About TCN
Transforming Churches Network (TCN) is a not-for-profit corporation registered in the State of Tennessee which has received 501(c)3 status with the IRS. TCN is a Recognized Service Organization (RSO) of the LCMS.
A church consultation will jump-start transformation for churches new to the TCN process or speed-up transformation for those who have already begun. It is designed to identify specific issues and give recommendations to the congregation with regard to its ability to reach out to unchurched individuals in its community with the Gospel of Jesus. Because of the concentrated focus and time, the work accomplished through a consultation can be equal to the work done on a weekly basis for an entire years.
How a Consultation Works:
The Consultation Team is composed of a lead consultant, a potential coach [link to coaching page] for the congregation and at least one other certified consultant. While the lead consultant will be giving most of the input to the congregation, the presence of other consultants will lend objectivity to the process of composing the report.
Prior to the Consultation weekend, it is recommended that the Pastor of the congregation be involved in a TCN Pastor’s Learning Community for at least 6 months, and that he has initiated a Leadership Community at the local church. Additionally, a Self-Study, complete with surveys and demographics, should be in the hands of the lead consultant at least one week prior to the scheduled consultation date. It will also be helpful for the congregation to participate in the “Motivation for Mission” small group outreach study and to take the Hinge Factors Church Assessment. Both of these products are available on this web site.
The Consultation Weekend Schedule. The consultation team will spend all day Friday interviewing staff and key leaders. They will continue to receive input Friday evening from a Focus Group composed of active members of the congregation. Saturday, the lead consultant will work with the leadership of the congregation in understanding the principles of transformation. The consulting team will gather Saturday evening to write the report, while the congregation is asked to pray for the wisdom of the team in preparing the document. The lead consultant will preach at the Sunday morning service(s), and afterwards will conduct a town hall meeting at which the report will be shared with the members of the congregation.
The Consultation Report consists of three sections with five bullet points in each section. The first section will consist of strengths of the congregation which the consultation team believes can be leveraged for effective outreach activities and behaviors. The second section addresses concerns that could limit and inhibit effective outreach. The final section gives specific prescriptions designed to address each of the concerns raised in the second section of the report. Each prescription is replete with deadline dates which range over the year following the consultation. The team will limit each section to five points in order not to overwhelm the congregation, but it should be understood that these are the most urgent priorities for the first year, and that the coaching process may surface other issues to be addressed subsequently.
After the Consultation, the congregation will have approximately six weeks to pray about and consider the report with its prescriptions, after which time they will make a formal decision to accept the report. Upon acceptance, a TCN coach will work with the Pastor and Church Leaders to help the church fulfill its prescriptions.
Additional Consultation Resources:
