From Addition to Multiplication
As I’ve been reading Joshua 1, I’ve sensed God speaking clearly to us as a church.
“After the death of Moses, the Lord spoke to Joshua…”
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 sitting here today are the answer to those prayers.
- Lives have been changed.
- People have come.
- God has been faithful.
But as I’ve prayed, I sensed God say something very 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?
There were about 30 of us in the room when I first shared this.
If each of us prayed for six people, that would be 180 people.
But that’s not the whole church.
When we step back, there are around 75 people who call this church home.
If every one of us begins to pray for six people…That becomes—
450 people.
- 450 lives.
- 450 people who could encounter Jesus.
One life at a time
Your part to Play
This is where it becomes personal.
Who are your six?
- Friends
- Family
- Colleagues
- Neighbours
And if you can’t think of names 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
And this raises a real 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 That 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.
What does that mean 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.
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?
