I am so excited that I’ll soon be able to introduce various UK leaders to my friend Pastor Dave Holden when he comes to visit and speak in various places in Manchester including at LAUNCH NORTH on 27th April, and also down in Exeter for a brunch morning LAUNCH are putting on down at the church led by my friend Mark Pugh on 29th April.
I first met Dave in Dubai online when as ‘Global Master Trainer’ for Living On The Edge he mentored and helped me communicate and teach better. It turns out he’s the guy who Pastor Rick Warren used to send around the world if he got an invite and could not go – and you can tell from 5 minutes with Dave he’s the real deal who embodies the message he communicates with such warmth and passion.
When I met Dave in person in Dubai I heard him teach an incredibly diverse international faculty from across the Gulf States as well as many ‘leaders of leaders’ of huge movements from various nations including many from across the Indian subcontinent – bringing practical, biblical and implementable material to life in such practical ways and exuding such LOVE for everyone, I thought, “I have got to get this guy to LAUNCH!”
As we talked I found that Pastor Dave came to faith in Christ and Christian service later in life and was called to ministry while working as a professional baker and cake decorator!
During his seminary years he established three churches and went on to pastor one of those church plants as its senior leader.
He took on the 80 year old Church he used to go to for two hard years before focusing on the keys of how to unlock the healthy church, and over the next 8 years the church grew from 80 people to over 1200. He said this was not quick and explosive, but slow and consistent – as he encouraged me that anything God does can “start small then grow big.“
Dave spent the next decade working with Pastor Rick Warren and Saddleback Church teaching thousands of pastors all over the world. The results of his training of Purpose Driven principles can be seen in Africa, Europe, South America, Japan and even in the USA.
Dave continues to be a practitioner of the teachings and trainings he leads, from starting a small group of 15 in Covid he has led it to be a church of 250 in Vancouver, Washington.
Like myself, Dave is now part of the international training team of Living on The Edge and Chip Ingram‘s ministry. Pastor Dave says, “I love our training because it focuses on disciple making and all of the key principles necessary to build a healthy and vibrant church. We call this, “The High Impact Church.“ I look forward to the harvest that these trainings will bring. We will see many come to Christ and grow to full maturity as his disciples.“
He makes his home between the USA and the Philippines, where the Holden home is used as a house church. His four daughters and two sons are all walking with the Lord. He has six grandchildren now and he loves them all very much.
Pastor Dave says, “As with my family, I love the church of Jesus Christ and the body of believers around the world. It is my joy to teach and share my life with international pastors wherever I will be called to minister .”
You are going to love him! Please book in and join us to meet Dave during his time in the UK, either at the Message in Manchester or for the meeting in Devon on Monday 29th April.