How Do I Become a Church Consultant?

If you want to become a church consultant, you should first decide on the area or areas in which you want to provide consulting services to churches. Ideally, you should have both professional and educational credentials in your consulting area and should likewise be prepared to document these credentials to potential clients. In some cases, you may wish to attempt to receive endorsement from denominational officials who are willing to recommend and approve your services to churches within your religious tradition. As with any consulting position, you will need to make a decision as to whether you wish to work for a consulting firm or become self-employed. In the latter case, networking will become an important aspect of developing and growing your ministry consulting career.

As an experienced professional either in the ministry or in a field that has some significance to the ministry or church communities, you may wish to become a church consultant in order to use your expertise to assist other clergy and congregations. Church consultant careers can vary widely, depending on your professional background, so it can be helpful to think about your own skills and abilities and how they could benefit a church. If you are already part of a church, pay attention to how it is structured, the committees and staff members who perform various tasks around the church, as well as to whether the church regularly uses outside consultants in its operations. All of these observations can help you develop an understanding of how you may be able to assist other churches.

Generally speaking, potential clients will want to know that you have the qualifications to be providing them with information and direction in a particular area of the ministry or practical church logistics. For example, if you want to become a church consultant who offers financial services to churches, you should have a degree or educational qualifications in accounting or financial services. In addition, you may wish to obtain additional education or training in the area of church administration. It may also be wise to gain practical experience in advising churches on their finances under the supervision of an employer that specializes in accounting and church financial services. Having multiple qualifications that combine education and experience can increase the chances that your efforts to become a church consultant will be successful.

Once you believe that you have the necessary credentials to effectively provide consulting services to churches, you will need to market yourself to decision makers in individual congregations. This can be as simple as establishing a website or sending out business cards and brochures to churches that describe the services that you offer. You may also want to begin writing informative articles on church management and leadership issues that can be published in denominational magazines or in other church-related publications. These articles can establish you as an expert and somebody whom a church may wish to hire for ministry consulting purposes.