I'm willing to pay for a good idea. At a Carl George conference in Melbourne on HOW TO BE A CHURCH CONSULTANT I jotted down the following. They're not all good ideas yet (some are more appropriate to the American than the Australian scene) but there may be something you find yourself mulling over:

TWO KEY QUESTIONS IN CHURCH CONSULTING:

-WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO ?

-HOW ARE YOU GETTING IN YOUR OWN WAY?

PASTORS SPEND TWICE AS MUCH ENERGY SHORING UP THE WEAK THAN HELPING THE STRONG. BUT PASTORS MUST GIVE THE IMPRESSION TO THE CHURCH THEY'RE HELPING THE WEAK. IF THEY ARE ALSO COMMITTED TO GROWING THE CHURCH, THAT'S CALLED FUTILITY.

YOU'LL FAIL SOMETIMES: GET USED TO IT. EVERY SURGEON HAS A DEATH ON THE OPERATING TABLE SOONER OR LATER.

LYLE SCHALLER SAYS ANALYSING THE COMMUNITY - OR EVEN THE CHURCH - WON'T MAKE THE CHURCH HUM. FIND A STRENGTH IN THE CHURCH AND WORK ON THAT.

SIMILARLY, SMART CHURCHES WILL ALLOW THEIR PASTORS TO MINISTER OUT OF THEIR STRENGTHS (EVERY PASTOR HAS PLENTY OF FRAILTIES).

CHURCHES TEND TO BURN OUT OF ANY NEW EMPHASIS IN ABOUT TWO YEARS.

IN A SMALL CHURCH IT'S THE STATUS OF THE PERSON RATHER THAN THE QUALITY OF THE IDEA THAT GETS HEARD.

MANY CHURCH BOARDS MAKE DECISIONS ON THE BASIS OF WHAT THEIR WIVES TELL 'EM AT HOME.

IF YOU'RE LISTING OPTIONS WITH A CRITICAL GROUP (SAY, PRESBYTERIANS) LIST THE WEAKER ONES FIRST AND LET 'EM BE SHOT DOWN. PUT YOUR BEST OPTIONS TOWARDS THE END.

ONE SMART IDEA: A HIGHLY TALENTED EXECUTIVE WANTED TO HELP HIS CHURCH. HE EARNED MORE PERSONALLY THAN THE CHURCH'S INCOME. SO THE CHURCH PAID FOR A SECRETARY TO HOOK HIM AND HIS IDEAS INTO THE SYSTEM, AND GOT MORE VALUE THAN FROM SOME OF THEIR STAFF.

IF YOU GET THE FEEDBACK FROM ONLY 40-50 PEOPLE, THAT MAY NOT BE A PERFECT SAMPLE: BUT THE OPINIONS MAY BE BETTER THAN YOURS AND THE BOARD'S PUT TOGETHER.

MOST CHURCHES HAVE FORMERBERRIES AND NEWBERRIES (SENIOR AND JUNIOR: FOUR CATEGORIES ALTOGETHER). A SMART PASTOR MUST UNDERSTAND THE VARYING AGENDAS OF EACH GROUP, PARTICULARLY THOSE OF THE SENIOR FORMERBERRIES: THEY HIRED YOU, AND EXPECT YOU TO FULFIL THEIR EXPECTATIONS, AND YOU'D BETTER ADDRESS THEIR AGENDAS OR YOU'RE IN TROUBLE.

DECISIONS FOR CHRIST DO NOT MAKE DISCIPLES; JESUS CAME (AND SENT US) INTO THE WORLD TO MAKE DISCIPLES. DISCIPLES ARE ONLY EVER MADE IN CELLS, SMALL GROUPS, FROM JESUS' TIME ONWARDS.

LAY PEOPLE WOULD LOVE TO DO MORE TO HELP THE CHURCH BUT PASTORS WON'T LET 'EM.

THE MAIN REASONS CHURCHES DON'T GROW IS THAT CLERGY ARE STIFLING THE HOLY SPIRIT BY THEIR INSTITUTIONAL SYSTEMS.

(Here's the way I'd contextualize the last few paragraphs for the Australian church: 98% of all pastors agree with this statement: 'OUR KEY TASK IS TO EMPOWER/EQUIP THE PEOPLE OF GOD TO MINISTER ACCORDING TO THEIR GIFTS.' But 98% of pastors feel they don't really have a handle on how the church can effectively minister to itself and to the world).

Rowland Croucher