If you’ve seen one small church, you’ve seen one small church.

Here’s what I’ve learned: No rural or small membership church is the same. The truth is, there is no silver bullet.

As a scholar, teacher, and consultant, I work with pastors, congregational leaders, judicatory and denominational agencies, and educational institutions to develop new pathways to supporting our rural and small membership congregations. I build on the gifts and strengths that already exist to help you embrace vitality in your context.

Some of what I do:

  • Retreats, workshops, and webinars – Create a space for rural and small churches to explore their vocation, identify new ways to engage their communities, and discover what it means to be a vital congregation. As an experienced retreat leader, I’ve led year-long small-group cohorts, large workshops, webinars, and retreats for pastors in the PC(USA), the UMC, and more. 

  • Develop New Initiatives - We know what we want to do, and we know we have the resources to do it. But sometimes, we need a conversation partner to help us begin. I’ve developed and launched successful new initiatives for statewide agencies, regional groups, and local communities.

  • Grant writing – I am an experienced grant writer, with more than $10 million in grants from private philanthropy, major foundations, and federal agencies. I can help at any stage of the process, from designing an initiative to finalizing the application. 

  • Strategic Planning – Trying to figure out where your church or organization is heading? I’ve supported strategic planning processes for churches, colleges, and more. 

  • Analysis and Research - Want to understand the pain-points in your organization? Trying to figure out what to include in your strategic plan? I conduct thorough analysis for organizations, studying demographic trends, organizational capacity, and opportunities for new work.

A man in glasses and a plaid shirt with a vest is giving a presentation in a room with beige walls and large TV screens. The screen displays the text "Vocation of the Small Church."
A man in a checkered shirt points to a presentation on a screen in a conference room. Five people are seated around a large wooden table, listening and taking notes. The room has large windows with blinds, and trees are visible outside.
A man wearing glasses and a blue checkered shirt is giving a presentation, pointing towards a slide on a large screen that reads "Where People Go to C," with a graph and some text, including "50% of Church Gears."
A man with glasses and short dark hair wearing a blue and green checkered shirt, speaking at a podium with a microphone, against a background of wooden latticework.