Breaking Barriers

We did a Zoom seminar a while back where we discussed first-time guests and how to turn them into second-time guests and, eventually, disciples. People often get confused around the lead and lag measures when it comes to first-time guests because they feel like it is 'icky'. We want to see baptisms, people sent out, people hearing the gospel for the first time, and lives being changed. The...

If you haven't listened to Part 1 (Are "Spontaneous" Baptisms Biblical?), give that a listen, where Andrew lays out the Biblical lineage of people getting saved in the book of Acts. This episode is all about the practical side. The nuts and bolts on how to pull off same-day baptisms. Join us at the Breaking Barriers Conference on September 17+18 , where we'll be diving into the p...

Should you require a 6 month waiting period for someone to get Baptized? A Baptism class? Is Baptism a proof of commitment or a promise of commitment? Well, what does the Biblical record say? What does the book of Acts look like in terms of people getting baptized? In this episode, Pastor Andrew looks at all of the accounts of baptism in the book of Acts for what the Scriptural record looks like....

Some churches may be great at execution but not so great at vision, while others are super visionary, but they struggle with the day-to-day execution of that vision. We will all probably lean one way or the other, but we should always be striving to be both! Conference: https://breakinggrowthbarriers.com/conference Website: https://breakinggrowthbarriers.com Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.co...

People might not be getting connected to your church because they might be confused. Making this one shift could help you see more people that come to your church... stick. Join us for our 2024 Breaking Barriers Conference: https://breakinggrowthbarriers.com/conference/ Website: https://breakinggrowthbarriers.com Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/breakinggrowthbarriers Facebook: http...

Most people think that generosity in the life of a Christian is a product of discipleship. This is not necessarily untrue, but we believe that generosity is not just a product of discipleship , but it is also a pathway to discipleship . Just look at the life and ministry of Jesus! Why is it that Jesus talked more about money than any other spiritual discipline in his parables, and in his general d...

Sometimes it feels weird to talk about money... we get it. The problem is that Jesus talked about money—a lot. Generosity is such an important topic for the discipleship of the people in our churches. In 1 Timothy, it says that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, so for the Christian discipleship journey–how can we just not talk about such an important topic in the Bible? In this e...

We believe that short-term trips are valuable, but maybe not for the reasons you'd think. Short-term missions is a long-term strategy; not the other way around. In this episode, we dive into the nitty gritty of mission trips and why they are so effective at cultivating a heart for missions. Website: https://breakinggrowthbarriers.com Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/breakinggrowthba...

Are short-term mission trips still effective? Are short-term trips even helpful to the people on the field? Where do you find short-term mission trips in the Bible? There are a lot of opinions swirling around about short-term trips and whether or not they are helpful. In this episode, we want to peel back the layers of short-term trip effectiveness and give some perspective to their value. - Websi...

Churches grow on big days. We see this in Scripture, and it still true today. There is *some* contextual differences based on where you are, but not as much as you might think. Think about it - New Year, Easter, back-to-school, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Christmas... All of those things are culturally relevant 'Big Days'. The only one that we include that isn't a cultural...

Churches grow on big days. We see this in Scripture, and it still true today. There is *some* contextual differences based on where you are, but not as much as you might think. Think about it - New Year, Easter, back-to-school, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Christmas... All of those things are culturally relevant 'Big Days'. The only one that we include that isn't a cultural...

We've probably experienced burnt out, or at least have touched that line a time or two. While that's true.. it doesn't necessarily have to be the case. The key to not burning out is the buzzword 'balance' but what does that actually mean? Today's episode with Pastor Bobby and Pastor Jonathan is all about burnout and practical tips to avoid it. Want to learn more about our Breaking Barriers Confere...

Missions and sending is the goal... but that doesn't happen without the growth—at least not sustainably. That's why we try so hard not to divorce reaching the crowds from sending the missionaries. They go hand in hand, and here's the thing; they are both discipleship! Keep growing to keep going. Website: https://breakinggrowthbarriers.com Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/breakinggro...

Are the best church leaders pragmatists? Is it okay to even be pragmatic in the church? Is there grey in the Bible? Or is everything black and white in the Bible? Proverbs 17:10 talks about two different types of people, the wise person, and the fool. In this episode, we're talking all about this concept for church leaders—what are the things that are "open-handed" in the Bible, that...

How can you create and instill an inviter culture in your church, and what can we learn from the story of the paralytic from Mark chapter 2? One thing is for sure: his friends were desperate for this man to meet Jesus, and we should have that same desperation. Website: https://breakinggrowthbarriers.com Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/breakinggrowthbarriers/ Facebook: https://www.f...

What is church marketing? What constitutes a "Big Day" in the church? How to develop an inviter culture in the church? This week, Pastor Bobby is joined by Ashley Smith, Mercy Hill's marketing director, and we talk specifically about marketing in the church and how it can help your church grow and go . Website: https://breakinggrowthbarriers.com Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.c...

In Episode 8, we covered the first half of 'why' behind doing multiple services with Randy Titus, and in Episode 9 with Pastor Randy Titus, we're diving deeper into the practical side: how do you actually pull off doing multiple services? How do you launch a new service? What are some metrics to keep in mind when you think about doing a new service? Facebook Group: https://www.facebook...

In Episode 7, we covered the 'why' behind doing multiple services with Jonathan Yarboro, and in Episode 8 with Pastor Randy Titus, we're jumping into the practical side: how do you actually pull off doing multiple services? How do you launch a new service? What are some metrics to keep in mind when you think about doing a new service? Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bre...

Why do we do multiple services? Why do we try to open up space for new people? Why do we ask people to move services? Pastor Jonathan Yarboro joins Pastor Andrew for this episode, which is all about the why of multiple services. Private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/breakinggrowthbarriers Website: https://www.breakinggrowthbarriers.com

Pastor Andrew was joined by Pastor Donnie Griggs from One Harbor Church in and around Morehead City, NC. Donnie has written multiple books about doing effective Gospel-centered ministry in small towns. We get to hear from his perspective when he was told, "that won't work here." Visit One Harbor's website here: https://oneharborchurch.com/ Donnie's Books: Small Town Jesus &am...

We all feel this, whether you're in the church or not—the tyranny of the urgent often overtakes the plan that you had for the day. Or even worse, if you didn't have a plan to begin with. Bobby and Andrew discuss what steps you can take to take back control of your schedule, and make sure the main thing stays at the top! Connect with like-minded leaders in our Private Facebook Group . Here...

Limiting beliefs can keep us from stepping out and doing big things. Let's be honest... its HARD to start something, or shift the direction on something without knowing what the outcome will be! What you believe about success and growth on the front end is a pretty good determiner of what you're going to see happen. In this episode, Pastor Bobby gives us 10 limiting beliefs that are common...

We can't control what God does... but we can prepare the jars for God to work in and through us and our church. In this episode, Pastor Andrew and Pastor Bobby dive into 2 Kings, where Elisha tells the woman to prepare the jars for oil–and the miracle of the multiplication of the oil is directly related to the number of jars that the woman prepared! We can't multiply the oil, but we can pr...

In this Episode of Breaking Barriers, Pastor Andrew and Pastor Bobby dive into inputs vs outputs and what the difference is. Check out this conversation about getting your inputs to line up with your outputs is half of the battle! Be sure to subscribe to hear more content like this! breakinggrowthbarriers.com Want to get notified about future episodes? Join our email list for all things Breaking B...

Join us for the first episode of the Breaking Barriers Podcast. Pastor Andrew Hopper and Pastor Bobby Herrington of Mercy Hill Church in Greensboro, NC start the conversation around church growth. Church growth is demonized while sending and missions is praised—but both are necessary!