LOUISVILLE, Ky.,-- Speaking from the wisdom of experience, Dr. Thom Rainer gave practical advice to church consultants who gathered Sept. 21-22 for Church Central's "Branding and Client Acquisition" special conference. Question of the day: How can we learn from your church consulting know-how?
"I remember the first time someone agreed to pay me for a consultation," Rainer said as he reminisced with the dozen consultants who gathered to learn more about making a name for themselves in consulting—a career that Rainer reminded them is more about heart than money.
He said he would miss working closely with churches on health and growth issues. Rainer will assume a new position as president of Lifeway Christian Resources over the next few weeks. He will pass the reins of both his presidency of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, his church consulting work and consultant training to colleague, Dr. Chuck Lawless.
The conference centered on the basic points of effective branding in order to market your services as a consultant, and also the how-to of acquiring clients.
No. 1 in client acquisition, according to Rainer, is a major product or major publication.
"You don't have to write Purpose Driven Church," he said. His own library of authored resources now numbers 16 and includes classics such as "Surprising Insights from the Unchurched," "The Unchurched Next Door," "Eating the Elephant," and his latest, "Breakout Churches."
Rainer also developed the Church Health Survey in 1996, as a response to a need for a more comprehensive analysis than what was available for churches and consultants. The survey was tested on more than 4,000 churches and has now been used in more than 1,000.
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10 ways consultants can acquire clients Dr. Thom Rainer spoke with church consultants during a special conference on Branding and Client Acquisition," Sept. 21-22 in Louisville, Ky., about various proven ways to build a client base for church consulting. For consultants who don't have a big name in church circles—either because of a major book or proven ministry—there are still ways to build brand recognition and bring in clients: 1. Partner with professional colleagues such as denominational leaders, church planters, attorneys, accountants and bankers. 2. Create an interactive, content-filled Web site with reciprocal links for search engine optimization. 3. Become a middleman for churches dealing with church builders or other professionals, and refer churches to specialists. 4. Publish articles that do not promote yourself. 5. Serve on boards and organizations and in civic and professional organizations. 6. Create diagnostic instruments. 7. Do free workshops. 8. Create valuable templates such as church constitution and by-laws documents, job descriptions and mission statements. 9. Become a coach and charge a modest fee. 10. Provide a one-day, simple church analysis. |
The survey scores churches in each of the six purposes: worship, ministry, evangelism, discipleship, fellowship and prayer.
"I designed the Church Health Survey first because I wanted a diagnostic tool, second to brand me more clearly and third for client acquisition," Rainer said.
Rainer encouraged consultants at the branding conference to develop their own tools in a similar way—to meet the needs of hurting churches. He especially recommended diagnostic instruments for things such as spiritual gifts assessment.
The particular tool depends on the individual consultant in the same way that branding is a convergence of market need, a consultant's competencies and passions, Rainer said.
Conference attendee Valerie Jennings of Kansas City, started consulting about two years ago. She specializes in public relations and media consultation. Most recently she organized a press conference for a church client to highlight the outreach from the church in response to Hurricane Katrina.
"What a great way to let the community know they have a church in their backyard and say, ‘Look what we're doing,'" she said.
Attendee Ralph Funk of Lansing, Mich., operates the Coaching 4 Growth consulting firm, specializing in training laity for ministry.
"A lot of local churches get involved to develop local leaders," Funk said.
In addition to special conferences, such as the branding conference, Church Central offers several opportunities for consultant training year-round. Five levels of training include:
Level 1: Introduction to Church Health and Consultation
Level 2: Comprehensive Consultation: First Steps and Components
Level 3: Advanced Issues in Church Consultation
Level 4: The Church Consultation Process, and
Level 5: Consultation Project and Certification
Church Central offers a directory of hundreds of trained consultants from all over the United States, an "Ask a Consultant" discussion board, and a new series that looks into a day in the life of a church consultant: Diary of a Church Consultant.
The next opportunity for training is October 4-6 in Louisville. Next year's training dates are as follows: January 31-February 2, 2006, Louisville; May 23-26, 2006, Dallas; August 22-24, 2006, Louisville; and October 24-26, 2006, Louisville.
