The Sssh Free Church
In 2009, Stephen wrote Church Growth through the Full Welcome of Children: The Sssh Free Church which tells the story of the development of the 9.30 service at Christ Church. The core thesis of this book is the connection between infant baptism (when we declare that those baptised are full members of the church) and non-negotiability of providing an appropriate and engaging experience of church for these children. Sssh Free Church offers some analysis of the number of changes that take place when parents have children which make it far more likely they will attend church and the welcome and environment that they and their children need to receive if they are to stay. Largely narrating the story of how the 9.30 service has sought to do this, Sssh Free Church argues that if provision for children is given anything like the same priority in church life as provision for adults, an exciting amount of church growth is very possible.