Gary Hourigan is the executive director of Hi-Pursuits Ltd, an organisation dedicated to helping organisations and individuals in their pursuit of fulfilling their purpose.
Gary has extensive experience in strategic development and people development across different industries. These include clients in banking and finance, as well as charities, schools, small business and church organisations. He has also partnered with a range of these organisations to deliver a variety of services, including coaching, training, public speaking, strategic planning, creating personnel development pathways, values articulation, and others.
Gary’s services include:
- Church development: Do you need help identifying and implementing the best processes and strategies that can help your church grow? Gary will help you revitalise your church by helping you master the art of natural church development, so you can strengthen your church’s biblical foundations and develop a team culture that influences a healthy church that grows naturally.
- Individual and team coaching: You’ll get a sense of perspective, helping you to get moving so you can accomplish your goals. Gary will help you discover the next steps in your journey and then support and challenge you to take these steps for you to succeed.
- Church pastor and planter coaching: You’ll discover your church’s potential and the best strategies for overcoming any barriers that could be keeping it from growing. Gary will bring clarity to your vision and mission to shape your church for success.
- Training for coaches: Through Gary’s Introduction to Coaching Training and Accreditation Training for Coaches, you’ll gain the skills and get access to resources to help you become an effective coach. This way, you can unleash the great leaders who lie within your clients and their teams.
- Training for preachers: Learn from Gary’s 16 years’ experience in church ministry. You’ll develop the ability to communicate in practical ways that will inspire your congregation to live powerful lives and be good disciples.
- Training for leaders, including church leaders: Become the leader who leaves an influence well beyond their own life span. Gary will help you develop and implement a rewarding leadership pathway to allow you to be productive and effective.
Gary is also an accredited facilitator and coach for resources such as My Everything DiSC, The Five Behaviours of a Cohesive Team, Harrison Assessments, Worldwide Centre for Organisational Development, and Natural Church Development. He is a certified workplace trainer and assessor and sits on advisory boards for several organisations.
Gary’s passion is to see you reach your potential. He works with you to develop strategies for the future and empowers you with the resources that ensure you’re ready for the journey.
Ready to unlock your potential and take leadership to the next level?
Book a FREE Strategy Breakthrough Session with Gary.
Praises from Gary’s clients
Gary’s Testimonials:
Graham Hill
Gary has developed a rare blend of insight and practical skills in leadership development and strategic organisational change. He is gifted at connecting effectively with people in any context, he is warm and personable as a facilitator while engaging people with the challenge to grow and change. As a coach, Gary’s skills are exceptional, and as a trainer of coaches, Gary’s record has been proven many times over. Among the many facilitators and coaches I have observed in both corporate and government programs in the last five years, I would rank Gary as amongst the best in his field for skill, insight and dedication.
Graham Hill – Executive Coach, Leadership Facilitator
Sean Stanton
Gary loves and believes in the local church and its mandate to obey the Great Commission. Accordingly he has assisted us in identifying and implementing Church multiplication, Church Health and Coaching strategies for our movement. Gary did not give us his vision, but drew out of us God’s vision for us. He came on the journey with us and has helped us close the gap between vision and action. He has trained coaches and facilitated the raising up of accredited mentor coaches so we can do likewise. He brings with him a wealth of personal and pastoral experience in Coaching, Leadership Development, NCD, and Church Planting. He is a strategic thinker and an excellent communicator. He helped open the world of coaching up to me and in the process has become a great friend.
Sean Stanton – Australian Christian Churches National Secretary
Adam Johnstone
Walking alongside individuals or organisations in the pursuit of transformation requires a number of specific things. Know-how, good humour, endurance, working ears, good questions, a realistic outlook, and a few more besides. Gary brings all of this and combines it with an infectious passion whether at the table or up front at a conference. In the area of church development, his work as a coach and trainer can be empirically verified as being well ahead of the pack. He has an ability to be big enough in perspective and possibility to make people look above their current situation, and then lower himself to allow them to step up to those greater things. I’ve enjoyed engaging with Gary for the best part of a decade and look forward to watching where he will go next and who he’ll be empowering with him.
Adam Johnstone – Natural Church Development – Australian & International Director
Ps Ross Abraham
As a pastor of a growing church I have greatly appreciated the relationship that has been cultivated with Gary Hourigan from Hi Pursuits. Gary’s fresh and innovative approach to the training and equipping of God’s people has been both challenging and inspiring. His time with me personally and also my team members has been invaluable in the forming of our strategic approach to discipleship and leadership development. He has proven to be a safe and healthy sounding board as we have openly discussed our blind spots as an organization which for obvious reasons can reveal some moments of vulnerability. I strongly recommend Hi Pursuits to any persons that have a passion to go beyond the limitations and restraints that they may experience in their lives today.
Ross Abraham – National Chairman – International Network of Churches
Ps David Harland
‘Having been coached by Gary for the last 12 months, I have found the tangible results in my life as a leader of a church to be remarkable. I have been repeatedly surprised by the creativity and focus that has arisen out of our monthly sessions which have had clear, practical application in the growth of our church. Greater clarity has been achieved in the direction and vision of our organisation and the consequence has been a significant increase in forward momentum. Gary has also provided some outstanding resource materials which have borne fruit as well as sign posting others.
Ps David Harland – Senior Pastor – CityCoast Church – Brighton UK
Craig Anderson
Gary Hourigan has been a huge asset to the church building and multiplying work in Victoria over the past few years. He has guided us through a journey of church health where churches were applying NCD and being coached through to effective implementation of health values. Gary has been a key leader in training my State team of pastors in Strategic development and Implementation of Church Multiplication Strategies.
His coaching has been empowering for me personally and he has trained and coached a number of pastors in the skills of coaching so that they can coach other pastors and leaders. Several times Gary has been a keynote speaker at our State conferences. At these times he has always brought a fresh and clear picture of what church health and multiplication is all about. His experience in guiding numerous churches through the journey has been invaluable for illustrating simply what church leadership teams can do to implement health and multiplication in their own location. Gary has conducted behavioural interviews with church planters at our Church Planters School each year which gives valuable feedback about a couple’s readiness to plant and how to design their development pathway.
I am sure he will remain a significant asset to church building and development in the years to come right across many denominations.
Pastor Craig Anderson – COC Regional Chairman for VIC and TAS
Ashley Schmierer
I have arranged for Pastor Gary Hourigan to come Europe several times and he has conducted several coaching workshops that have had a dramatic effect on our leaders. Gary is held in very high esteem, is very approachable and is certainly a specialist ministry to churches.
I wholeheartedly recommend Gary and his ministry to all church leaders.
International President – Christian Outreach Centre