As more congregations look for ways to improve their effectiveness in reaching the unchurched, church consulting is becoming a popular field, according to church health expert Thom Rainer.
Just 4 percent of America's 400,000 churches were willing to hire a consultant five years ago, Rainer's research shows. Today, nearly 10 percent are looking for help, he said. He expects more churches to seek consultation in the next few years.
"We live in a day when the church has never been unhealthier," said Rainer, president of Church Central Associates and founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
"Over half the churches that contact me don't even know their symptoms," said Rainer, who has authored 13 books on the church and is internationally known as a speaker, conference leader and church consultant.
"They don't know what it is that is keeping them from reaching the unchurched," he said.
The church consultant's role, according to Rainer, is to be an outside observer, pinpointing areas a church can improve and helping with solutions.
Ministry leaders interested in consulting churches can be trained by Rainer in a series of Church Consultant Training conferences scheduled for 2003. Pastors, ministers, denominational leaders, lay leaders and church administrators can apply for the one-day courses, which include training on the exclusive Church Health Survey.
The survey, a tool developed in 1994 by Rainer, measures a congregation's perceptions in six key areas: worship, evangelism, discipleship, ministry, prayer and fellowship. More than 500 churches representing 11 denominations have used the survey to determine their strengths and weaknesses when developing action plans for improving church health and growth.
The next Level 1 Church Health Consultant Training conference is scheduled for Feb. 4 in Louisville, Ky. Participants will learn:
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A definition of church consulting
Basic commitments of church consultants
The history of church consultation
Types of church consultants
Key church consulting skills
The consultation process
Areas to cover in a church consultation
How to establish church consultation fees
How to develop a consulting business
Ten common mistakes of consultants
Ten winning strategies of consultants
How to administer the Church Health Survey
Additional levels of training also are available, building on what participants learn in Level 1. More information on each training course is available online at www.ChurchCentral.com.
The Level 1 training, which costs $395 per person, includes a free Church Health Survey for use in one church -- a $320 value -- and a training manual. Participants can recoup most of their training fee by selling the Church Health Survey package.
In addition to the Feb. 4 training conference, the following are scheduled for 2003:
March 12: Level 2 - Action Planning for Church Health
March 13: Level 3 - Advanced Issues in Church Health Consulting
May 12: Level 1 - Introduction to Church Health & Consulting
May 13: Level 2 - Action Planning for Church Health
July 30: Level 1 - Introduction to Church Health & Consulting
Aug. 4: Level 3 - Advanced Issues in Church Health Consulting
Aug. 5: Level 4 - Church Health Consulting Process
Oct. 2: Level 1 - Introduction to Church Health & Consulting
