Advancing Effective Governance in Churches & Christian Ministries
A ministry offering governance consulting services tailored for churches and Christian ministries seeking to advance God’s mission with clarity, purpose, and effectiveness.
Founded by Heather Card, a seasoned expert with over 20 years of experience in church and ministry board leadership, Five Smooth Stones Consulting equips boards with the tools and strategies needed to navigate challenges and cultivate Christ-centered leadership.
At Five Smooth Stones Consulting, the story of David and Goliath serves as a guiding inspiration—not just for its demonstration of bold faith; it’s a powerful reminder of the wisdom found in choosing the right tools for the task at hand. David’s victory was not achieved with Saul’s armor or conventional weapons but with five smooth stones and a sling—tools uniquely suited to his abilities and circumstances.
Similarly, our approach to governance consulting tailors solutions to align with the unique culture and mission of each church or ministry we serve. Whether for a small church or a large ministry, we adapt our services to meet specific needs. We also carefully evaluate insights from other sectors ensuring any solutions proposed uphold the spiritual tone, biblical principles, and relational dynamics vital to faith-based leadership.
Key Objectives
Fostering Mission-Centered Governance
To guide churches and Christian ministries in using their mission as the primary lens for key strategies and decisions. This includes ensuring clarity of the mission statement, developing clear mission indicators, implementing robust annual reporting processes, and intentional reflection on mission progress. The ultimate goal is accountability for faithfulness and mission accomplishment.
Building Healthy Board Culture
To catalyze the development of a thriving board culture by clarifying board and staff roles, fostering trust and collaboration, and implementing governance processes rooted in biblical principles and spiritual postures of board leadership.
Supporting Strategic Planning
To guide church and Christian ministry leaders and boards in developing clear, actionable strategies and plans that honour organizational values and empower ministries to fulfill their calling with clarity and purpose. This approach ensures that annual plans and initiatives are aligned with the mission, fostering a focused and unified direction for fruitful impact.
Equipping and Empowering Ministry Leaders
To provide customized coaching, facilitation, and tools for board chairs, senior ministry leaders, and pastors helping them navigate governance challenges and enhance their leadership capacity. This support strengthens their ministry, amplifies their impact, and encourages them to faithfully represent Christ in all they do.
Get in touch for a complimentary conversation and to start your journey with Five Smooth Stones Consulting
Spotlight on Heather Card
Heather brings a unique blend of practical experience in the charitable sector, non-profit finance, and biblical theology to each engagement. Whether you need to align your mission and values, create or update a board policy manual, establish a process for performance feedback, or develop strategic plans, Heather is here to guide you every step of the way.
How We Make a Difference
At Five Smooth Stones Consulting, we are dedicated to helping churches and Christian ministries thrive by strengthening their governance and leadership. Led by Heather Card, we partner with your board and leadership team to help clarify your mission, refine your strategic direction, and built a healthy, Christ-centered board culture. Our services are designed to create lasting impact, empower effective leadership, and ensure your ministry fulfills its mission with clarity and purpose.
Our services include
Mission & Values Alignment
Facilitating in-depth discussions to ensure your board has a clear, shared understanding of your ministry’s mission and values, ensuring every decision is aligned with your calling and purpose.
Strategic Planning Support
Working closely with your board and ministry leaders to develop actionable, mission-driven strategies and plans that guide long-term growth, maximize impact, and stay true to your vision and values.
Ministry Evaluation
Guiding you in assessing how effectively your ministry is fulfilling its mission, helping you establish meaningful evaluation indicators and processes to ensure continual progress.
Board Policy Manual Creation
Developing a customized board policy manual that outlines governance processes, defines boundaries and limitations, clarifies roles & responsibilities, and fosters accountability among your board and senior ministry leaders.
Coaching for Board Chairs
Offering personalized coaching for new board chairs empowering them to lead confidently and fostering a collaborative, effective board culture.
Board Self-Evaluation
Developing thoughtful evaluation questions and efficient processes for regular board assessments, enabling your board to reflect honestly on its own performance and improve effectiveness.
Performance Feedback for Senior Leaders
Facilitating respectful and constructive performance feedback for pastors and ministry leaders that focuses on faithfulness to mission, honouring agreed-upon expectations, mutual respect, and accountability.
Custom Facilitation & Retreats
Designing tailored retreats and facilitation sessions that address your specific challenges and enhance alignment and renew your board’s vision and energy.
Services are available in-person or virtually.
Get in touch for a complimentary conversation
Let Five Smooth Stones Consulting help you build a governance framework that’s both biblically grounded and operationally effective. Together, we’ll empower your leadership to make a lasting, transformative impact in your ministry and community.
Testimonials
We highly recommend Heather to any organization. Her expertise in governance, experience and insight all converged to create materials and workshops that were exactly tailored to who we are as a ministry. Heather is reassuring to work with, and the outcomes are brilliant.
Stacey Campbell, President & CEO, Prison Fellowship Canada
Working with Heather has been a delight. She is knowledgeable and clear, but more than that she has the wisdom to skillfully support and guide us through conversations. She brings governance to life as one who deeply cares for the church.
Andrew McGregor, Lead Pastor, Grande Prairie Alliance Church
We deeply appreciated how Heather led us through the day (exploring Jesus-centered governance, unpacking our Ends statement, and prioritizing strategic themes) and what she enabled us to accomplish.
Greg Reader, Board Chair Kentro Christian Network
Heather's combination of research, best practice, and theological integration provided a rich learning opportunity for our leaders. As well, her online facilitation was engaging and invited participation from those attending.
Graham English, Assistant Superintendent – Leader Development, The Western District of the Alliance Canada