Consulting


Pastoral Leadership Consulting

Leading a church is an incredible responsibility. But with that responsibility comes a weight that no one else feels like you do. Sometimes it helps just having someone from the outside who is able to share that burden with you.

That’s where The Hardy Group consultants can help. Our consulting is handcrafted specifically to help you where you need it most. Along the way we help you identify obstacles we see that, if eliminated, could increase your ministry’s effectiveness.

Everything is on the table! Everything! Some of the kinds of things churches need our consulting for include:

  • Navigating change
  • Turning the church in a new direction
  • Personal leadership development
  • Thinking, planning, & dreaming
  • Staff development
  • Ministry development
  • Church board and governance development
  • Navigating the unknown

PERSONAL INTERACTION

Some churches have said our consultants operate like non-resident executive staff members. And that’s really exactly what we purpose to do. We are not down the hall but we are accessible to you even more frequently on speed-dial.

When we partner with pastors and churches we are talking all the time. We purpose to be a great friend to the pastor. We know that the larger the church gets the lonelier it can feel while trying to navigate tough decisions. That’s why we make ourselves available to talk … all the time!

ONSITE VISITS

One of the unique offerings of The Hardy Group consulting is that we purpose to be on location with you up to three times in a given year. These face-to-face times of interaction are gold. We love to be there with you. And we find pastors are able to leverage all the interaction by phone to make the personal face-to-face times even better.

When we come on location, frequently we will have a specific focus. The first onsite visit is almost always a weekend evaluation (Click here for the Weekend Evaluation description) where we meet with the lead pastor and start setting the stage for high-value personal interaction. We also like to meet with other paid staff and key volunteer leaders.

Subsequent visits have specific focuses that are derived from the first visit and conversations we have together to determine the appropriate next steps for you and the church.

These onsite visits are designed to fit in your schedule and are crafted uniquely to you and the needs of the church at any given time. At The Hardy Group we work tirelessly to make the interface of all the dialogue by phone weave seamlessly with the onsite visit. Pastors tell us it works very well for them!

CUSTOMIZED APPROACH

The beautiful thing about our consulting is it meets you right where you are! We concentrate on what you feel are your greatest needs. There is not a one-size-fits-all approach with our consulting because every church and every leader has a unique personality.

Frankly, the list of things we help pastors with is almost endless. If you can think of it, we will either help you with it or find someone who can. We are about “All Things Church!”

We will engage you and your team in healthy dialogue about where you are and where you want to go. You will find principles of “church” and best practices regularly woven into the dialogue. Your world will get bigger as a result of your engagement with The Hardy Group.

LET’S START THE CONVERSATION

If you are like most pastors, you have wondered what it might be like to engage a consultant — an outside voice. Some have thought, “Well, that’s just for mega-churches,” but that’s not the case. Churches of all sizes can benefit from an outside voice.

You can use the form above to begin the conversation. This non-commitment form will ask for basic information allowing Dick Hardy to call you and see where you are in your journey at the church.

Frankly, you have nothing to lose to have a conversation. If you know Dick, you know this to be true. He loves to talk! And talking with you may open the doors to something you never thought possible.

Let’s start talking.

Pastoral Leadership

Tell us about your ministry.

Why should I use a consultant?

You should use The Hardy Group consultant because they will bring a perspective to your table you otherwise would not have available. The consultant brings a wealth of experience to bear on your leadership and that of the church.

What kind of church best utilizes the consulting you offer?

Any church of any size can use The Hardy Group consulting. The key is whether the pastor and leadership are open to self-examination and ready to engage in healthy dialogue to move the church forward.

Is the pastor ready to listen and respond? Is the leadership ready to make changes necessary for the church to grow? If the answers to those questions are “Yes” then your church can find high value in consulting. In short, if you are not satisfied with the status quo, then The Hardy Group Consulting is for you.

Why would I not save the money and just talk to my ministry friends?

Many pastors have a good number of pastor-friends. However, we find that most pastor-friends keep conversations at a fairly surface level. Most pastors know they are in over their heads and yet to reveal that to a fellow pastor is risky.

To reveal that to us … well, is rather normal. We love to dialogue about the uncertainty you feel and the not-so-exact science of trying to lead the greatest institution on earth. The fact is, almost no pastors really talk at deep solution levels with other pastors. If you do, well, that’s great.

However, we can assure you any investment you make in an engagement with The Hardy Group will far eclipse any casual conversations you have with your pastor-friends.

What kind of benefit is there for my staff and/or volunteers ?

At The Hardy Group we engage as far and wide as the pastor wants us to. In other words, if the church brings us on to serve the pastor and the pastor wants us to be of help to staff, volunteers, board members, etc. then that is exactly what we do. We serve at the pleasure of the pastor and if the pastor wants us to help others on their team, we are all about that!

What is the length of commitment for consulting?

Normally, consulting engagements with The Hardy Group are for one year. At the end of that year, the church has the option to continue the relationship on a month-to-month basis. Many do just that.

What is the investment the church will have to make for consulting?

As we noted above, the consulting offered from The Hardy Group is unique to you and your church. It is not a cookie cutter approach to ministry. For that reason, each church’s investment in themselves is tailored specifically for them. After the initial phone conversation with The Hardy Group, we will make a very specific proposal to you and the church, including the financial investment on your part. The investment you make will be specific to your size and circumstances.

How do I get the board to understand the value of consulting?

Once in conversation, it does not take long for a pastor to see the need for The Hardy Group consulting. Communicating that value to a board becomes another issue.

Normally, most church boards are filled with godly men and women who truly desire their church to succeed. To this end, part of the role boards frequently carry is the fiduciary responsibility for the church.

So the question almost always comes up, “Can we afford this?” We respond this way. In most churches they would need to see an increase of between 8 and 19 people (not families, just individual people) to cover for the investment made in the consulting over the course of a year. Or they would need to see 8 to 19 people NOT leave the church. In either case, once the church hits that point they are actually money ahead to have engaged The Hardy Group. Believe me, we are not anywhere near satisfied to help you JUST find 8 to 19 people. We are all about MORE!”

Pastoral Leadership Endorsements

Chad Harvey - Lead Pastor, Raleigh First, Raleigh, North Carolina | Leaders.Church

Chad Harvey

Lead Pastor, Raleigh First, Raleigh, North Carolina

“In the last six months since connecting with Leaders.Church we have baptized more people and had more people connect with us than we usually have in an entire year.”

Jamie Austin - Lead Pastor, Woodlake Church, Tulsa, Oklahoma | Leaders.Church

Jamie Austin

Lead Pastor, Woodlake Church, Tulsa, Oklahoma

“Leaders.Church has been vital in keeping this pastor centered and focused on what God has called me to do.  If you haven’t already, I highly recommend connecting with Leaders.Church to assist you in the pursuit of your ministry goals.”