What happens to a church's preaching when the lead pastor is gone for 12 weeks? Andrew Hopper and Bobby Herrington break down how Mercy Hill built a reproducible sermon culture — one big idea, one application, and a Word-centered service every single week — so that no single voice is the linchpin. If you've ever wondered how to build a preaching culture, structure sermon prep, or make the weekend gathering the hub of your church, this episode is for you.

Big days, first-time guests, and church growth strategy: this episode covers how to identify, plan, and maximize the days your church naturally sees a spike in attendance. We share our own big days calendar (Back to School weekend, Sent Weekend, Kids Week, Easter, Church at the Ballpark, and Christmas), the biblical case for big days from the book of Acts, and three practical takeaways every pastor can use to prepare for their next high-attendance Sunday. A must-listen for church leaders serious about outreach and first-time guest strategy.

Most churches wait too long to plan, and it costs them their best ideas. In this episode, we break down our real, internal process for planning a church's entire year: starting with vision casting, moving into high-level calendar planning, building ministry-specific plans, and finally tackling budget and resource management. We also dig into the tension every growing church faces between staying nimble and planning ahead, and why the "speedboat vs. aircraft carrier" problem changes as your staff grows. If you're a pastor, executive pastor, or ministry leader wondering when, and how, to start planning next year, this episode gives you a practical framework you can use right now.

• Website: ⁠https://breakinggrowthbarriers.com⁠
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Excellence in ministry and dependence on God aren't opposites, they belong together. In this episode of Breaking Barriers, Andrew and Brant answer a question pastors ask them again and again: does striving for excellence lead to the kind of pride and burnout seen in stories like Mars Hill? Drawing on Scripture (Proverbs 21:31, Colossians 1:29, the parable of the talents, Nehemiah, and 2 Kings), they break down five biblical principles for church leaders: why preparation and dependence work together, why stewardship requires leveraging what God has given you, why prayer and action go hand in hand, why preparation is actually evidence of faith, and why the real danger for pastors is self-reliance — not hard work. A must-listen for pastors, church planters, and ministry leaders wrestling with how to work hard for God's glory without losing their dependence on Him.

Excellence in ministry and dependence on God aren't opposites, they belong together. In this episode of Breaking Barriers, Andrew and Brant answer a question pastors ask them again and again: does striving for excellence lead to the kind of pride and burnout seen in stories like Mars Hill? Drawing on Scripture (Proverbs 21:31, Colossians 1:29, the parable of the talents, Nehemiah, and 2 Kings), they break down five biblical principles for church leaders: why preparation and dependence work together, why stewardship requires leveraging what God has given you, why prayer and action go hand in hand, why preparation is actually evidence of faith, and why the real danger for pastors is self-reliance — not hard work. A must-listen for pastors, church planters, and ministry leaders wrestling with how to work hard for God's glory without losing their dependence on Him.

How much should really change when you plant a church in a new context? In this episode of Breaking Barriers, Pastor Andrew sits down with Pastor Jeremy Dagger — who helped plant Mercy Hill Church before launching Port City Church in Halifax, Nova Scotia — to talk contextualization in church planting. They break down an 80/20 framework: what has to adapt based on culture and location, and what never changes no matter where you plant. Topics include reaching unreached and unchurched cities, discipleship pacing, preaching as the engine of the church, leadership development, and building a church with excellence. A must-listen for church planters, pastors, and ministry leaders thinking through church growth strategy in any context.

New ministry ideas can feel risky — but they don't have to be random. Learn how to know when to innovate vs. repeat what's working, and how to cast vision for a new program. Most of what a healthy church does every year should not be new. But every so often, a gap between your vision and your current results tells you it's time to try something different. This is a case study of launching a new idea-growing groups connected to a larger growth goal for the year. Perfect for pastors and church leaders thinking about small group strategy, church vision casting, and ministry growth.

• Conference: https://breakinggrowthbarriers.com/conference
• Website: ⁠https://breakinggrowthbarriers.com⁠
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A scorecard is one of the most practical leadership tools for churches, but most pastors have never seen one built. In this episode of Breaking Barriers, we break down what a ministry scorecard is, why lead measures matter more than lag measures, and the exact step-by-step process our team uses to create one — including real examples from church planting, missions, and student ministry. If you've ever wondered how to measure ministry effectiveness without waiting until year-end to find out if you're winning, this episode gives you a simple, repeatable framework you can use with your own team this week.

• Conference: https://breakinggrowthbarriers.com/conference
• Website: ⁠https://breakinggrowthbarriers.com⁠
• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/breakinggrowthbarriers
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breakinggrowthbarriers
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Most churches try to flip a switch and expect a sending culture overnight. It doesn't work that way. In this episode, we break down the real pipeline that turns first-time volunteers into missionaries and church planters — the small, inconvenient "yeses" that build up over years until someone's ready for the big one. Plus: the actual numbers behind how our church sent out 266 people, and why your Easter and Christmas services might be doing more discipleship work than you think.

• Website: ⁠https://breakinggrowthbarriers.com⁠
• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/breakinggrowthbarriers
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Most churches overlook the college campus right in their backyard. Skip Allen of Hope Church in Shelby, NC shares how his small-town church built a thriving college ministry at Gardner-Webb University using a simple Gather-Group-Give-Go flywheel. They are now sending out residents, missionaries, and church planters. If you have a campus near your church, this episode is for you!

Hope Church in Shelby: https://www.hopeshelby.org

• Website: ⁠https://breakinggrowthbarriers.com⁠
• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/breakinggrowthbarriers
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