influence and their gifts to bear on the situation, he would not have achieved the great victory he did.
 
Remember too that your walk with God is as much about the person you become as the goals you achieve. Ireneaus said “The glory of God is a man fully alive”. When you’re living in your dream, having great fun, feeling God’s pleasure, that is when you will bring most glory to Him. And that of course is our ultimate aim.
 
So what steps should you take?
Firstly, try to get a clear sense of the end goal, even if that is 20 or 30 years away. It is very important that our churches have some men and women with what one writer calls ‘big, hairy, audacious goals’.
 
Don’t over-worry about getting the details precisely right, because it will develop over time. Nevertheless, without a clear goal, you will be unable to take any useful steps, or to share your vision with others and get them on board.
 
Secondly, ask yourself ‘What can I do tomorrow to make a step towards it?’ Knowing the destination you’re heading towards is important, but sometimes people get so focussed on the end goal that they never get going. The only way to get there is to start doing something.
 
I once had a meeting with Patrick Dixon, an amazingly prolific author and business consultant, often described as a ‘Futurist’. I asked him how he managed to achieve so much. He told me: “Every morning I get up and ask myself ‘What can I do that will bring the most glory to God in the next ten minutes?’ and I do it. As soon as I’ve done it, I ask the question again, and I do that, then I do the next thing, and so on.”
 
My encouragement to you would be to think about what you can do to work towards your goal in the next 24 hours. Maybe it’s dropping an email to someone whose advice you need to get, or making a phone call, or booking a place on a course you think would really help you. Decide what that thing is, then do it. And when you’ve done that, think of what the next thing is and do it. It’s vital that we learn to live with what Martin Luther King called “the fierce urgency of now”.
 
Thirdly, don’t let fear shape you. Decide not to procrastinate or give in to fear or insecurity. Or to put it the other way around: challenge fear. If there’s something you know would move you closer towards your goal but you’re tempted to let fear get in the way of doing it, face up to that fear, and do it anyway.
 
If you were to do even one thing a week that makes you scared, but would take you another step towards your part of God’s mission, you would be amazed at the progress you could make in a single year.
 
At the Everything conference on 17 March 2012 we will be hearing from and about several people who have dared to dream big, then faced their fears and followed the dream. They are people who have found their place in God’s mission and are making a remarkable difference as a result.
 
Tickets on the door will be £25, but booking in advance gives you 20% off that price. Follow this link and your ticket will cost just £20. Hurry though, there are a limited number of tickets available, and when they’re gone, they’re gone.
 
Why not make booking your ticket the one thing you do today to move you nearer to your big, hairy, audacious goal? You won’t regret it.

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Dreamers Wanted

I would love to hang a sign outside my church saying “Dreamers Wanted”. In churches as a rule there are lots of ‘nuts and bolts’ people, but not a lot of dreamers. Both are vital to the life of the Church.

Who ever would have thought of caring for the poor by brewing beer?

Arthur Guinness would. The water in Dublin in the eighteenth century was so unhealthy that the poor were drinking gin as a cheap alternative. Disturbed by the ill-health and poverty this caused, Guinness used his knowledge and business-skills to brew up something that was more drinkable than the water, more healthy than gin and hugely profitable.

Meanwhile, other members of the family were sending people out across the world, planting churches and winning the lost in many other nations. What a great family! And what a great summary of the heart of the Everything conference.

We are thrilled to be welcoming Dr Os Guinness, a direct descendent of this family, as our keynote speaker in 2012. Os will be giving us some practical ways in which believers can connect with and influence their world, and through interviews and short videos we will hear the fascinating stories of others putting this into action, including:

Award-winning comedian Paul Kerensa, a script-writer of the hit comedy show Miranda, explaining how a Christian can bring something of God into a secular comedy-writing team;
 
Three businessman-brothers telling us about the really innovative way they are fighting the sex-trade;
 
Finding out why a small group of people have committed to live in an inner-city community for a number of decades and how they are seeking to bring about change within that community;
 
And much more!

I will also be speaking, and we will complete the package with Spirit-filled worship, prayer and ministry. It’s shaping up to be an amazing day.

Whatever you are passionate about, Everything 2012 has inspiration, ideas and tools you can put into practice in your world – you don’t want to miss it. Advance tickets are on sale now for just £20 (tickets on the door will cost £25), so click here to book, then spread the word.

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Beer and Comedy - Everything 2012

Who ever would have thought of caring for the poor by brewing beer?

Arthur Guinness would. The water in Dublin in the eighteenth century was so unhealthy that the poor were drinking gin as a cheap alternative. Disturbed by the ill-health and poverty this caused, Guinness used his knowledge and business-skills to brew up something that was more drinkable than the water, more healthy than gin and hugely profitable.

Mal Fletcher is a respected social commentator, global leadership speaker and author. He has pioneered several major leadership networks across the world, and is a regular contributor for the BBC and Sky TV. He is the Chairman of 2020 Plus, a think tank on social affairs, and Director of Next Wave International, a faith-based communications group which trains organisations to engage the future and move society forward in a positive direction.
2020plus.net

In this interview, Mal speaks about influence, the future, leadership and some of the people and projects who have inspired him.

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Interview with Mal Fletcher

Mal Fletcher is a respected social commentator, global leadership speaker and author. He has pioneered several major leadership networks across the world, and is a regular contributor for the BBC and Sky TV. He is the Chairman of 2020 Plus, a think tank on social affairs, and Director of Next Wave International, a faith-based communications group which trains organisations to engage the future and move society forward in a positive direction.
2020plus.net

Dr Bob Roberts Jr is the founding pastor of NorthWood Church in Dallas, Texas, a church of several thousand, from which he has planted over 200 churches. Bob also works in Australia, Asia, Afghanistan, Mexico, and Nepal helping with church planting, development and global engagement.

In this interview, Bob explains his understanding of the gospel of the Kingdom, and how churches can make a difference on a global scale.

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Interview with Bob Roberts Jr

Dr Bob Roberts Jr is the founding pastor of NorthWood Church in Dallas, Texas, a church of several thousand, from which he has planted over 200 churches. Bob also works in Australia, Asia, Afghanistan, Mexico, and Nepal helping with church planting, development and global engagement.

The feedback from Everything 2011 has been terrific. People have talked a lot about the insightful teaching, inspiring stories and engaging interviews in a context of worship and praying for one another. For me it was a great day of equipping Christians to live their lives 'fully alive', whichever part of society they are involved with.

You will be glad to know, plans for Everything 2012 are well under way. We’ve secured a great venue in Central London, and are beginning to put together a stellar lineup of speakers and subjects. I’m looking forward to sharing more information with you as plans take shape.

But for now, save the date: 17 March 2012.

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Save the Date…

The feedback from Everything 2011 has been terrific. People have talked a lot about the insightful teaching, inspiring stories and engaging interviews in a context of worship and praying for one another. For me it was a great day of equipping Christians to live their lives 'fully alive', whichever part of society they are involved with.

EveryPetal by Rethinkmedia

Everything 2011 is fast approaching. In just a few days’ time, many hundreds of us will be converging on Parliament Square to celebrate the truth that ‘The Earth is the Lord’s and everything in it’ (Psalm 24:1). We will not be alone…

As some of you may be aware, the Trades Union Congress has arranged for a march to take place in London on 26 March. The March for the Alternative will bring around 500,000 protesters from right across the country to protest against the Government spending cuts. And their protest will happen right on our doorstep!
 
I don’t know how that makes you feel, but the prospect excites me. After all, what better backdrop could there be to the Everything Conference than half a million people deeply aware the fact that our nation is in great need?
 
In the plan of God, this is no coincidence, and I am deeply fired up by the symbolism of what will happen in Westminster on 26 March. As 500,000 people descend upon London, hoping that by their presence they will be able to change the fate of a nation, little will they know that hundreds of Christians will be making the same journey, for the same reason, gathering only metres away to learn, network, pray and worship the King of Kings!
 
There is no more important time for us to be at the heart of the action. I am convinced that we have an enormous amount to contribute to this nation, and I am confident that we can be a shining light and a city on the hill, in turbulent times. 
 
We have taken advice from the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre and the Metropolitan Police, both of whom are confident that our event can go ahead safely. The march will begin gathering at Victoria Embankment from 11.00 and will not start moving until 12.00. The protesters will begin to reach Hyde Park around 13.30, with their rally ending at approximately 16.30. So delegates for the Everything Conference will be safely in the venue and the programme will have begun before protesters have even begun to gather.
 
We have put together some travel advice to help you ensure you can travel to and from the event safely and easily. If you are already booked in for the day, please familiarise yourself with this and plan your travel accordingly. 
 
If you are not yet decided about attending, I hope you will book in and join us. There are still a number of discounted tickets available; on the day they will increase in price to £25, so get in quick. I do believe that this will be an excellent day, which will galvanise us for the future, as we learn to Create, Cultivate and Collaborate for His glory.

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If our God is for us…

Everything 2011 is fast approaching. In just a few days’ time, many hundreds of us will be converging on Parliament Square to celebrate the truth that ‘The Earth is the Lord’s and everything in it’ (Psalm 24:1). We will not be alone…

Everything Conference 2011

From the very start, our call as people made in the image of God has been to cultivate, protect, take care of, and bring order to God’s creation. We have been tasked with bringing out the beauty in all God has made, working together for the common good.

The outworking of this call will look different for each of us, as we learn to engage with the specific setting in which we find ourselves.

It begins with understanding that God is interested in all that we do. He does not simply have an agenda for our church life, but for our work, our relationships, and our involvement in our neighbourhoods.

‘The Earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.’ (Psalm 24:1)

I was thrilled to see such a large uptake for our first Everything conference in March 2010. Over 1,000 people gathered in London and Leeds to take up the baton and strive to be salt and light wherever God has placed them.

It is our hope that this conference will continue to grow and prove to be a great encouragement to many to give themselves to work for the common good and develop the best of creation. Consequently, Everything 2011 will be held at the prestigious Queen Elizebeth II Conference Centre in Westminster, opposite Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament on 26 March 2011. Andy Crouch, author of Culture Making has agreed to join us as our keynote speaker. Andy is an extremely engaging writer and speaker, and his book has been formative for many of us as we’ve thought through our call to renew culture.

So save the date, and keep your eyes open for more details. There are no well worn paths ahead…..

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Everything: London 2011

From the very start, our call as people made in the image of God has been to cultivate, protect, take care of, and bring order to God’s creation. We have been tasked with bringing out the beauty in all God has made, working together for the common good.

The outworking of this call will look different for each of us, as we learn to engage with the specific setting in which we find ourselves.

Salt, monochrome by andrew.cameron

One summer evening, as I walked home, looking forward to spending supper time with the family, the idyllic scene played out in my mind. We would sit outside in the back yard, enjoying a dinner of roasted chicken with garlic, lemon and herbs. Perhaps some new potatoes, a green salad, a glass of wine…

As I opened the fridge, my daydream was shattered by the putrid stench of rotten meat. I unwrapped the chicken and the smell immediately made me retch. I ran for the bin, appalled at the foul aroma, and sadly resigned to the prospect of a disappointed family, and a meat-free salad!

This trivial example reminded me of a simple, but important principle. Without proper preservation, meat will quickly rot and decay. Society, of course, is no different.

The United Kingdom has the highest level of drug addiction in Europe. The number of couples getting married has reached its lowest point since 1862. Schools send home 2,200 children a day for disruptive behaviour in the classroom. Violent crime by women has reached an all-time high, with on average, 250 women being arrested each day. 58% of 14-17 year olds have viewed pornography, and 40% are sexually active. Over 41,000 women under 18 fall pregnant each year, and 49% of them have abortions. Since abortion was legalised in the UK just over 40 years ago, seven million children have been aborted. Everywhere you look, there are signs of decay.

This epidemic is not isolated to my own country. Many similar statistics, are echoed in other nations. As a result, we have to ask why the church is not making more of a difference. 

Jesus told us to be salt and to be light. These are evocative pictures of how the church is to be in society. Salt preserves; it holds off decay. If the Church were being as salty as it should, we ought not to see such levels of corruption in society. Light penetrates darkness; it brings revelation and helps people to see the truth. The Church should be a beacon of hope, showing up sin for what it is, and bringing revelation through the preaching of the gospel.

It has always been important to us to build excellent churches but our influence should also go far beyond our buildings and our meetings, and have a tangible effect on the society around us.

This means that as individuals, we need to take responsibility for the environments in which God has placed us; our workplaces, our university campuses, our streets and our schools. We need to be a positive influence through our actions, and our proclamation of the gospel. As local churches we need to impact whole communities, through social action projects and care for the poor, providing for the needs of society and being a positive presence in their midst. One of the benefits of working together across nations is that we can also look to make a difference at a broader national and international level as God leads us.

This is not a new innovation, but a core component of what we were made to do in Genesis 1. On the sixth day, God created man and instructed him to ‘fill the earth and subdue it’ (Genesis 1:28).

“Fill the earth”. Clearly this was a command for Adam and Eve to have children. From the beginning it was God’s intention that the whole earth be filled with people who bear His image and represent His handiwork.

Today there are over seven billion people on the planet, so you could be forgiven for thinking we’d filled it enough! But many of those living on the earth today do not know their creator, and God’s image in them has been marred by sin. Jesus has come to restore the image of God in man, so in addition to giving birth to physical children and raising them in a godly manner, we are called to give birth to ‘spiritual children’ through evangelism, conforming people to the likeness of Christ through the gospel.

“Subdue the earth”. The term subdue is a rich and multilayered word which speaks of cultivating, protecting, taking responsibility and bringing order. Adam was placed in a garden and told to cultivate it.

Today our call remains the same. We are to cultivate the environment around us for the glory of God. Even the most beautiful garden, if left untended, will soon become overrun with weeds. God’s creation mandate is this; you are to be gardeners! Pull up the weeds, tend the plants, draw out the beauty of creation. Be salt. Be light.

The implications of this are vast. We have a God-given responsibility that goes beyond simply building churches and winning the lost. We are called to shape the whole of creation. This will require all of us to play a part, using our different backgrounds, talents and passions to bring order to this world.

John Cadbury understood this principle. In the 1820s, alcoholism was rife in England. Water was so polluted that people drank gin in large quantities, and society was plagued by drunkenness, which led to poverty and crime. Cadbury took it upon himself to find a solution, and so established a business, providing cocoa and chocolate as alternatives to alcohol.

For many years the Cadbury family was actively involved in social reform; campaigning against the use of children to clean chimneys, and fighting for the rights of the underprivileged. They set high standards for the care of their workers; paying generous salaries and providing education, healthcare and pension schemes. For half a century they even ran Bible readings and morning prayers.

In the late 1890s John’s sons purchased a large plot of land and built affordable housing with space for gardens and trees, for employees and non-employees alike. By taking responsibility and striving to be salt and light, the Cadbury family had a remarkable and lasting impact upon their society.

We need to live with the same kind of vision. Fill the earth and subdue it. Be salt and light. We dare not focus on one to the exclusion of the other. Instead we must evangelise and transform culture. We must preach the gospel and care for the poor.

As individuals we need to be salt and light in our localities. We need to ask ourselves the question ‘how can I cultivate the area of the world in which God has placed me?’ For some it may be by becoming an outstanding worker for your employer, or as simple as refusing to gossip in the office. For others it may mean visiting an elderly neighbour or being a positive influence amongst other parents and teachers at the local school. One time I started a neighbourhood watch scheme that made the area feel secure to live in and broke down the barriers between the different ethnic communities that lived on the street.

As local churches we need to impact our communities in practical ways so that our neighbourhoods are better places to live. The streets should be safer, neighbours more trusting, children able to play safely in public spaces. Unbelievers should miss your church deeply if it were, for any reason, to close!

We will also need real wisdom to know how to use our resources at a broader regional or national level. We must remember that there are times when the local church should be supporting those championing change rather than leading the way itself. This is not because we have suddenly lost faith in God’s bride, Rather, local church elders may find themselves lacking the complex skill set necessary to campaign for some sorts of structural reform. On other occasions, they will find they need to identify too closely with political parties or have to raise large amounts of money that might swamp the local body. On these occasions we should not be afraid to release the next generation of reformers into their calling, supporting them with prayer and encouragement, as they become the Wilberforces or Shaftsburys of our generation. 

The breadth of the commission to be salt and light is immense. It is all-encompassing, and it requires us all to play our part. The gospel needs to work its way into all areas of society. Salt gets deep down into the cracks, and light can penetrates even the smallest and darkest of places. No part of this world should be beyond the reach of God’s rule. No inch of creation should escape His redeeming touch.

The potential is enormous. I am genuinely excited about all that God will achieve through us as we commit ourselves to being salt and light in the world. It is my hope and dream that as a movement our names will be deemed worthy to be listed alongside the nation changers of ages past, as we strive to bring God’s rule to bear on all of His creation.

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Salt and Light

One summer evening, as I walked home, looking forward to spending supper time with the family, the idyllic scene played out in my mind. We would sit outside in the back yard, enjoying a dinner of roasted chicken with garlic, lemon and herbs. Perhaps some new potatoes, a green salad, a glass of wine…

David explains a bit more of the thinking behind the Everything Conference...

The Everything Conference, interesting title… how did it come about?

What’s the thinking behind the conference & who’s it for?

What kind of people do you want to come?

So what are some of the topics you’ll be looking at on the day?

What’s your thing?

Is this just a one off event?

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Everything Conference: Interview with David Stroud

David explains a bit more of the thinking behind the Everything Conference...

Am I not a man by seriykotik1970

I recently spoke to an actor who, in a moment of candid honesty, admitted ‘I have never felt at home in a church before, because people have never understood my job.’

How many of us feel our careers are devalued or misunderstood? How many see our jobs as secondary to mission and struggle to have a vision for how Jesus can use us in our sphere of influence?

It is tempting to see a divide between church and our work. But I am increasingly convinced that we need to be people who shape culture, and if this is to happen, we dare not devalue our jobs! We need to see our workplaces as mission fields and ask the question ‘what does Jesus want to do in my workplace?’

A businessman, soon after coming to faith, told me he was dissatisfied with the recruitment industry in which he worked. He was put off by the cut-throat attitude that cared more about profits than the welfare of their clients. In January he established his own recruitment agency, with the vision of seeing the whole industry changed, based on the principles of fairness, honesty and customer care. Within eight months their reputation had spread and he had relocated from his mother’s kitchen to an office in a prime location.

I am thrilled by examples like this; men and women who have a vision for their employment, and see it as a key part of the Church’s mission. Shaping culture is not just about planting churches and leading individuals to Christ, as vital as that is. It’s about promoting the common good; benefitting everybody by creating better environments in which to live and work.

There is great potential for affecting change through positive influence. If we promote beauty, truth and goodness, everyone benefits. Christians are too often known for campaigning against the negative aspects of secular culture. I’m for creating rather than complaining. We need to seek opportunities to promote positive culture; helping Christian artists to exhibit their work and businessmen to operate ethically. What’s more, if Christians are seen to be having a positive effect, we will gain credibility and a platform to speak on many issues.

Josiah Wedgwood is a prime example. In 1787, this well-known and influential businessman created a range of hatpins and brooches for fashionable women. They bore an emblem of an African slave in chains and the provocative slogan ‘Am I not a man and a brother?’ Within three years, thousands had been distributed. Wedgwood’s contribution to the world of fashion became a significant factor in raising public awareness for the Society for the Abolition of Slavery.

I am passionate about equipping Christians to make a difference in whatever area they find themselves. Psalm 24:1tells us that ‘The Earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.’ Everything. Not just the so called ‘sacred’ elements of culture, but our work, study and leisure as well. Everything belongs to God and as His people we are called to get involved and have a positive influence on society. As we commit ourselves to impacting culture by being faithful in whatever area God has placed us, I am excited about the many possibilities that will emerge.

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‘Am I not a man and a brother?’

I recently spoke to an actor who, in a moment of candid honesty, admitted ‘I have never felt at home in a church before, because people have never understood my job.’

How many of us feel our careers are devalued or misunderstood? How many see our jobs as secondary to mission and struggle to have a vision for how Jesus can use us in our sphere of influence?