Pastoral Guidance and Church Consulting

When churches work with one of our intentional interim pastors, they receive more than just a pastor who will preach on Sundays. He will take the church through a process that addresses any areas of weakness and develops a plan for moving forward. That process often includes most, or all, of the services listed below.

We recognize that not every church needs an interim pastor, but many could still benefit from the services and expertise offered by the VitalChurch team. For churches with specific needs, we offer the following individualized resources:

Church Consulting

Our experienced pastors can provide counsel (Proverbs 19:20) to church leaders on a variety of matters. Whether it’s coaching the pastoral search process, assisting with staff development, providing counsel on biblical eldership, or helping with succession planning, our pastors can offer godly guidance to your church.  Typically, church consulting is offered to the churches we serve in our assessment and/or intentional interim pastor ministry. We also provide ongoing consulting and resources to churches we have served in the past to help facilitate good leadership transitions and to ensure that the positive changes they implemented during the interim pastor period continue to serve them well. 

Our team approaches church consulting from a pastoral perspective. It is our desire to walk with congregations through a complete revitalization process, rather than just identifying issues and offering advice.

Governance and Leadership System Upgrades

Do your church’s current policies and procedures contribute to effective church leadership? Do the roles of your pastors, church board, and/or elders need to be revisited? Does your church have role descriptions clearly written out for every staff member?

Clearly outlined expectations for staff members and church leaders, as well as effective governance policies, lead to high freedom with high accountability and biblical unity. Almost every church can benefit from a review of their governance and leadership systems, and our pastors can assist church leaders in implementing any needed upgrades.

Focusing Process

If your church has drifted away from its mission and vision (or if it has never clearly defined its mission and vision), our pastors can facilitate a series of “Summits” to help focus your congregation. These participative gatherings are designed to heighten awareness of your church’s history, its current realities, and what God wants to do through your church. These Summits can also help inform the pastoral search process in terms of what pastoral characteristics match well with your church’s mission and vision.

Strategic Planning

Churches in the midst of a leadership transition often benefit from a Spirit-led and skilled facilitation of a strategic planning process. The results can help your church staff focus on the strategic implementation of ministry priorities and can also inform a pastoral search and any future staffing needs.