Three times a year leaders from Newfrontiers churches gather for two days of prayer and fasting, and this has really been the key event in keeping the movement together, and moving forward. Over the years we have met in various venues and are currently meeting at
Kingsgate Community Church, Peterborough. At our most recent Prayer & Fasting event I was able to get a fascinating 30 minutes with Dave Smith, leader of Kingsgate. Dave was the subject of the very
first post on this blog, as I reported on a talk he gave us at Prayer & Fasting about the journey the church had been on in building their massive facility.
Kingsgate is making a big impact in Peterborough, and increasingly across the nation. Last year a service was broadcast from the church by the BBC, and then suddenly went viral when Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles talked about watching the service on his show (available
here). So Kingsgate represents something fairly unique in the UK, and it was great to be able to ask Dave about the things that make him tick as a leader. Dave’s academic background might not indicate much in the way of leadership nous, but leadership clearly oozes from him. He comes across far more as an entrepreneurial leader than a bookish history don – so all in all an intriguing character…
Who is your leadership hero? Why?This is the hardest one!
One of the things that characterize Kingsgate is having lots of connections and part of my own remit is wanting to glean from lots of people and movements. For example, Bill Hybels is an inspiration as a leader of leaders, but that doesn’t mean we are trying to build Kingsgate the same as Willow, with its seeker services. So I really couldn’t say any particular heroes. In terms of historical figures someone like George Whitefield stands out.
How long have you been in leadership?I started in church leadership 22 years ago.
What was your first leadership role?A caretaker leadership role of a house church in Oxford – this only lasted about a year. When I was 25 I moved to Peterborough with Karen, my wife, to start the church, having never led anything before. I had never captained the school football team or anything like that – I had never really thought about leadership. In Oxford I was working with Simon Matthews of Plumbline ministries, and he suggested we come to Peterborough. We had no knowledge of the town and knew no-one. I worked in Stamford school teaching history and after 18 months there were still only six of us in the church!
How long have you been in your current role?We started Kingsgate 22 years ago. Before that we were in Oxford, where I had studied for six years. I was converted at St Aldates, before connecting with Simon Matthews. At Oxford I was doing a PhD on
Whitefield as Inter-confessional Evangelist.
How long has your church been established? Did you start it?See above.
What has been the growth curve of your church?After 18 months there were six of us, and up to year four there were still only 25 people. I then decided to take a step of faith, give up teaching and go full-time in serving the church. We saw immediate growth to 50 people, and in the following two years doubled and doubled again. Then for a numbers of years, we saw a sustained 20 per cent annual growth. In September 2006 we moved into the building and saw nearly 50 per cent growth in six months. (Since then we have still been growing, but focussing on consolidation, and preparation for future expansion!)
The team was already pretty tired from doing the building project, but it was very exciting, although a real push. We had staffed up a little in the previous year which meant we could carry the growth, but it is only in the last six to twelve months that we have got properly tanked up again. We brought in volunteer group pastors – ‘captains of 100’s’ – who secured the pastoral dynamic of the church and helped prevent major fallout. The reality is that our small group growth hasn’t yet caught up with our Sunday growth and we have had to make a lot of internal adjustments in getting used to a bigger platform, the bigger dynamic, and so on.
I am naturally quite impatient and had to learn how to wait, learning how to be “on a pace to match my grace.” I have had to learn not to run ahead of God, but keep in step with the Spirit – not trying to create growth, but working with the Spirit. We have been careful not to try and copy the ministries/programmes of others while at the same time learning from others.
What has been your biggest leadership challenge?A big challenge has been the building project. We started the search for land in the late ‘90s and the first site we found didn’t work out. I had to lead the church through that. In the end we got this site, which is much bigger, better, and had the favour of the local council.
(NB For more on this see my
earlier post.)
What has been your greatest leadership success?Having a strong united team. We have never had a major leadership split and have a great sense of unity. There is an absence of cynicism in the church and this is more precious than the building.
How are you developing new leaders?Going on all the time through our equipping track. We have a culture of movement, discipleship, and growth, that is a bedrock in the church. We have a strong discipling culture.
I am just piloting a new leadership course (‘Expand’) with 50 people on it. This will be a mixture of teaching, group work, and personal study. There is also a development track in people serving as a cell leader, then a cluster leader, and so on.
We have 35 people on staff and these are my priority. If I can raise their level I can raise the level of the whole church.
How are you continuing to develop your own leadership gifts?Primarily through my personal connection with God – daily reading, journaling, lavish doses of praying in tongues, listening to the Spirit.
I also make the most of apostolic connections in the UK and overseas. For example, on a recent sabbatical Karen and I visited key worldwide ministries to learn from them. Francois van Niekerk, from Hatfield church, South Africa, acts like a personal mentor to me.
Up to five years ago I had never read a book on leadership, but under Hybels influence now do so regularly.
