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The Congregational Consulting Group, organized in 2014 by former consultants of the Alban Institute, is a network of independent consultants. We publish PERSPECTIVES for Congregational Leaders—thoughts on topics of interest to leaders of congregations and other purpose-driven organizations. —  Dan Hotchkiss, editor

Our Latest Perspectives

Is It Ever the Right Time to Fire Someone?

Many of us have had the experience of working with an employee who, no matter how understanding we are or what we try, continues to be a problem. Sometimes he never gets the work done or clearly isn’t the right fit. Sometimes she upsets others or continues to resist something new she’s been asked to do. Whatever the issue, there is a point, almost always on the other side of training and support, when it is appropriate to terminate someone.

Want a Healthier Congregation? Start with Better Meetings

Nearly every congregation has a hushed story about one. That “awful meeting” in which participants said terrible things, relationships were shattered, and permanent scars resulted. In their 1999 study of “Breakaway Organizations,” Dyck and Stark found that a “polarizing event” (usually a painful congregational meeting) was almost always the precipitating factor for a congregational schism and the departure of members.

Living into a Both-And World

Time and time again in congregations, I encounter either-or thinking. People want to focuseither on church growth or mission to the world; maintain the building or give the staff much needed pay increases; focus on the number of people who attend worship or the number of people our ministry “touches” during the week; have classical or praise music. In so doing, we pit things against each other that should be working together for the glory of God and shared purpose of the congregation.