The
Lighthouse
Group
 

Dr. Michael H. Reynolds

“. . .In the same way let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and praise your Father in Heaven.”

Welcome to The Lighthouse Group – a consulting group designed to assist churches to be the Beacon of Hope in the world God has placed them.

The Lighthouse Group’s ministry goal is to assist churches and non-profit organizations in shining a beacon on the work and ministry of the church or organization to make it more effective in its outreach, evangelism, stewardship and ministry planning. Churches and organizations the world over are busy with all kinds of activities. However, many churches and organizations are just busy and they are not being very effective in its ministry objectives. The Lighthouse Group seeks help churches develop a plan for ministry that will make them effective in reaching people for Christ, encourage and develop their membership to be effective ministers in their community and assist them in reaching toward the vision God has for that local church.  When this is accomplished that church or organization will be a fresh beacon of hope in their community.

This is accomplished through:

Public Speaking: In addition to working with churches Dr. Reynolds offers to be a speaker at your next meeting. He does this in both secular and church settings. He is available to speak on:
 

Strategic consulting: This involves a look at the church’s total ministry plan or organization's total operations and seeks to answer several questions.

n      Where have we been?

n      Where are we?

n      Where are we going?

n      How do we get there?

In examining these questions we can determine if the activities, ministries and services of the church or organization are in line with the goals and vision that God has given the church or organization. The consultant will work with the church or organization to examine their current activities and ministries to see they are to ministry needs in the community and in the church or organization. An action plan will be developed to meet the stated goals within the vision the leadership has for the church’s or organization's future.

If the church or organization does not have any stated goals then the consulting process will seek to help the leadership determine what they should be and then develop an action plan to reach those goals within the scope of that vision.  Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”

There are times when churches and organizations lose sight of the vision God has for them. Through strategic consulting and working through the needs of the church and community the consultant will seek to help the church rediscover that vision and from that to develop goals for growth and a plan to achieve them.

Pastoral Assistance:  There are several areas of consulting in this area –

n      Encouraging and helping pastors discover their areas of strengths and weaknesses in ministry. When this is accomplished a plan can be developed how to use their strengths to help them lead the church more effectively and also how to strengthen their weaknesses. Sometimes a pastor just needs to rediscover a fresh sense of God’s leadership and how God can most effectively use him to lead the church he has been called to.

n      Staffing is a very important part of pastoral leadership. When is it time to add new staff and which position should be filled first? The consultant will help the pastor and his leadership work through a needs assessment for the staff and church to develop a plan with the right timing to get the best staff members in the right place.

n      Pastor/staff conflict resolution. Conflict among staff members will almost always cause a loss of effectiveness in the staff and the church. Sometimes even the best of ministers have conflict and often some help from someone who has been there before them can assist them in working through this conflict to be effective in their ministry once again.

Evangelism Training: Every church is different in how it conducts its ministry and work. This will also affect how they do evangelism and outreach.  The consultant will assist the church to discover its unique character and strengths and the best way to do evangelism in their area. To accomplish this, the church leadership will be guided through a discussion that will involve:

n      The general make up of their community

n      The religious make up of their community – where do people go to church? How often do they go? Any particular cults or other religions?

n      The cultural background of the community that will also include ethnic, historical and any blending of cultures.

Once the make up of the community is understood the consultant will assist the church’s leadership to understand the best evangelism method (s) available to them. At the church’s request the consultant can provide suggestions on how to implement those methods and even provide training in those areas. They can include:

n      Lay Witness Evangelism.

n      Cross Cultural Evangelism.

n      Evangelism Explosion or something similar.

n      Simple evangelistic tools that can be used in conjunction with the Sunday School, Small Group ministry or any other ministry of the church.

Stewardship Evaluation, Education and Capital Stewardship Campaigns: A church’s or organization's stewardship program can affect the entire next generation of its membership. If the stewardship program in both its capital and budget areas are effective then it will be a positive plus for years to come. If it goes wrong or is ineffective then it is very difficult to move forward in other areas. The consultant will work with the church in this area to answer the following questions and then develop a plan and a timing to implement that plan to improve the over all stewardship the church or organization.

n      What is the relationship between biblical stewardship and money? time? resources? people?

n      When is it time to enter in to a Capital Stewardship Campaign?

n      What is the most effective means of conducting such a campaign?

n      What should we expect from a campaign we do on our own? or with a partner?

n      How is our giving in comparison to our attendance?

n      How can this be improved? How do we increase the level of stewardship education in our church or organization?

n      Is our support of Missions outside of our local church in line with the church’s or organization's current income? How can this be improved?

As a part of Stewardship Education The Lighthouse Group offers to partner with a church or organization to assist them in their Capital Stewardship Campaign. Dr. Reynolds has led the churches he served as pastor through successful campaigns and worked with hundreds of churches while on the staff of Injoy Stewardship to assist them in raising many thousands of dollars for capital needs.  He has also worked with non-profit organizations and private schools in the same way.

If the church or organization requests a partnership in a capital campaign Stewardship Education and Strategic Consultation will be included as a part of the campaign. This will help the church or organization to achieve the maximum success possible in the Campaign. Every major program of the church or organization will be examined in light of the campaign and the results desired. The number of visits for training and consultation needed to accomplish this task differ from church to church or organization to organization but prior to the start of any campaign the minimum number of visits will be determined. Other visits by the consultant may be necessary to achieve the desired results.

Conflict Resolution in a Church: Sometimes for reasons unknown to the pastor, staff or congregation serious conflict arises that threatens the ministry, integrity and witness of everyone involved. This problem is as old as the New Testament and so is the solution. The solution does not necessarily mean that the pastor, staff or any of the congregation have to leave the church. It may mean that but it does not necessarily have to. The consultant will assist the church in understanding the nature of the problem and from an objective view point examine possible solutions. He will then work with the leadership of the church to develop plans, timing and seek to implement them to resolve the conflict.

Pastoral Support: This involves –

n      Sound doctrinal preaching when the Senior Pastor needs to be away.

n      Short term interim pastorates in the absence of the pastor or when he is on sabbatical.

n      Retreat planning and support for pastors and staff – either using your theme or one designed especially for your church.

Grief Therapy:  How do you minister to those who have suffered great loss in their lives? How do you deal with it when it is your pastor or staff family?

With first hand knowledge of the loss of my father, the sudden death of my son and dealing with my other son’s cancer treatment, therapy and recovery I have come to understand that every type of loss is different and churches are sometimes at a loss to know how to respond to that loss. My wife and I have worked through this kind of difficulty and come out on the other side with our faith secure and strong. If requested I can help churches develop a plan to recognize different kinds of loss and how to respond to them to assist families in recovery and growth.