Dave Gilpin

Dave and his wife Jenny pioneered Hope City Church in Sheffield in 1991 after sensing the call of God on their lives to the UK following the Hillsborough Stadium disaster. Since then, they have established congregations in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle, Birmingham and Accra in Ghana. Manchester congregation was later handed over to Glyn Barrett – our Associate Minister at the time – and became !Audacious Church. Dave is based in Sheffield and oversees Hope City as one church in six cities – with the seventh to follow in Frankfurt in 2011.

Dave is a sought after communicator with twenty five years ministry experience as a pioneer. His leadership and creativity mixed with a gift of faith have proved to be a powerful combination which has seen many people be empowered and encouraged to live out the call of God on their lives. Quirky and eccentric are two words you can use to describe him. His life is living proof that God turns weaknesses into strengths and you are sure to catch his infectious passion for the House of God and the people who are yet to find it.

Dave’s creative spark has been expressed in a number of books including his latest ‘Sacred Cows Make Great BBQ’s’ published by Authentic in 2010, which tackles many spiritual myths circling the Christian world. His latest project ‘The Mind Map Series’ complies a selection of small group materials to help people create new trains of thought by empowering ‘The Grand Central Station of the Mind’ – other wise known as your ‘Will’. Other projects include The Devotional Rescue Series released through Integrity Media and Jesus Save Me From Your Followers by New Wine Publishing.

Dave loves stationary, paints under the name Dagarté and tweets as himself and his alter ego - ‘@mr_mindmap’. He and his prettier half, Jenny, have one grown up son called Ryan and a cat named Fudge!