Welcome to the Influence Podcast! I'm George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Ministers hear a lot about church multiplication these days. Sometimes, the phrase is little more than a synonym for church planting. Other times, it refers to multisite ministry in which one church exists in many locations.

"Multiplication isn't just about strategy or structure," Gerad Strong writes, however. "It's about Spirit-empowered imagination. When we lead through the power of the Holy Spirit, we're not simply managing what is — we're awakening to what could be."

In this episode, I talk to Gerad Strong about how ministers can develop this Spirit-empowered imagination.

Strong is director of Leadership and Training for the Church Multiplication Network of the Assemblies of God. His new book is Multiplication Mindset: How Spirit-Empowered Leaders Build People, Not Just Platforms, forthcoming from Gospel Publishing House.

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Show Notes

• 00:00 — Introduction and Sponsor Ad
• 02:04 — What is "multiplication," as you use the term in your book?
• 02:48 — Tell us a little about your own journey with multiplication, as this informs what you write about in the book.
• 07:48 — What are the essential elements of a multiplication mindset?
• 12:28 — What is the foundation of multiplication?
• 19:13 — How does growth begin with maximizing what you already have? And what role does strategic thinking play?
• 20:48 — What are the traditional metrics of ministry, and what should they be?
• 26:49 — What resources does CMN provide for ministers and churches that are considering church planting, church multiplication, church revitalization?
• 30:31 — What are you reading right now that is interesting, helpful, and/or personally challenging?
• 31:17 — Conclusion