Church Growth

Ever wondered what it takes to move your church to the next level — how to cause your ministry to improve — to make it better and more effective to mission? It happens only when you are willing to take the specific steps necessary to examine all ministries of the church and set your mind…

If you want to connect people in the church, the path for connection must be clear. If you’ve ever wondered why people aren’t connecting, it’s always good to evaluate the process through which you hope they will connect. Oftentimes, the path is not clear. Let’s illustrate with a hiking trail. There’s something about going into…

[NOTE: This blog is focused on the major event on the church calendar – Easter.  It’s principles articulated herein are applicable across the spectrum of church events and seasons.] Today, I want to get you the perfect follow-up plan for your church. If you read the blog I did entitled “Blunder #1” I talked about…

(NOTE:  I’m using Easter as the illustration big event.  Put yours in and your good to go!) Ever said to yourself after Easter, “Where did everybody go?” I remember talking to a pastor/friend of mine after he had asked that question and he was ready to quit the ministry and go be a truck driver.…

A friend of mine told me his daughter (Lexie) and son-in-law (John) had moved to a new city and spent a short amount of time looking for a church. They did find one quickly and enjoyed the pastor and atmosphere. Just one small problem … They never gave the church their contact info. It wasn’t…

As pastors and church leaders, we all know that your follow-up strategy is essential. Have you ever wondered how to intentionally ensure that the follow-up strategy you are developing and using is effective? I recently read a book called “Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus.” The author of this book grew up in a Muslim home and…

What does it mean to rethink Easter? Ever wonder where all those guests from Easter went the Sunday after Easter? I’ve been at this for years and it is a perennial challenge for churches everywhere. This blog, alongside Top 8 Steps to Prepare Your Church for Easter, will help you answer this question. The leadership…

Here, we are discussing how to connect with church guests. Video Transcript Below Dick Hardy 0:03Today I’m with my good friend, Nathan Teegarden from the great city of Kansas City. I want to take some time to talk with you about what we’ve got with Easter coming up here in about five weeks. Dick Hardy…

Easter is an exciting season of celebrating the victory and salvation we have in Jesus, as well as a time of spiritual growth for our churches. Many churches have their highest attendance and their greatest opportunity for sustained growth during the Easter season. We know that many people who don’t normally attend church are open…

Level-up your leadership. Grow your ministry skills. Reach more people than you ever dreamed possible. Here is the leadership streaming service. Read Video Transcript: Hey, Dick Hardy here, Co-Founder of Leaders.Church. I have a very special announcement today about some massive changes we’re making here at Leaders.Church, and how this is going to be a…

Across the country, churches are starting to open up for services again. With this reality, there are all kinds of different tactics and strategies for doing so. Despite this, we are far from the way things were before the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The pandemic has left an impact on our daily lives, including how we…

The Post-Covid-19 Church The world has just gone through, and is still in the midst of dealing with, the biggest pandemic our current generations have ever known. Much reference has been made of the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918. Now, we have our own version in 2020. So, what will the church look like post-Covid-19?…

Having a plan to reopen the church is something pastors need to develop now, if they haven’t already done so. If you’ve struggled to respond, even with the practical tips for churches during COVID-19, you’re not alone. All churches have entered a new, temporary realm of ministry that no one expected. In fact, here’s a…

This video interview with Dick & Jonathan Hardy addresses 13 practical tips for churches during COVID-19 and the primary areas of concern for churches during this outbreak. I want to just kind of set the stage with a little bit of what we’re going to be covering today relative to COVID-19. So, a lot of the things that we…

It’s likely that your photographers serve a few times per month, which means they might feel like they are getting the same shots over and over again. I mean, how many times can you take a random-person-smiling-in-the-lobby picture, am I right? So, how can you tap into a photographer’s creative inspiration, while also getting the…

Buy-In. It is the ever-important term. With this said, how can certain things kill church buy-in? As pastors, we are continually trying to find ways to increase volunteer engagement or get our church more involved. People buy into what they believe in. Think about it. With this in mind, it is important to be intentional…

I once heard it said, “A dream without a plan is just a wish.” This is true when it comes to growing your church. You have a vision that you feel the Lord has planted in your heart for your church.  However, a lot of times, that vision fails to connect with our congregation or…

There are two things I’ve never heard from any pastor. We have too many volunteers! We have too much money! Almost seems too funny to note those two statements. I mean who couldn’t put more people to work in ministry… and who in their right mind would say, “We have all the money we need?”…

One of the things I’ve seen for years, in working with pastors and church boards, is the frequent lack of understanding of the real purpose of the board. Why does it even exist? For the wise and discerning pastor and church board, I am excited about the journey the Lord has you on, as you…

The Church board disagreeing is never fun. Strong lead pastors and strong board members CAN get along. And they CAN disagree without drawing blood and still get along. I remember back in the day, I served a great church in Des Moines, Iowa. This was a church of 2000 average weekend attendance during most of…

How much thought have you given Not sure how it is in other parts of the world, but here in the U.S. we now live in a 24/7/365 election cycle. This election cycle is what keeps the wheels turning just west of the Atlantic Ocean. Some bemoan it. Others celebrate it! In this post we’ll…

Are you ready to transform your church’s ability to hear from God? There comes a time in the life of any pastor where they desire more of God. They want to commune with Him at a deeper level and lead their churches to the same. Pastor Scott Wilson of Oaks Church in Dallas has just…

Chances are you were not taught how to create and build church culture in Bible school or seminary… Or if you were, you really weren’t paying much attention as someone in their late-teens or early 20’s. I mean, what in the world is church culture and what does it have to do with anything? In…

A pastor friend of mine and I were hanging out for a weekend at his church. Justin and I loved the time together. A good church with a rich history. We were talking about growing churches. After reviewing the church, groups, staff, board, and Sunday services with my Secret Shopper service, I offered him a…

Some reading this blog are like my son, Jonathan. The guy is more organized than an Amazon Fulfillment Center. He dots more i’s and crosses more t’s than anyone I know. Then there are guys like me. I’m fairly organized but nowhere near Jonathan. I mean, its much easier for me to “wing it” than…

If there is any single given in church ministry, it is that volunteers make the church go ‘round. Where would we be in the church without the faithfulness of men, women, boys and girls who give of themselves in service to it and to the Lord? I’ve been in church leadership for a few decades…

[NOTE: This blog is focused on a major event on the church calendar – Easter.  The principles articulated herein are applicable across the spectrum of church events and seasons.] Here’s a question for you: What is going to make this Easter different from last Easter?  By that I mean … what is going to cause…

If I’ve heard it asked once I’ve heard it 1000 times. “Dick, how in the world do I navigate change in the church?”  Wow! That’s a big one. Change to some people comes very natural. To others it’s like the plague. “I’ll do anything to avoid that!” But let’s think about this. In the church…

I talked to a pastor not too long ago and this guy really has it all together. He’s strong administratively and organizationally, he can preach and he can lead. In fact, he’s a very good leader. He knows he has a good number of healthy ministries and certainly knows he has some that need some…

Here, we are discussing the 9 essentials for endless possibilities in ministry. Ever entered a new season?  Maybe it’s the start to the calendar year or maybe it’s September or maybe it’s just something new in your life. If you’re like me I am so pumped for what new seasons have in store for you…

It’s amazing what companies all around the world do to enhance their positions with their customer bases. Each company views their mission as important enough to make what and how they do business high priority. National and international companies like Chick-fil-A are constantly examining their relationships with their customers and how those customers feel about…

(NOTE:  This is a blog on improving your church’s impact written with Easter in mind.  Read it with whatever event or occasion you have in front of you and you’ll be good to go. Applicable in all seasons!) Easter is coming soon! Easter Sunday for many churches is the most attended Sunday of the year.…

What could your ministry be like if you had more people? That’s a question many pastors and church leaders ask… … so today on the Leaders.Church video blog we want to briefly share with you 4 Tips for Recruiting Volunteers. These four items alone will help you see more people in ministry — and when…

When a pastor or church leader surveys the landscape of the church, they normally see a plethora of wonderful ministries that are truly effective in fulfilling the mission of the church. That last thing they are thinking about is to stop ministry. However, there are times when that same leader suspects that an effective ministry…