Mustard Seed Consulting

04/08/2026

The Cost of Tradition
This is a great time to review not just how well Easter services and Holy Week went - but it the time to ask the question: What can we do better? Who are we missing when we do the same things every Easter? Who do we know is in our community but does not feel welcome or never hears a welcome?

This great blog from Holy Cow has the starting points for the review and discussion about what try to next — because your mission is never not in need of trying something new!

Discover how churches can balance tradition and innovation, fostering growth while honoring their history. Embrace change for effective ministry.

10/31/2025

Bethany Lutheran Church in Rice Lake, WI is celebrating their 150th anniversary year. This church is a beacon of God’s light in Christ. They are also dealing with sadness and loss.

In June, the sudden and unexpected death of their dear, cherished and highly gifted Pastor Arthur Bergren put the people of Bethany back in pastoral transition.

Dedicated to remaining faithful to their mission of Loving God and Loving People, the Council and Bridge Pastor Sue Eidahl have chosen to work with us again to invite all members to take the Church Assessment Tool. This invites all members to share their voice to inform the process of identifying and selecting new pastoral leadership.

The CAT will open to Bethany members and friends on Sunday, November 23 and close on Sunday, December 14.

In 2020, Bethany faced the retirement of their Lead Pastor and chose to use work with us by using the CAT to gain data-based evidence from the voices of all members to inform the process of calling a new pastor.

If your church would like to learn more about the benefits of the Church Assessment Tool, a product of Holy Cow Consulting, send us a message. We would be happy to share more.

10/24/2025

We are asked this question all the time: “Why aren’t young people engaged in the church anymore?”

The most common priority (of 17 choices) revealed by thousands of people who engage with the Church Assessment Tool (CAT) every year is this:

“Make necessary changes to attract families with children and youth.

We see this every time we present the CAT results to church leaders.

Read this blogpost by Holy Cow Consulting. Then consider having us lead your congregation in a process to discover ways to make your church effective and healthy in its mission!

Wondering why you arent getting young people in like you used to? Trust us, you're not alone.

Check out our newest blog to understand how you can help!

https://holycowconsulting.com/blog/

09/10/2025

After a busy summer serving five congregations, Mustard Seed Consulting is getting ready to get out during Wisconsin's autumn colors .

So, it is ideal to be looking to Northern Wisconsin for our next church gig. The good people of Servant of Christ Lutheran Church in Park Falls will welcome us next month as they finish the assessment called "Conversations."

Conversations was created in a collaborative effort among Holy Cow! Consulting and small congregation specialists from ELCA synods and regional associals from major mainline protestant denomincations around the country.

Like the CAT, Conversations is a benchmarked assessment. It is designed for pastoral transitions and strategic planning in congregations with less than 35 persons in worship either in person or online.

Data tells us over and over again, that small congregations can be vital systems doing Christ’s work in the community and the world. Taking the time to be intentional about next steps is essential for these congregations.

We are eager to spend time with Servant of Christ leaders and share and discuss data-driven insights as they look to their future.

If you are part to a smaller congregation and would like to learn more about our services, please be in touch!

07/30/2025

We know from working with over 55 congregations in recent years that Churches that use the data from the Church Assessment Tool learn valuable insight and when they apply it to raise satisfaction it also results in higher health and vitality. This post from HCC shows proof of it.

If you’ve worked with us in recent years, go back to your Vital Signs report and refresh what you learned. If you’re looking for a read on your congregation, contact us. We would be happy to schedule a time to work you this fall!

Church leaders ask us all the time can an assessment make a difference in our church’s future? And the answer is, if you are willing to do the work, yes.

This is data from a church that had low satisfaction and energy in 2021 when they first took the Congregation Assessment tool. They listened, used the growth edges from the results, and did the work. In 2025, they took the assessment again and now have high energy and satisfaction which has led to stronger community and growth. It wasn’t easy but God has led them to a new place.

Is your congregation ready to do the work of deep listening and strategic next steps? We are here when the answer is yes.

07/09/2025

This month the people of Calvary Lutheran Church of Willmar, MN will engage with the online assessment called the “Church Assessment Tool” - the CAT - provided by Holy Cow Consulting.

Calvary leaders are using the CAT to give their members a voice in the work of pastoral transition. But they know that the CAT will provide much more as it:
* Measures satisfaction and energy in the congregation.
* Identifies strengths of the church’s culture.
* Discovers where members would like to go in the future.
* Gauges readiness for change.
* Provides a read on people’s intentions during the transition.

The CAT is the most respected benchmarked instrument for churches and has been used in 6,000 congregations across many denominations for over 20 years.

We welcome Calvary to the long list of churches served by Mustard Seed Consulting, LLC. Contact us if you would like to learn more about how we might serve your church.

07/03/2025

This week summer we are working with a well known church in the most populated region of the NW Synod of WI to provide evidence based insight to inform pastoral transition.

The leaders of Our Saviors Lutheran Church, in the beautiful river city of Menomonie will be inviting all their people into sharing their voices and views by using the highly regarded instrument from Holy Cow Consulting called the Church Assessment Tool (CAT). From this leaders will learn what members are most interested in when considering a new pastor and other significant dimensions of their future.

If your church would like to benefit from this process that invites all voices to join - and gives leaders strong, insightful and reliable evidence on a wide range of measures of church health and vitality, give us a shout. We would be honored to serve your church and work with your leaders.

06/18/2025

This week, Mustard Seed and its new associate Tim Schmidt provided evidence based insight to the leaders of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Bloomer, WI.

Using the highly regarded instrument from Holy Cow Consulting called the Church Assessment Tool (CAT) to inform pastoral transition, a clear majority of members provided their voices. In this leaders, learned what the members are most interested in when considering a new pastor. They also learned about their culture and their strengths that can be leveraged as assets in building and developing ministries to be more effective in mission.

If your church would like to benefit from this process that invites all voices into meaningful and fruitful conversation with reliable evidence, give us a shout. We would be honored to serve your church an work with your leaders.

05/05/2025

This spring the leaders of St. John’s Lutheran church in Bloomer, WI have chosen to invite all the people of their faith community to engage with the Church Assessment Tool. This congregation wide effort will guide their steps during pastoral transition.

The CAT will offer St John’s leaders reliable and insightful data regarding such things as the congregation’s culture, strengths and desires for improving their outreach and mission. They will also have a clearer idea of what gifts, passions and skills people desire to see in their next pastor.

The C.A.T - a tested and respect assesment from Holy Cow Consulting -makes this possible and is the best tool available to churches today.

Mustard Seed Consulting is available to you and your church. Contact us today!

04/26/2025

We are excited to be working with the leaders of Big Drywood Lutheran Church, Cadott, WI as they move through pastoral transition and into a new era in an increasingly complex world.

Big Drywood members will be participating in a benchmarked assessment designed for the smaller congregation this spring. It is called “Conversations” and is a 21 question online survey which provides leaders valuable insight and understanding for guiding pastoral transition.

Conversations™was created in a collaborative effort among Holy Cow! Consulting and small congregation specialists from Presbyteries, Episcopal Dioceses, ECLA Synods and other regional associations around the country.

Contract us to learn more about how “Conversations” can benefit your church during pastoral transition and in times when you want to gain reliable and data-driven insight from your members.

04/26/2025

We have furthered our service to congregations wanting a data based reading and analysis of church strength through “Conversations” - an assessment for the smaller congregation.

“Conversations” is similar to the CAT (Church Assessment Tool” ) as a benchmarked assessment designed especially for pastoral transitions and strategic planning in congregations with 35-50 persons in worship either in person or online.

Data tells us that small congregations can be vital systems doing Christ’s work in the community and the world. Taking the time to be intentional about next steps is essential for the smaller congregation.

We are using “Conversations” in more congregations today and the results have been positive! For a small financial investment and a simple amount of time to get the assessment set up and available to your members, you can find new understanding of your church’s strengths and your members desires for the future.

Contact us to learn more about “Conversations” and the benefits available to your church.