On-site consultations

Your Situation

1. You are about to begin an improvement effort around some specific concern or opportunity. It may be around increasing the capacity of the congregation for the incorporation of new members or starting a strategic vision process or looking at ways to make better use of your physical space. You would like to have a professional consultant work with the congregation in designing and implementing the improvement process.

2. The congregation has decided that it is healthy and that it wants help in remaining healthy. You would like a consultant's assistance in establishing processes and structures in the congregation's life that allow it to listen to its members, note trends and forces in its context that may impact it, make use of the resources and spirituality of its tradition, and make strategic decisions. This involves building into the congregation's life a capacity for organizational self-renewal; an on-going process of listening, discerning and deciding.

3. The congregation is beginning to feel static, possibly even beginning to decline. You want assistance in turning that around.

Arranging for an On-Site Consultation

1. Leaders of the congregation take a careful look at the websites -- this one www.CongregationalDevelopment.com and www.orgdct.com They also speak with a person or two that has worked with. The goal being to find out approach and style may fit the congregation's needs and way of doing things. If you are still interested after that --

2. We have a phone conversation (about 1 1/2 hours) in which we explore: the situation, what choices you see before you, what you are hoping for, etc. Also, some initial thinking about how we might structure a consultation to meet your needs and budget. In advance of the meeting you would send whatever reading material you think should be looked at in before we talk. After we complete our conversation your group could talk about whether you wanted to move forward with me as your consultant. I would do the same. I'll e-mail you and you can e-mail us on next steps, if any.

ODCT would charge the congregation a fee and expense for the time involved. If we are doing a conference call someone at your end would need to set up the call. The fee is because this would be a piece of real work. It could help the group look at various ways of accomplishing what is needed. It is possible that we would come up with a way of getting at this that didn't require a consultant; or would focus the use of a consultant's time; or would open up the need for a broader consultant intervention than you are thinking of at this time. The initial meeting usually offers something of value to the congregation as well as providing a realistic basis for assessing the potential of a working relationship. ODCT doesn't do interviews. We think the above process is a better way of exploring a possible contract.

To Get Started

1. Send an e-mail message indicating your desire for such a consultation. Include the following information:

	a. Your name, e-mail address and phone number
	b. The name and address of your congregation
	c. What kind of consulting assistance do you want?

If you would rather to this by phone -- call 206.300.3700 ODCT will respond to your message with some suggestions about next steps. If we do not think we can help, we will tell you; we will suggest other resources we may be aware of.

Fees & Expenses