The Society for Church Consulting’s recently completed “Future Trends in Church Consulting” market study will be released at its Church Consulting Summit Nov. 10-12 at New Orleans Baptist Seminary.

Tom Harper, SCC’s president, said some of the results were surprising. “In our survey of 515 church leaders, 51% said they’ve worked with a consultant in the past – a much higher number than we thought. When we asked whether these consultants were effective, 70% of leaders indicated they were satisfied or very satisfied.”

When asked their perception of church consultants, 53% of respondents said they had a positive or very positive impression, while only 5% replied they had a negative perception. “Another unexpected result was the reason churches bring in consultants. We’ve always thought conflict was the #1 reason, but according to our research, 49% indicated the need for a new vision, while only 25% listed conflict.”

Will Mancini, author of Church Unique, will be leading a workshop on vision on Nov. 10th. “There has never been a more viable time for the role of the consultant, and the need is dire for more of us,” said Mancini. “In 1995, Lyle Schaller wrote that there would be a five-fold increase for the need of consultants in the next 25 years. This has been true in my experience and is the motivator behind my interest and role in the Society of Church Consulting.”

For more information about the Society and the Summit, go to www.churchconsultation.org.