Chet & Rochelle Ainsworth
Chet Ainsworth has been the Diagnostic Specialist for VitalChurch team since 2012. His passion is to figure out why things are the way they are. He works closely with Gregg Caruso on all church diagnostics and report writing, as well as ongoing materials development. Chet has a BA in Psychology, an M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a D.Min. in Church Growth. He pastored three churches in the Southern California/Arizona area. For eight years, he was an Associate Church Consultant for the Charles E. Fuller Institute of Evangelism and Church Growth. He retired in 2008 as a Social Service Practitioner from the San Bernardino County Department of Children’s Services, where he did family reunification services.
Other ministry interests include doing individual coaching and team building in a variety of settings. Chet is a Senior Birkman Consultant and Grip-Birkman trainer. He is often involved in helping churches make appropriate pastoral choices.
Rochelle Ainsworth is Chet’s wife and the editor/collaborator on Chet’s VitalChurch projects. Rochelle is a retired elementary and special education teacher with an M.A. in Education. She is on the praise team at her local church (at the piano) and has been privileged to work with AWANA for ten years. She has Advanced Birkman Certification and is also a Grip-Birkman trainer. She does individual coaching and team building with her husband.
Chet and Rochelle live on five acres in Mountain Center, California. Besides keeping up with twelve grandchildren, Chet and Rochelle enjoy fishing and keeping up their little farm. Chet’s hobbies include astronomy and ham radio. Rochelle loves photography.
Tim Keller, in his book Center Church, discussing the characteristics of movements (pre-institutionalized churches), notes two important distinctives: “1. First and foremost, movements are marked by a compelling vision and, 2. The unifying vision in a movement is so compelling that it leads to a culture of sacrificial commitment . . .” Tim Keller, Center Church, Zondervan: 2012, pp 339-40.