Old Orchard Baptist Church was ready to close the doors a year ago. A dozen members attended each week. Church attendance broke through the 200 barrier ten years ago and steadily declined thereafter. Several lay leaders met with a church health consultant on a dark autumn evening at Starbucks to discuss their options.

Body language declared the situation hopeless. These leaders were tired. Each one had given all he or she could. They had nothing left.

The consultant listened to their story. Predictably, conflict began the downward spiral. A succession of pastors in quick order sped the decline. One pastor came and stayed, or more accurately, he overstayed. The church slowly shriveled under his leadership for eight years. He worked another ministry job two hours away during the week and gave the church Sunday mornings only.

The lay leaders finally asked, without a trace of hope in their voices, "Can you help us?" The consultant answered, "Maybe." He then outlined a planning process and the timeline to accomplish it. One of the lay leaders experienced a eureka moment. He sat up in his chair and nearly shouted, "That’s it!" After a few more minutes of discussion, the group agreed to have the consultant make his presentation to the full leadership team.

A year later, the church has quadrupled in size. The growth began the month the pastor resigned and the lay leader who had the eureka moment took the lead. (He served some years before as an associate pastor.) In the following months, the church welcomed 14 new members into its fellowship, seven of them by baptism. That’s an attendance increase of over 100% in new members alone.

Church members cleaned up their facilities inside and out. They added new roadside signs. Members began inviting family and friends. The church is healthy financially for the first time in years. All of their bills are paid. The church reaches out to their community with a half dozen ministry projects. They also invited an Hispanic congregation to share their facility rent-free the first year in exchange for sweat equity to continue renovating the facility.

The consultant continues mentoring and coaching the lay leader turned pastor. He meets with the leadership team quarterly for evaluation and planning. Lives are changing inside and outside the church.

How could a consultant help your church?