Pre-Weekend Preparatory Work
1. Church Health Diagnostic introduction presentation to church leadership
a. Two months before actual weekend visit
b. Preliminary meeting with pastor(s) recommended (optional)
c. NCD Introductory presentation
d. Explanation of additional diagnostic materials, including:1
• Style of Leadership Questionnaire (Pastor and all deacons and elders)
• Pathology of Church Growth (Pastor and all deacons and elders)
• Consultation Inventory (Pastor)
• Background Questionnaire (Pastor or delegated person)
• Staff Worksheet (All church leaders/teachers/directors — make copies as you need them)
• Growth History (Pastor or delegate; fill only the checked ( x ) areas)
• Worker Analysis (Pastor)
• Community Analysis (Pastor or delegated person; do only the initial sheets, as much as you can complete, OR order a complete Percept2 study with the order forms enclosed)
2. Completion of NCD Surveys by 30 congregational representatives (Returned to consultant for scoring one (1) month before weekend visit)
3. Consultant scoring and preliminary NCD written report to lead pastor. (Intermediate follow-up meeting with pastor optional, if needed.)
Weekend Consulting Schedule
Typical weekend consultant schedule:
Friday
• Interview pastoral couple (4:00 PM)
• Supper with either pastoral couple or another leadership couple (5:30 PM)
• Personal interviews (7:00 – 9:00 PM) [2 or 3 interviews @ 35–40 minutes each]3
• Stay overnight4
Saturday
• Meet with leadership team (9:00 – 11:30 AM)
• Lunch with a church couple (Noon – 1:00 PM)
• Interviews (1:00 – 5:00 PM) [ 4 or 5 interviews]
• Supper with a church couple
(Evening free for consultant/ Stay overnight)
Sunday
• Observe all Sunday school classes, nursery/toddler care, worship
• (Introduce consultant to the congregation during morning worship)
• Lunch (consultant alone; afternoon compilation of results)
• Late afternoon/evening fellowship meal with consultant report
Follow-Up Phone Consultation
1. Phone follow-up by consultant within three (3) months after diagnostic
2. Consultant available for additional phone or specific follow-up consultations by church leadership
Fees
1. A consultant fee is charged for the complete diagnostic process. This fee includes the cost of the NCD and other surveys, consultant analysis, meetings, interviews, and printing and mailing expenses.(5)
2. Travel and lodging expenses are additional.
Notes
1. These additional diagnostic forms are not from the natural church development ChurchSmart organization. Instead, they are additional church health consulting forms developed from places such as Fuller Seminary, the Free Methodist Church of North America consulting department and other church consulting agencies. Sample copies are available upon request.
2. Percept’s Map and Compass demographic surveys provide enhanced demographic data, lifestyle data, religious preferences, primary life concerns, worship style preferences, music style preferences and communication preferences for any selected geographical area in the U.S. Information on pricing and services can be obtained from Percept, 1-800-442-6277 in Costa Mesa, CA.
3. For the interviews, I suggest some leadership people, some congregational people, and folks representing various ages (young adult and up) and time with the congregation. Again, these should be “core” people who are active in some ministry in the church.
4. The motel stay during the weekend diagnostic is preferred. Staying in peoples’ homes has the advantage of “connecting,” perhaps, but it is an inefficient use of the consultant’s time and energy and can direct attention away from prayerful analysis and consideration of the information gained by the interview process.
5. The consultation fee is in line with other national church consulting fee structures. A sample fee structure can be provided by the author to any interested church.
© Carl Shank Consulting, 2009. All rights reserved.
