Breaking Barriers Conference 2026
CONFERENCE 2026
September 1-2 | Greensboro, NC
Your Church May Not Be Stuck.
It May Be Blocked.
Join pastors and ministry leaders for two practical days designed to help you identify what is limiting your church’s growth, strengthen the leadership and systems behind the ministry, and leave with a 90-day plan to begin removing the barrier.
Built for lead pastors, executive pastors, worship and production leaders, college and missions leaders, and Next Gen teams. Come with your team or come alone.
Your Church Is Working Hard.
Something Is Still Slowing the Mission.
The gospel is being preached. People care. Your team is serving. But effort alone does not remove every barrier. Growth can expose limits in space, systems, leadership capacity, volunteer development, communication, and decision-making. When the barrier stays unnamed, the team works harder while momentum keeps slowing.
The problem may not be a lack of vision or faithfulness. It may be a barrier your church can identify and address.
THE FOUR ROADBLOCKS
SEATING CAPACITY
When the room feels full before it is technically full, guests stop finding a place.
KIDS SPACE CAPACITY
When families do not trust the space, process, or capacity, the entire church feels the lid.
PARKING CAPACITY
When arrival is confusing or parking is full, the barrier appears before anyone reaches the worship center.
DECISION-MAKING SPEED
When every decision requires too many conversations, the church cannot move at the speed of growth.
Learn from Leaders Who Are Doing the Work.
Breaking Barriers is built by practitioners. You will learn from pastors and ministry leaders who are currently navigating growth, building teams, multiplying services, developing leaders, strengthening systems, and sending people. They will share what has worked, what has failed, and the tools they use to move from vision to execution.
✔ Built By Practitioners
✔ We Teach What We Have Done
✔ Gospel-centered Multiplication DNA
The Plan is Simple.
1. CHOOSE YOUR PREFERRED TRACK
Register for the role-based track that best matches the responsibility you carry.
2. LEARN FROM PRACTITIONERS
Engage practical sessions, honest conversations, case studies, checklists, and worksheets.
3. LEAVE WITH A 90-DAY ROCK
Name the primary barrier, assign ownership, and build the next steps your church can begin executing now.
Leave With More Than Notes.
This conference is designed to produce clarity and action. Every track will include practical tools that leaders can take home and use with their teams.
• A clearer diagnosis of the barrier limiting growth
• Role-specific teaching from leaders in growing and sending churches
• Practical worksheets, checklists, and ministry frameworks
• Honest conversations about leadership, systems, change, capacity, and execution
• A defined 90-Day Rock with a clear owner and next steps
• Relationships with leaders carrying similar responsibilities in churches like yours
Do not attend another conference that leaves you inspired but unchanged. Leave ready to act.
“Breaking Barriers is designed to put you in the room with practitioners and church leaders facing problems similar to yours. The goal is not only to receive useful content, but to build relationships that keep helping after the conference ends.”
Brian Fry
Breaking Barriers Podcast – Episode 119
Three Main-Stage Conversations Your Leadership Team Needs:
Andrew Hopper
Lead Pastor
Mercy Hill Church
Pragmatic And Spiritual
Healthy churches do not have to choose between prayer and planning. Learn how spiritual dependence and practical leadership work together to create room for growth and mission.
Bobby Herrington
Lead Executive Pastor
Mercy Hill Church
Growth-oriented Decision-making
Your church will rarely outgrow the speed and clarity of its leadership. Learn how to clarify authority, empower leaders, and move important decisions forward without delay.
Tadd Grandstaff
Lead Pastor
Hope Church
Doing Whatever It Takes
Scarcity protects what is. A growth mindset makes room for who is not here yet. Learn how to build a culture that chooses mission over comfort and reaches people with urgency and health.
Choose the Track That Matches the Responsibility You Carry.
Stay in one role-based track for all three sessions so the conversations build on one another. The Lead Pastor and Executive Pastor tracks combine for the final roundtable on communication, trust, and decision-making.
For lead pastors, senior pastors, and church planters responsible for vision, culture, change, and the overall health of the church.
Naming the Lid
Skip Allen and Matt Carsner
Identify whether leadership, culture, space, systems, staffing, volunteers, or decision-making are limiting growth.
Leading Change Without Losing People
Dayton Hartman, PhD and Micah Dixon
Communicate change, build trust, address resistance, align key leaders, and keep mission above preference.
LP / XP Roundtable: Communication, Trust, and Decision-Making
André Rusch, Aaron Turner, Seth Norris, and Matt Depp
Clarify decision rights, communication rhythms, disagreement, accountability, and the movement from vision to execution.
For executive pastors, operations leaders, administrators, and ministry directors responsible for turning vision into execution.
Building the Back-End That Growth Requires
Tom Howe and Randy Titus
Strengthen the operational infrastructure behind growth: people, facilities, finance, safety, systems, and organizational clarity.
Marketing That Moves People to Their Next Step
Kellen Lake
Clarify the story, make the value obvious, and build a pathway that moves people from attention to meaningful action.
Combined LP / XP Roundtable
André Rusch, Aaron Turner, Seth Norris, and Matt Depp
Build the trust, role clarity, and decision-making rhythms required to move vision into execution.
For worship pastors, worship leaders, production directors, musicians, and technical teams building services that can grow without multiplying confusion.
Worship Planning for Churches That Are Growing
Jon Azzarello
Develop planning rhythms, leaders, volunteer pipelines, rehearsals, and service flow while protecting spiritual depth.
Production Systems That Remove Distraction
Bryant Hodges and Britt Nipper
Build reliable systems for audio, lighting, lyrics, livestream, run-of-show, volunteers, and worship-production communication.
Multiplying Services Without Multiplying Chaos
Nick Poindexter and Sam Stone
Prepare volunteers, leaders, transitions, rehearsals, and production systems for multiple services without burning out the team.
For college leaders, missions leaders, sending pastors, and church-planting leaders building a pipeline from attending to serving, leading, going, and being sent.
Building a Sending Culture Before You Feel Ready
Brandon Turner
Develop sending DNA, identify potential goers, involve the congregation, and celebrate sending before the church feels fully staffed or resourced.
College Ministry as a Leadership Pipeline
Daniel Thompson
Use college ministry to develop disciples, volunteers, ministry leaders, missionaries, and church planters.
From Seat to Sent
Dr. Paul Colton
Build an intentional pathway that moves people from attending to serving, leading, going, and being sent.
For Kids, Middle School, Student, Family Ministry, and Next Gen leaders responsible for parent trust, discipleship pathways, and volunteer capacity.
Building Parent Trust from Check-In to Pick-Up
Justin Lucas
Strengthen the first-time family journey, safety, check-in, communication, and the confidence parents need to return.
From Childcare to Discipleship
Justin Lucas
Create a unified Kids-to-Students pathway that helps children and students take ownership of their faith.
Building the Volunteer Pipeline Next Gen Growth Requires
Justin Lucas
Recruit, train, coach, and develop leaders so Next Gen growth does not depend on the same exhausted volunteers.
Your Title Goes Here
LEAD PASTOR
For lead pastors, senior pastors, and church planters responsible for vision, culture, change, and the overall health of the church.
Naming the Lid
Skip Allen and Matt Carsner
Identify whether leadership, culture, space, systems, staffing, volunteers, or decision-making are limiting growth.
Leading Change Without Losing People
Dayton Hartman, PhD and Micah Dixon
Communicate change, build trust, address resistance, align key leaders, and keep mission above preference.
LP / XP Roundtable: Communication, Trust, and Decision-Making
André Rusch, Aaron Turner, Seth Norris, and Matt Depp
Clarify decision rights, communication rhythms, disagreement, accountability, and the movement from vision to execution.
EXECUTIVE PASTOR
For executive pastors, operations leaders, administrators, and ministry directors responsible for turning vision into execution.
Building the Back-End That Growth Requires
Tom Howe and Randy Titus
Strengthen the operational infrastructure behind growth: people, facilities, finance, safety, systems, and organizational clarity.
Marketing That Moves People to Their Next Step
Kellen Lake
Clarify the story, make the value obvious, and build a pathway that moves people from attention to meaningful action.
Combined LP / XP Roundtable
André Rusch, Aaron Turner, Seth Norris, and Matt Depp
Build the trust, role clarity, and decision-making rhythms required to move vision into execution.
WORSHIP & PRODUCTION
For worship pastors, worship leaders, production directors, musicians, and technical teams building services that can grow without multiplying confusion.
Worship Planning for Churches That Are Growing
Jon Azzarello
Develop planning rhythms, leaders, volunteer pipelines, rehearsals, and service flow while protecting spiritual depth.
Production Systems That Remove Distraction
Bryant Hodges and Britt Nipper
Build reliable systems for audio, lighting, lyrics, livestream, run-of-show, volunteers, and worship-production communication.
Multiplying Services Without Multiplying Chaos
Nick Poindexter and Sam Stone
Prepare volunteers, leaders, transitions, rehearsals, and production systems for multiple services without burning out the team.
COLLEGE & MISSIONS
For college leaders, missions leaders, sending pastors, and church-planting leaders building a pipeline from attending to serving, leading, going, and being sent.
Building a Sending Culture Before You Feel Ready
Brandon Turner
Develop sending DNA, identify potential goers, involve the congregation, and celebrate sending before the church feels fully staffed or resourced.
College Ministry as a Leadership Pipeline
Daniel Thompson
Use college ministry to develop disciples, volunteers, ministry leaders, missionaries, and church planters.
From Seat to Sent
[Insert Carl Full Name] and [Insert Paul Full Name]
Build an intentional pathway that moves people from attending to serving, leading, going, and being sent.
NEXT GEN
For Kids, Middle School, Student, Family Ministry, and Next Gen leaders responsible for parent trust, discipleship pathways, and volunteer capacity.
Building Parent Trust from Check-In to Pick-Up
Justin Lucas
Strengthen the first-time family journey, safety, check-in, communication, and the confidence parents need to return.
From Childcare to Discipleship
Justin Lucas
Create a unified Kids-to-Students pathway that helps children and students take ownership of their faith.
Building the Volunteer Pipeline Next Gen Growth Requires
Justin Lucas
Recruit, train, coach, and develop leaders so Next Gen growth does not depend on the same exhausted volunteers.
Growth Pressure Touches More Than One Role.
The Lead Pastor may carry the vision, but barriers usually touch operations, worship, production, Next Gen, missions, communications, and volunteers. Bring the leaders who own the problem so your team can hear the same language and leave aligned around the next step.
Coming alone?
The conference is still built for you. The Day 2 Action Lab will help solo pastors and leaders identify the primary barrier, build a 90-Day Rock, and connect with leaders from churches facing similar challenges.
Two Days.
Practical Conversations.
A Clear Plan.
Day 1 – Tuesday, September 1
9:15 AM — Check-In Opens
Registration remains staffed through the morning
9:45 AM — Doors Open
Coffee, connection, and seating
10:00 AM — Conference Begins
Theme video, welcome, and worship
10:22 AM — Andrew Hopper
Pragmatic and Spiritual
11:19 AM — Track Session 1
First role-based breakout
12:09 PM — Lunch
Lunch and connection in the lobby
1:19 PM — Track Session 2
Second role-based breakout
2:19 PM — Track Session 3
Final breakout; Lead Pastor and XP tracks combine
3:09 PM — Networking
Elevated snacks and coffee
3:54 PM — Bobby Herrington
Quick, Growth-Oriented Decision-Making
4:39 PM — Day 1 Ends
Day 2 – Wednesday, September 2
8:30 AM — Doors Open
Breakfast snacks and coffee
9:00 AM — Day 2 Begins
Worship led by Hope Church Burlington
9:17 AM — Tadd Grandstaff
Whatever It Takes
10:17 AM — Four Roadblocks Action Lab
Identify the barrier and build a practical 90-Day Rock
11:47 AM — Closing
Next steps and prayer
11:52 AM — Grab-and-Go Lunch
Lobby seating and ministry conversations available
Register for $99 Per Person.
Your registration includes all main-stage sessions, three role-based track sessions, the Four Roadblocks Action Lab, practical tools and workbook resources, Day 1 lunch, Day 2 breakfast snacks and coffee, and a Day 2 grab-and-go lunch.
Mercy Hill Church – Ridge Campus
1317 Pleasant Ridge Road, Greensboro, NC 27409
*No childcare will be provided. Each attendee should select a primary track during registration.
Practical Help from Leaders Who Understand the Pressure.
“The Breaking Barriers Ministry has been crucial in my growth as a leader and pastor. I planted a church in 2025, and the content from Breaking Barriers is like having access to a personal church leadership mentor. And they’ve always done a good job of threading the needle of talking about the principle and the practical.”
It is hard to put into words the impact Breaking Barriers has had on me and our church. At our first conference, the Mercy Hill team helped us recognize the opportunities God had placed before us, and God used them to stir within us the courage to step out in faith. Since then, we have launched an additional worship service, experienced tremendous growth, and built relationships with some of the best people in the world. We see God’s grace in allowing our paths to cross, and we remain deeply grateful for the way He has used Breaking Barriers and Mercy Hill in the life of our church. You will not regret being part of this great event.
Breaking Barriers has been one of the most helpful church leadership resources we’ve been a part of. The leaders at Mercy Hill have consistently been generous with their wisdom, transparent about both successes and challenges, and genuinely committed to helping other churches thrive. Our church is healthier and better equipped for ministry because of their investment in us.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Who is this conference for?
Lead pastors, executive pastors, operations leaders, worship and production leaders, college and missions leaders, and Next Gen teams—especially leaders in churches navigating real growth pressure.
Do I need to bring a team?
No. Bringing a team creates shared language and alignment, but the sessions and Action Lab are intentionally designed to help solo pastors and leaders leave with a practical plan.
How do the tracks work?
Choose the role-based track that best matches your responsibility and remain in that track for all three breakout sessions. The Lead Pastor and Executive Pastor tracks combine for the third session.
What will I leave with?
Practical tools, role-specific frameworks, a clearer diagnosis of the barrier limiting growth, and a 90-Day Rock with a defined owner and immediate next steps.
Are meals included?
Yes. Day 1 lunch, Day 2 breakfast snacks and coffee, and a Day 2 grab-and-go lunch are included.
Is childcare provided?
No. Childcare will not be provided.
Where is the conference?
Mercy Hill Church — Ridge Campus, 1317 Pleasant Ridge Road, Greensboro, NC 27409.
What is the refund or transfer policy?
This event is non-refundable. If you have any questions regarding a refund or transfer, please email Kellen Lake at klake@mercyhillchurch.com.
What time does the conference begin and end?
Check-in opens at 9:15 AM on Tuesday, September 1. Day 1 ends around 4:40 PM. Doors open at 8:30 AM on Wednesday, September 2; main content ends around 11:50 AM, followed by grab-and-go lunch.
Do you offer hotel discounts in the area?
Yes! Attendees can also call 336-668-4535 to make a new reservation. Once you are speaking with a reservationist, request the Mercy Hill Church Breaking Barriers Conference room rate.
Name the Barrier.
Build the Plan.
Make Room for More People.
Your church does not need more disconnected ideas. It needs clarity about what is limiting growth, the right leaders in the conversation, and a practical next step. Join us September 1-2 and leave ready to move.
