Will Hiring Church Consultants Make a Difference?

Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety (Proverbs 1:14 NKJV)

Does it make sense for churches to hire consultants, even if it sounds like a fantastic idea for businesses and corporations?

There are several reasons a church could hire a consultant. For instance, it’s possible that the church is seeing a drop in attendance or wants to start a new program but doesn’t know where to start. The church might be going through a change in other circumstances, like the leadership.

You could benefit from the help of church consultants to pinpoint the root of your issues and difficulties and devise a plan of action to solve them.

If your church is having trouble, it might be time to think about employing a church consultant. Here are a few indicators that you might want to contact a professional for advice:

• There is a decline in attendance at your church.
• Your church is going through a time of change.
• Your church is having financial difficulties.
• Finding, developing, and sustaining leaders is difficult.
• Both employees and volunteers are becoming fatigued.
• You’re unsure about where to begin.
• You lack the knowledge necessary to understand developments in technology, digital marketing, and media

Hiring a consultant could help you get over plateaus and offer reliable advice if any of these things apply to your church’s present stage.

What is a Church Consultant, and What Do They Do?

A church consultant is committed to assisting churches in thriving and expanding. A church consultant may help in a wide range of areas, but some of the more popular ones include governance, financial management, and church marketing.

The possibilities and difficulties that churches encounter are well understood by church consultants, who utilize this understanding to support leaders with identity, direction, and execution.

Church consultants are frequently former pastors or church leaders who are familiar with the position and may provide special insight on overcoming obstacles. Therefore, a church consultant may be a useful companion in your journey, whether you need assistance with a particular issue or need counsel on building your church.

To sum up the advantages of consulting, these people or organizations may assist you in getting the following things:

• Clarification: Church consultants may assist leaders in developing a clear vision for the future, seeing the big picture, and clarifying their mission and basic values.

• Plan: Once you have a vision in mind, church consultants may assist you in creating a strategy to carry it out. This can entail creating new programs, assessing current programs, or altering church governance or structure.

• Execution: Church consultants may also assist church leaders in putting the required adjustments into practice in order to realize their goals. Training church personnel and volunteers, creating new procedures and systems, or establishing accountability are all possible during the implementation phase.

Categories of Church Consultant

Generalists and specialists are the two sorts of consultants. Specialists have competence in a certain sector or business, whereas generalist consultants assist firms in a number of fields, so when looking for someone to work with your organization, there are a few types of Church Consultants to consider in the following fields:

• Church Lighting Consultant
• Church Design Consultant
• Church Leadership Consultant
• Church Construction Consultant
• Church Sound Consultant/ Church Audio Consultant
• Small Church Consulting
• Church Administration
• Church Safety Consultants
• Church Branding Consultants
• Church Technology Consultants
• Church Growth Consultant
• Church Marketing Consultant
• Church Staffing For Growth

Before You Hire…

On paper, consultants typically have excellent visual appeal. However, even if they are very knowledgeable and experienced, they might not be the right fit for your church.

When spending time and money on church consulting, getting along well with each other is of utmost importance. Your work with a consultant will become a dead end, rabbit hole, or impasse without the proper synergy.

Therefore, take into account these things to look for when selecting someone for church consulting before you sign a contract.

1. Experience

Which congregations similar to yours has the church consulting firm already worked with? Have they dealt with a sizable church that is expanding? Do they have the skills necessary to guide a mid-sized church through the difficulties you are or will experience with church growth?

Have they helped a church with less than 100 members through the challenges of a turnaround?

Everyone must start somewhere, but your church doesn’t have to be the test subject. Working with an established network guarantees that they are aware of the difficulties your church is experiencing and are equipped to assist you in resolving them.

2. Listening & Coaching

Excellent consulting should start with a lot of listening. The consultants must grasp the background, history, and future goals of your church. They may start to provide solutions and make suggestions for change once they have a solid understanding of your church’s existing situation and biggest difficulties.

Does the church consulting company have a strategy in place to guide you through implementation challenges? Why not, if not? They may not be investing enough in your context because their main priorities may be expanding their clientele and protecting their time.

realistic expectations

3. Attainable Goals

Any consultant attempting to sell you a “quick remedy” should be avoided. The fact is that genuine, long-lasting transformation takes time, despite the allure of wanting someone to intervene and perform miracles. Your church must assume its share of the responsibilities since it is a partnership. A competent church consultant should be able to assist you to create a long-term strategy for success and set reasonable objectives.

4. Responsiveness

In your quest for a church consultant, you should be on the lookout for red flags, one of which is a lack of responsiveness in the first round of communication.

If it took the business or consultant many days to respond to your inquiry, it’s likely that they won’t be very responsive during the search or consulting process. Check to see that the consultant responds to your requests both before and after you hire them. The consultant should be attentive and reach out to you with updates and talks in addition to responding promptly to your emails and phone calls.

When someone entirely ignores a question because they don’t have the answer, it is quite usual to be disappointed. A much better way to respond to a challenging question is to acknowledge it, admit ignorance, and pledge to make every effort to learn the answer. Again, a consultant who is able to draw on the collective knowledge of their team has an advantage in cases when there are complex issues or unusual circumstances.

5. Group or Individual

When consultants work as independent contractors or part-timers, consulting is neither their main responsibility nor their only area of interest. On the other hand, when a consultant works full-time and is a member of a bigger team, they can devote all of their attention to your church and give you timely, individualized assistance.

Additionally, a consultant with a full-time staff behind them will cast a wider net of advice and guidance for your church.

In general, a top-notch church consultant is someone who offers assistance, support, and knowledge so that you can spend your time and money more effectively to manage and support your church or organization.

What essential characteristics of a church consultant should be added to this list?

Having trouble deciding what to do next? If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us; we’ll be happy to help. We can point you toward alternative professionals in the sector if you determine we are not a good fit for you. We are all on Jesus’ side, after all.