LEAD PASTOR ADVISOR
YOUR CHURCH
NEEDS A
CHIEF
STRATEGIC
OFFICER.
THIS IS THE
NEXT BEST
THING.
Ongoing strategic partnership for growth-minded lead pastors who want a trusted, external voice in their corner — every month, all year long.
2 sessions/mo · Quarterly on-site visits · Monthly community calls · Full Toolkit access
Application required · Availability limited
“Gavin’s insight and expertise have not only helped us innovate but also accelerated both my personal leadership growth and our organization’s overall progress.”
Bryant Golden
Senior Pastor, Centerpoint Church — Tampa, FL
THE PROBLEM NO ONE TALKS ABOUT
GOOD WORK HAS AN
EXPIRATION DATE
WITHOUT SOMEONE TO SUSTAIN IT.
You did the work. Maybe you went through a planning process, built some new systems, got your team aligned. For a season, things moved. The clarity was real. The momentum was real.
And then life in ministry resumed at full speed. Staff changes. A season of crisis. A building project. A new campus. And slowly — not dramatically, just gradually — the plan started collecting dust. Not because it was a bad plan. Because there was no one left to champion it.
This is what most church leaders quietly experience after any consulting or coaching engagement ends. The work was good. The relationship was valuable. And then it was over — just when the church was finally ready to use what had been built.
2 sessions/mo · Quarterly on-site visits · Monthly community calls · Full Toolkit access
The Lead Pastor Advisor relationship doesn't expire. So the progress doesn't end.
A MONTH IN THE RELATIONSHIP
CONCRETE, CONSISTENT, AND BUILT AROUND YOUR CHURCH.
Here’s what the Lead Pastor Advisor relationship looks like month to month:
EVERY MONTH
1:1 COACHING
SESSIONS
60 minutes each. These aren’t check-in calls. They’re working sessions — strategy, decisions, accountability, and forward planning.
+ One monthly community call with fellow Lead Pastor Advisors. See Section 6.
EVERY QUARTER
MULTI-DAY
ON-SITE VISIT
Gavin in your building, with your team. Working sessions, leadership conversations, culture assessment, planning — whatever your church most needs that quarter, including preaching on Sunday.
ALWAYS
UNLIMITED TEXT +
EMAIL ACCESS
Ministry doesn’t wait for scheduled calls. When something comes up — a staff situation, a board conversation, an unexpected decision — Gavin is available.
WHAT PASTORS BRING TO SESSIONS
- Strategic decisions that need a trusted outside perspective
- Staff challenges that are too complex to think through alone
- Ministry systems that need evaluation or redesign
- Upcoming leadership or board conversations to prepare for
AND THESE, TOO
- Vision and direction questions that need clarity before they reach the team
- Personal leadership pressures that affect the whole church
- Growth barriers that keep resurfacing without resolution
- Annual planning, quarterly reviews, and goal-setting work
FULL SCOPE OF THE RELATIONSHIP
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO LEAD WITH CLARITY AND CONFIDENCE — MONTH AFTER MONTH.
| WHAT YOU GET | WHY IT MATTERS |
|---|---|
|
→ 2 coaching sessions per month (60 min each) |
Consistent strategic input — not once a quarter when things are calm, but every month regardless of what ministry throws at you |
|
→ Quarterly multi-day on-site visits |
Being present in your building with your team produces different results than remote coaching. Gavin sees what you can’t see from inside. |
|
→ Monthly pastor community calls |
A closed community of vetted Lead Pastor Advisors working through similar challenges. Peer learning no conference can replicate. |
|
→ Full Intentional Church Toolkit access |
Every framework, system, and resource Gavin has built — updated regularly and yours as long as the relationship continues. |
|
→ Unlimited text + email between sessions |
Ministry decisions don’t wait for scheduled calls. Neither should your access to strategic support. |
TWO PATHS INTO THIS RELATIONSHIP
BUILT FOR TWO KINDS OF PASTORS.
PATH 1
Intentional Church Intensive Graduates
You completed the 12-month Intensive and felt what’s possible when someone who knows your church is consistently in your corner. The work was real. The momentum was real. You don’t want that to end.
The Lead Pastor Advisor relationship is the natural continuation of the Intensive — without the defined timeline, because the work doesn’t stop when the calendar does.
PATH 2
Growth-Oriented, High-Complexity Lead Pastors
You lead a church with enough complexity — multisite, rapid growth, significant staff, major strategic decisions — that you need sustained outside strategic support, not a one-time engagement.
You’re not looking for a coach. You’re looking for a trusted strategic advisor who understands both ministry and organizational leadership at the level your church requires.
THIS IS NOT FOR:
- Pastors looking for a program with a defined start and end date — that’s what the Intentional Church Intensive is for
- Passive participants who want accountability without engagement
- Leaders who aren’t ready to bring an outside voice into their leadership team conversations
- Pastors in acute crisis who need a different kind of support first
A DIFFERENTIATOR NO COMPETITOR OFFERS
YOU DON'T JUST GET GAVIN. YOU GET A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE LIKE YOU.
Ministry leadership is one of the loneliest jobs in the world. You carry the weight of decisions you can’t fully share with your team. You face challenges your peers at most churches have never navigated. And the people in your life who love you most often don’t fully understand what it costs to lead well.
Every month, Lead Pastor Advisors gather for a live community call — a closed, confidential conversation with other pastors who are at the same level of investment in their own leadership and their church’s growth.
This isn’t a webinar. It isn’t a coaching group. It’s a room of growth-minded lead pastors who are serious enough about their church to invest at this level, vulnerable enough to be honest about what’s hard, and experienced enough to have something useful to offer.
WHAT IT IS
- A monthly live group call (60–90 min)
- Facilitated by Gavin around a specific topic or challenge
- Open Q&A and peer discussion time
- Confidential — what happens in the call stays in the call
- Recorded for advisors who can’t attend live
WHAT IT PRODUCES
- Perspectives from pastors who are working through the same challenges
- Honest conversation that doesn’t happen with your staff or board
- Relationships with peers who understand your actual job
- The confidence of knowing you’re not the only one navigating complexity
- Ideas and approaches that would have taken years to discover alone
“Gavin has been crucial as we have sought to refine strategies to help those who attend our church take easy and obvious next steps. Over the last year, we have seen engagement rise in adult attendance, first-time guests, volunteers, and giving.”
Jonathan Watson
Senior Pastor, Beachside Community Church — Fort Walton, FL
WHAT LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP PRODUCES
“Gavin’s insight and expertise have not only helped us innovate but also accelerated both my personal leadership growth and our organization’s overall progress.”
Bryant Golden
Senior Pastor, Centerpoint Church — Tampa, FL
“As a coach, Gavin’s external perspective clarified our vision and helped us build a better model for our community. As a mentor, his ministry experience allows him to encourage our team while providing unique insight. RCC is better because of Gavin. And I am a better pastor, leader, and communicator because of our relationship.”
Paul Smith
Senior Pastor, Rivertown Community Church — Marianna, FL
“Working with Gavin the past 8 months has completely changed the way I communicate. His strategy for preparation, and his feedback on sermon delivery has helped me to communicate in a way that is clear, helpful and hopeful.”
Dallas Darnell
Associate Pastor, Encounter Church — Boston, MA
Ready to see if the Lead Pastor Advisor relationship is right for you?
Apply below. Gavin reviews every application personally.
HOW IT WORKS
A STRAIGHTFORWARD PROCESS.
NO PRESSURE.
THE RIGHT FIT OR NOTHING.
01
Apply
Fill out the short application. Gavin reviews every one personally. Response within a few business days.
02
Conversation
If it looks like a fit, Gavin reaches out to schedule a real conversation. Not a sales call — a genuine conversation about your church.
03
Decision
If both parties feel it’s the right fit, you set a start date and schedule the first monthly sessions.
04
Month One
Gavin gets up to speed on your church’s current challenges, priorities, and context. The relationship begins.
BOARD OR ELDER APPROVAL NOTE
An ongoing monthly advisory relationship at this level often requires board or elder awareness, if not formal approval. That’s expected and appropriate.
Once you’ve had your initial conversation with Gavin, he can provide a one-page engagement summary you can share with your leadership team. Most boards find the conversation straightforward once they understand what the relationship covers and what it produces.
You don’t need board approval to apply or to have the initial conversation. That step typically comes after you’ve decided this is the right direction.
COMMON QUESTIONS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is there a minimum commitment?
Yes. The Lead Pastor Advisor relationship requires a minimum 6-month commitment. This isn’t arbitrary — it’s the amount of time needed for the relationship to develop enough trust and context to produce real results. Most advisors continue well beyond the initial commitment once they experience the value.
What does the relationship look like in a quieter season vs. a complex one?
The structure stays consistent — two sessions per month, quarterly on-site visits, and community calls. What changes is what you bring to those sessions. Some months are strategic and forward-looking. Others are more reactive and supportive. The relationship’s value comes precisely from its consistency: Gavin is there regardless of what season your church is in.
How is this different from the Intentional Church Intensive?
The Intensive is a 12-month defined engagement with a structured arc — four quarters, specific deliverables, and a defined finish line. It’s built to transform how your church operates. The Lead Pastor Advisor relationship has no defined end date. It’s built for pastors who want a permanent strategic advisor in their corner — either as a continuation after the Intensive or as the primary engagement for high-complexity churches.
What happens if I leave my church or take a new role?
The relationship is between Gavin and the pastor, not the church. If you transition to a new role or church, the relationship can continue through that transition if you both choose. Many pastors find that having an advisor who knows their leadership history is especially valuable during seasons of transition.
Do my staff or elders need to be involved?
Not necessarily. The primary relationship is between Gavin and the lead pastor. Many advisors choose to keep the coaching relationship private and selectively share insights with their team. Quarterly on-site visits may naturally involve key staff, but that’s your call to make.
What does the investment look like?
Investment details are discussed personally as part of the application conversation. This is a significant ongoing relationship and the investment reflects the scope — eight coaching sessions per quarter, quarterly on-site visits, monthly community calls, full Toolkit access, and unlimited in-between access. If you’d like a general sense of the investment range before applying, Gavin is glad to discuss that in the initial conversation.
AVAILABILITY IS LIMITED
READY TO STOP LEADING ALONE?
Applications are reviewed personally by Gavin.
If it looks like a strong fit, he’ll reach out to schedule a real conversation about your church, your challenges, and whether this relationship makes sense.
Application required · Gavin reviews every application personally · Availability limited
