Do You Think a Consultant Might Help Us?
By Dan Holloway, Consulting Team Leader
I am privileged to serve as a church consultant with Pinnacle Leadership Associates. It is gratifying work. It is a blessing to walk side by side with congregations seeking to find God’s purposes and to determine their best ways of moving forward as a community of faith. It is likewise a great joy to see such communities discover new satisfaction in God’s evolving plan for their ministry.
Yet I am equally aware that the word “consultant,” comes with a lot of baggage. Many of us have heard the old adage that an expert is someone with a briefcase from more than thirty miles away. Sometimes we may think of consultants in the same way. And sometimes it is true. It is entirely possible to hire the wrong consultant or to hire him/her for the wrong reason.
So how do you know whether you need a consultant? And when a consultant is in order, how do you determine the right consultant for your community of faith? In this two-part series of articles, I will address both of those questions.
First, how do we know we need a consultant, or at the very least might want to explore the possibility? There are several questions that might lead us to consider such an option:
1. Do You Need an Outside Perspective?
Sometimes you need someone from outside your system with no vested interest other than the health and vitality of the congregation. Sometimes the people in your church have heard the same arguments from the same people for so long that it feels like there is no chance to imagine a different way of living together. Sometimes someone from outside can say things that you as a local church leader can’t say. An effective consultant can also share perspectives from other places that have not been considered.
2. Are You Feeling Stuck?
The decline of church attendance and participation over the last twenty years is by now well-documented. Many congregations give witness to this in their own experience but don’t know what to do about it. Church leaders try things that have worked in the past, yet become increasingly frustrated when nothing seems to change. There is a sense of being stuck with little pathway forward. An effective consultant can help the congregation identify the barriers that are holding it back as well as the assets and gifts they have for ongoing faithful service.
3. Do You Find Yourself Overwhelmed by Change?
What does it mean to be the church when online worship has become an important form of ministry for many? How do we define church membership when fewer folks are likely to physically attend our services, yet may still have a hunger for Christian community? What does it mean to live in a hybrid world? The right consultant can help your community of faith engage such questions with honesty and openness.
4. Do You Know Who You Really Are and What You Are Equipped to Do?
Many congregations operate with assumptions about their size and structure and they no longer reflect the reality of who they are or what they have become. Too many congregations try to operate as they did thirty years ago with the result being exhausted volunteers and failed efforts. An effective consultant can help your community of faith take an honest look at itself including structure, staffing, and context for ministry. You can begin to imagine new alternatives more reflective of your current realities.
5. Are You Feeling Tired and Exhausted?
Sometimes you just need a partner who can bring new energy and hope to your system. A consultant can’t solve a problem for you, but she/he may bring hope by new information, new perspectives, and assurance that there are indeed ways forward. Painting a picture of hope with positive options for change can make all the difference.
Next Time: Finding the Right Consultant