At the beginning of the 1950s, Brunstad Christian Church only had fellowships within Scandinavia. During the decades that followed, the church grew greatly, first in Europe and later around the world. Stadven had grown up in a missionary environment, and from the time he was quite young, he had wanted to travel to Africa as a missionary.
Agli inizi degli anni ’50 la Brunstad Christian Church era presente solo nei paesi scandinavi. Nei decenni successivi la chiesa ha conosciuto una crescita enorme, prima in Europa e poi in tutte le parti del mondo. Stadven era cresciuto in una famiglia coinvolta nel lavoro missionario e da quando era giovane sentiva di dover andare in viaggio missionario in Africa.