Questions About Church Consultants

Often I am asked three basic questions about church consulting. People wonder if they really need outside consultant help or not, they wonder what a consultant will do for their church if they have one come, and they ask about the steps involved in a consultation. Here's a few thoughts about these questions.

Why consider using an outside Church Health Consultant?

In general, persons involved in church leadership are often so close to the church that it becomes difficult to see with clarity its opportunities and barriers for growth. An experienced, outside consultant can help church leadership discern and act on its growth opportunities and issues more clearly and more quickly than it could without outside assistance. Some of those reasons are...

• There is a specific issue (or issues) church leadership feels is symptomatic of deeper problems within the life and health of the church. Examples are... attendance is plateaued or declining, offerings are declining, persons visiting do not return or join the church, or conflict is present between pastor & lay leadership or between lay persons.
• The church lacks a long-term plan for healthy growth. There is no game-plan, or leaders wonder where we're going. The church seems to have programs, but there is a lack of unity about why we do it or what should be done next.
• The church is planning a major effort such as building expansion, capitol campaign, or starting a new ministry or church plant.
• The church wants to assess its health and address any issues quickly before they cause serious damage to the ministry.

What does a Consultant do?

Here are the types of activities you can expect a Church Consultant to engage in...

• Listen to people and the Holy Spirit
• Investigate issues
• Analyze symptoms
• Recommend options
• Encourage change
• Help implement change, when invited
• Follow-up

What are the steps involved in a Church Consultation?

While not every situation is the same, the process described below is generally followed...

• Consultation request
• Initial interview
• Proposal to church leadership
• Agreement about the work to be done
• Consultation work,
• Verbal interaction with church leadership
  
• Oral report to the church congregation
• Formal written report with recommendations
  
• Follow-up

If a church decides it would be helpful to have an outside consultant come in, the next question is who should be chosen? Costs should not be the only factor although it is important. Most consultants can give you an estimate after a brief conversation about what you'd like them to do. Church leadership should discuss the experience and qualities of the consultant, and consider their potential effectiveness with your church. Here are a few questions to ask that will guide you in the process of selecting someone...

• What types and levels of ministry experience does this consultant candidate offer?
• To what degree does the consultant have experience with churches our size and life stage?
• What has the consultant accomplished during their ministry? In other words, what fruit has their ministry born as part of a local church and as a consultant?
• Does this consultant show genuine interest and enthusiasm for working with my church?
• Does this consultant demonstrate the maturity and Christ-like attitude needed to effectively work with this church's leaders? The most effective church consultants are confident, but humble; straightforward but diplomatic.

In summary, there are obvious times when an outside influence could make the difference to a local church. Statisticians tell us that 8 out of 10 churches in America are either plateaued or declining. They are not effective in reaching people for Christ and seeing them assimilated into a healthy growing local church environment. So, there seems to be many churches who would benefit from someone helping them identify the reasons that hinder that growth. More churches should explore having an outside consultant bring insight into their situation. Hopefully, these thoughts will help church leadership consider this as an option.

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