Advice to Church Consultants

I'm getting a lot of folks calling me these days talking about wanting to be youth ministry consultants. I suppose there has always been a steady stream of folks who have emailed or called me over the past two years asking me if I was hiring youth ministry consultants. Often after talking to these folks they start their own consulting business, which I'm all for by the way. (If they are helpful to the local church) I'm going to share a few thoughts over the next few months that I've learned about consulting (esp. youth ministry consulting) over the past two years while I'm doing this. I'm not sure how qualified I am to give this advice, but I hope it will be helpful.

Principle One:

The more a church needs your services, the less likely they will actually benefit from them.

It's seems a bit backwards, but the churches I work with have great, gifted, insightful leadership. All of them are smarter than I am. All of them have more experience than I do. All of them, however are learners and it's because they are so good at what they do that makes them open to bringing a consultant in to work alongside their leadership. Certainly there are things you as the consultant know and see that will be really helpful to church leaders, but often this is only part of the reason you are brought in.


The church leaders who most need the services the most are less likely to invite you behind the curtain to see the inner workings of their church. Further, they are much less likely to take your advice, even though the church's youth ministry is in "critical condition".

I suppose the reason for this is habit.

We do what we've always done.

My friend Sarah consistently dates guys that mistreat her which often leads to abuse. She knows she needs to pick a new kind of guy, but struggles to do so because everything in her naturally picks the wrong guy. It's simply easier to pick the wrong guy.

First Church has had 15 youth pastors in 15 years. They are in a bad rhythm. They need to take a break and work thru some things to reach youth in healthy ways. When given the option to be coached through a year long process with a youth ministry consultant or hire a mom with no youth ministry experience, but who is available right now, they choose a the mom. It's not a financial decision, both cost the same. It's not whether they would benefit, clearly this church has something to gain by having some outside eyes walk with them for a year to break some bad habits they have in their youth ministry. They need it more than most of the churches I work with. It's simply easier for this chruch to keep hiring youth pastors and wounding their students.