I received a couple of emails this weeks inquiring about an onsite consultation. They told me their sad story (and believe me, it was sad and detailed) and then asked if I could help. I gave them a quick overview of what issues I saw in what they said and then said one of our group would be glad to help them. I told them the costs, which was about $5,000 for one and $8,000 for the other, and sent the email back.

The next day I received an email from one church with this comment – “We had no idea you charged that much for your services. Sorry, we’ll have to pass.”

A few days later I received an email from the other church with this comment –“We can’t afford your services, but thanks for the advice.”

Now here’s the funny thing – one church was giving away around $150,000 to overseas mission and was declining so fast that they would not be able to fund a full time pastor within ten or so years and couldn’t afford to spend $5000 to ensure they might have a future. The other church had an endowment of over two million that was earmarked for church maintenance and couldn’t see their way to spending $8000 of that money to ensure their future.

One of the things I’ve noticed over the years is that too many churches are penny wise and a pound foolish when it comes to spending money. Both of these churches could afford a badly needed consultation, but couldn’t see the way clear to spend the money. They were willing to allow themselves to continue to decline.

When a church has been in decline for five years or more it is rare for it to turn around without some form of intervention. Such intervention is usually one of two things – a new pastor or a consultation. Often intervention is the combination of the two. We’ve found there is no better time to have a consultation then in the first six months of a new pastor’s tenure.

So if you’re church is declining and you have a new pastor, now is the best time to call in a consulting group like The Effective Church. We’re able to tailor the consultant to the size and need of your church. We’re also able to provide that consultant and your church thousands of dollars worth of resources, making for an even more effective consultation. On top of that we offer follow up services that are out of this world.

You might want to check this introductory video out to learn more about how we can help.

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