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Today, churches are increasingly seeking help from outside consultants.  There are certainly more than enough consultants to go around.  The result: finding the right consultant for your church can be a daunting task.

So, is there a standard?  Are there basic guidelines churches can use when considering a church consultation?  I believe there are 5 basic rights every church should expect from a consultation.

In the medical world, when delivering medication, it’s called the 5 Patient Rights: The right medication, given to the right patient, in the right dosage, at the right time, in the right way (pill, IV, etc.)

Running with that theme, here are my 5 Church Rights: The right recommendations, given in the right context, in the right amount, in the right method, with the right follow-up.

The Right Recommendation: Seems simple enough, but it can go wrong more than you think.  Doctors must wrestle with all the facts before prescribing medications to their patients.  Likewise, church consultants must prayerfully process a vast amount of details to make recommendations inspired by the Holy Spirit.

The Right Context: This one is huge!  It separates true and personalized church practitioner care from industrialized blanket content.  Churches are living, breathing, organisms.  As such, they have unique personalities, challenges, and opportunities.  One size does not fit all.  The Bride of Christ (every local congregation) deserves consultant care that invests significant time understanding their unique context before recommending content.

The Right Amount: This is true for recommendations and the entire consultation process.  Properly dispensed; church consultations are catalytic and energizing for a local congregation. However, if applied too much too soon, the church can overdose on the process; leading to rapid and significant consequences.

If administered too little too late, the church can experience consultation under dose.  Taking medication at too low a dose means not receiving the intended benefit of prescription.  The same holds true for church consultations and recommendations. 

Church under dose is where many consultations fail.  Recommendations are not prescribed at the appropriate dosage, or the appropriate recommended dosages are not followed.  Either way, money is spent for a consultation bringing little or no results.

One final thought pertaining to the right amount.  A typical church consultation can yield hundreds of recommendations.  Part of fulfilling the “right amount” obligation means consultants must help churches prioritize recommendations to identify the most critically important.  

The Right Method: How the recommendations are delivered is vitally important.  Recommendations can be delivered to the entire congregation, leadership groups, and individuals.  They can be presented orally, visually, in written report, and in confidential letters.  They can be communicated through presentation, and developed in more detail through interactive Q&A.  Not every recommendation is delivered in the same way, so achievement of the “right method” strikes a balance of all delivery methods, properly applied.

The Right Follow-up: Follow-up is critically important to the complete church care solution.  Consultations yield recommendations; follow-up ensures action precipitates from those recommendations.

While all five of the church rights pertaining to consultations are vital; the “right follow-up”, or lack thereof, is perhaps the most critical to ongoing success and return on consultation investment.  Without it, recommendations become lists that collect dust on a shelf.  With it, recommendations become actions, actions transform churches, and transformed churches have an impact on the Kingdom of God!


Alan Chandler is a Consultant Partner with Church Doctor Ministries www.churchdoctor.org, a full-service church consultation ministry dedicated to helping Christians and churches become more effective for the Great Commission, to make disciples of all people.  Alan can be reached at alanchandler@churchdoctor.org