A Season of Transition and Multiplication

When God Speaks in the Middle of Transition

As I’ve been reading Joshua 1, I’ve sensed God speaking clearly to us as a church.

Joshua finds himself in a moment of transition.

Things have changed. Responsibility feels weighty. The future is unknown.

And into that moment—God speaks.

• Not when everything is settled.
• Not when Joshua feels ready.
  

But right there, in the middle of transition.

And I believe God is saying the same to us:

“We are in a season of transition.”

From Addition to Multiplication

Up to this point, we’ve been praying for growth—and we’ve seen it.

• We’ve prayed for six chairs to be filled
• We’ve brought chairs to the front and asked God to fill them
• And He has answered

Some of you reading this—you are the answer to those prayers.

Lives have been changed.

People have come.

God has been faithful.

But in prayer, I sensed God say something clearly:

“It’s time to stop just adding people… and start multiplying.”

A Shift in Vision

Addition says:
“Let’s fill the room.”

Multiplication says:
“Let’s reach the city.”

Instead of all of us praying for the same six chairs… what if each one of us prayed for our six?

When we first shared this, there were around 30 people in the room.
If each person prayed for six—that’s 180 people.

But across the life of the church, around 75 people call this place home.

That means:

75 × 6 = 450 people

450 lives.
450 people who could encounter Jesus.



One life at a time.

“Multiplication begins when everyone owns the mission.”

Your Part to Play

This is where it becomes personal.

Who are your six?

• Friends
• Family
• Colleagues
• Neighbours

And if no names come to mind yet, start with groups:

• Families
• Young people
• Those in their 20s and 30s

This isn’t pressure.

It’s an invitation.

A simple, faithful step:

Pray. Care. Trust God.

Preparing for What God Will Do

This naturally raises a question:

Will we need a bigger church?

No.

We’ll need another church.

Because as God brings growth, we won’t just gather—we will go.

• We will plant.
• We will multiply.
• We will reach more of Stoke-on-Trent.

What This Means for Us

This kind of growth changes everything.

It means we will need:

• More leaders
• More worship teams
• More preachers
• More welcomers
• More children’s workers
• More youth workers

In other words:

More people stepping into what God is calling them to do.

Final Challenge

Joshua was told:

“Be strong and courageous… for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

This isn’t about our ability.

It’s about His presence.

So here’s the question:

Will we stay comfortable with addition…
or will we step into multiplication?

And more personally:

Who are your six?