10 Questions for Leaders: David Stroud

David leads ChristChurch, London, and also leads the Newfrontiers UK team. He is a serial church planter, having started The King’s Arms, Bedford, and Oasis Church, Birmingham, before moving on to London. He is known for his prophetic gift and sense of vision, as well as for being married to Philippa. I managed to get ten minutes to ask my ten questions at a recent Newfrontiers leaders gathering…

Who is your leadership hero? Why?
I could mention a number of people... John Wimber stands out – in my mind he was able to bring together a strong theological base, leadership wisdom, personal tenderness, moving in the power of the Spirit and a breadth of vision. And he was also a winsome individual. I really enjoyed this testimony I found of him on YouTube recently.


Wilberforce is another hero. He also had a great breadth of vision. He started with a drive for the reformation of manners – he wanted to make the whole world a better place. Fighting the slave trade was just one aspect of this. And he was able to work with an incredibly broad section of people (who formed the Clapham sect) in pursuit of his goals.

How long have you been in leadership?
25-30 years

What was your first leadership role?
Under 11’s first XI cricket captain at school.

How long have you been in your current role?
Leading ChristChurch – 4 years; leading the Newfrontiers UK team 3 years.

How long has your church been established? Did you start it?
Yes, I started it – 4 years ago.

What has been the growth curve of your church?
For the first six months we met on alternate Sundays, and started with 45. At the launch of our weekly meetings we had 240, which shrank to 150 the next week – this was our real number at that point. We are now gathering around 500 each week.

What has been your biggest leadership challenge?
Leading myself.

Also, especially at ChristChurch, raising money. London is a very expensive place and you can easily be squeezed into thinking about what is possible rather than “What does God want?” and then raising finance on the basis of the possible rather than in faith.

Responding to what God wants means I have to keep going to the church, asking them to give again, and Philippa and myself have to make personal sacrifices in our giving.

But God has been tremendously good in blessing our giving. In October we went for an offering for £150,000. And then the credit crunch hit. On the Monday Alan Greenspan was on the radio saying, “This is the worst financial crisis in 100 years” and the next Sunday we were trying to raise £150,000! But by the grace of God we actually gave £205,000!

What has been your greatest leadership success?
Starting Christchurch – and again there is a link to finance here. At the beginning moving the three founding leaders into London meant moving three families, and this was hugely costly financially, with the challenge of London house prices.

How are you developing new leaders?
Our training is on the job – every leader has to find another leader. Next year we will be starting more formal training with occasional evenings and Saturday seminars for all who want to come.

How are you continuing to develop your own leadership gifts?
A number of ways – I read like mad, a book a week. And I try to take as many risks as I can. I try to meet with as many leaders who have gone further than me as possible – and ask them what they have learnt. I also try to put myself into situations I have never been in before and with people I have never been with before. For example I recently attended a leadership conference being run by someone who was an ex-hostage negotiator and clinical psychologist – this was very stimulating. I also seek to listen closely to what God is saying and then make sure I do what He says!