After spending more than 20 years providing church consultations, I've seen a number of things work and a number of things fail. I'd like to take the risk today to highlight one key reason why some consultations do not succeed. It is my sincere hope that this will enable better processes in the future and lead churches toward greater health and alignment with God's call for their lives.
Before you read further, allow me to be clear: the following comments do not apply to every consultation nor to all who provide these services. The point being made here is focused on a particular issue, in hopes of opening positive dialogue.
The reason for which some consultations falter is the failure to first seek wisdom from the Lord, resulting in shallow theological reflection and inadequate guidance. I want to expressly state that many who walk in the "church consulting" or "consulting-adjacent" space are highly gifted men and women who consistently strive to honor the God of Scripture through their work. That being noted, even among committed servants, there might be a tendency to miss an important, inaugural step during the process—turning first to the Divine Creator for insight, discernment, and wisdom.
Considering the church as Christ's body, the overarching goal of any consultant should be to encourage and help facilitate its Godward growth and maturation. This requires a higher level of spiritual engagement on the part of the consultant. If consultants don't start from a place of genuine humility, seeking the Lord's leading before and throughout the process, their work may become less effective and even detrimental.
It is critical to maintain our focus on the Lord, viewing the process of discernment as a cooperative relationship between the Holy Spirit, church leaders, and the consultants themselves. But unfortunately, due to the rush of our day-to-day lives, pressures for fast results or a perceived need to rely on human savvy, it can be all too easy to slip into neglecting to begin with the Lord. A common yet dangerous mistake occurs when well-intentioned but misdirected individuals aim to solve problems based upon secular, worldly templates devoid of biblical context.
In other words, if the starting point of a church consultation isn't bathed in prayerful submission to God, then the process may suffer from a lack of contextual-theological rigor, which ultimately reduces the opportunity for organic growth and health. And so, it behooves us to recalibrate and reset our process in light of this. Let's recommit ourselves to begin any work with the church by seeking the Lord's voice and guidance: in worship, in prayer, and in earnest biblical study.
Churches with which we engage must also enter this process with humble hearts, having set aside earthbound ambitions and instead embracing the biblical mandates laid out in Scripture. For together, pastors and consultants who follow Christ with singularity of purpose can turn a potentialy struggling church towards more fruitful and effective mission in the local community. May we become ever more attuned to the urgency of such intercession, led by the Spirit and shaped by His Word.
—Adapted from Carl Moore's Article at The Gospel Coalition in August, 2020
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