The CBA1 Consulting Business Model

1. Servant Leaders:

Every servant leader needs seminary-level training, but not every servant leader can afford seminary-level tuition and time. Likewise, every church and religious organization desires professional ministry resources, but not every pastor/ministry leader knows where to receive the resources they desire.

Churches will, from time to time, be in need of legal, architectural, and accounting services to provide guidance and resources in ministry matters that are beyond the scope of members’ experience and knowledge. While these services are essentially needed, many of today’s churches can neither afford to retain nor staff a CPA, architect, nor an attorney on a consistent basis. The more efficient and affordable way of accessing their gifts and knowledge is to…

“Retain their professional services for specific projects and specified periods of time.”

The Church Business Administration Network is similar to the consulting services provided by Lawyers, Architects, and Certified Public Accountants with three main exceptions.

  1. CBA1’s “retainer” is for churches and religious organizations desiring to train servant leaders (staff, clergy, and ministry leaders) and provide much needed ministry resources.
  2. CBA1’s focus is ministry-based consulting on “all things ministry” to include Church Business Administration and Church Finances.
  3. CBA1 accepts donations for its regularly scheduled, virtual training sessions. (Additional fees apply for individual training sessions provided for individual organizations.)

CBA1 is YOUR ministry resource, providing you with the “classroom” resources and learning experience without the “classroom cost.”

Here’s how we do it.

  1. We’re Innovative!
    We’ve created one “cutting edge” model of ministry training and made it available to EVERYONE WITHOUT EXCEPTION! No matter the congregational size or budget, from the small rural church to large state and national conventions, CBA1 is available to meet your ministry training needs. 
  2. We’re Affordable!
    All resources and training provided on CBA1’s virtual campus (www.cba1.org) are donation based. This means you determine how much you pay to receive the virtual training and resources you need for your ministry!
  3. We’re Available!
    CBA1’s network of consultants provide an average of 50 virtual training sessions each year. This is in addition to in-person training sessions and guest speaking engagements provided for churches and religious organizations. This means you choose the schedule of training sessions you would like to attend!
  4. We’re Convenient!
    In addition to CBA1’s regular schedule of virtual and in-person training opportunities, CBA1 also provides the WhitNotes (Dr. Whit’s Notes) Resource Library as well as CBA1-On-Demand, The Church Business Administration Network’s catalog of lectures and ministry training sessions. This means you study and learn at a time and location that best fits your schedule!
  5. We’re Relevant!
    CBA1 provides training in ALL areas of servant leadership within the religious community. If it involves leadership of the people of God in any capacity of ministry, The Church Business Administration Network is your one-stop shop for servant leadership training and ministry development. This means you select the training topics that best fit your ministry and leadership needs!
  6. We Deliver!
    When you go to a store, you expect to receive an immediate “deliverable.” Well, CBA1 Delivers! That’s the expectation. When you need it. Where you need it. How you need it. Your donation is not for membership nor “dues.” You don’t have to wonder how your donation is being used, nor do you have to wait to receive that which you have “purchased.” The Church Business Administration Network offers “Fruit-of-the-Spirit Customer Service”. Every time you attend a CBA1 training or donate to access a CBA1 resource, you will receive an immediate deliverable of ministry training and/or resources to help guide you in ministry AND an abundance of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit to bless your soul as well!
  7.  Finally, We’re Worth It!
    That’s what pastors, clergy, church staff, and servant leaders are saying after attending our training sessions or accessing our resources. Dollar for dollar, our goal is “Servant Leadership” where you're to receive a “Christ experience” rather than a “church experience” every time you enter our doors.

With The Church Business Administration Network, the entire leadership circle of your church can receive affordable, available, convenient, relevant, AND WORTH IT!

So, don’t just dream of receiving professional-level ministry help, training, and resources. CBA1 is here to make your dreams come true!

2. Consulting Training Offered

All Ministry Consultants desiring to “partner” with CBA1: The Church Business Administration Network are encouraged to participate in Transitional Church & Transformational Leadership provided by CBA1: The Church Business Administration Network founder and owner, Dr. William H. Whitaker, II. CBA1: The Church Business Administration Network Consulting Training provides professionals with the essentials for successful ministry consultants. It is my (Dr. Whitaker’s) desire that new ministry consultants start where I am in my consulting career and not where I began in 2002.

3. CBA1: Virtual Campus

The Church Business Administration Network Virtual Campus Provided: CBA1: The Church Business Administration Network encourages all “Network Partners” to utilize the CBA1: The Church Business Administration Network virtual campus. Campus privileges include…

  • Posting of CBA1: The Church Business Administration Network partner training sessions on the www.cba1.org virtual campus for the CBA1 community to see
  • Eventbrite Registration platform & services to receive registration for your consulting sessions
  • Listing your Ministry Consulting Business in CBA1: The Church Business Administration Network’s monthly “On Trial in the Church” Newsletter

    *Monthly Virtual Campus Usage fees are associated with the use of the CBA1: The Church Business Administration Network virtual campus.

4. Consulting Availability:

CBA1: The Church Business Administration Network utilizes a hybrid ministry consulting platform meaning that ministry consulting is available both in-person and virtually (online) to churches, conventions, religious organizations, and followers of the Lord, Jesus Christ with one requirement. The church/organization must have access to strong levels of Wi-Fi and the Internet. To fulfill this important key principle of availability, CBA1: The Church Business Administration Network partners with other ministry consultants who have church employment experience in a specific area of ministry leadership.

5. Affordable for Client Churches/Ministries:

While ministry consulting is not “free”, it should be structured in such a way that it is affordable for all who need to receive its services. With much of the religious community experiencing declines in membership, attendance, and financial giving, CBA1: The Church Business Administration Network’s business model reduces the cost of providing its services by being a “virtual campus” with no brick-and-mortar overhead. CBA1: The Church Business Administration Network then provides its training and consulting services to churches, conventions, and religious organizations of all types for an amount that is usually less than a part-time salary.
All CBA1: The Church Business Administration Network consultants are…

  • Self-employed, Business Owners with a valid business license permitting the consultant to “do business” and provide their ministry in the church. Much like a legal, CPA, or HVAC company that provides services to churches as a part of its “business”, CBA1: The Church Business Administration Network consultants are self-employed, business owners with the exception that our “business” is “ministry” and “leadership training” within the religious community.
  • 1099 Classification for Tax Purposes: With many churches not able to afford to staff nor retain the services of a full or part-time Certified Public Accountant or finance/business manager to coordinate and handle staff taxes, CBA1: The Church Business Administration Network consultants assume the burden of filing our own taxes as self-employed, 1099 business owners. Ministry Consultants are responsible for handling our own taxes, meaning that CBA1: The Church Business Administration Network ministry consultants are responsible for reporting all income received for services provided as a part of our ministry consulting “business”.
6. Cost-Effective for Consultants:

Donation-Based Compensation (Independent Consulting Compensation): The amount charged by CBA1: The Church Business Administration Network consultants to their clients for independent consultations/training sessions is 100% at the discretion of the consultant. However, it is requested and recommended that all CBA1: The Church Business Administration Network consultants commit to providing their independent consulting services for “donation-based” compensation, which means “whatever the ministry, church, or organization can afford.” This is accomplished by providing your clients your “standard rate for services” and requesting that they (your clients) then state the “donation” amount they can afford, with the request that it is both respectful to the consultant and reasonable for the church/organization’s budget. No matter how small or large the church or organization’s budget may be, CBA1: The Church Business Administration Network-related consulting is asked to be made affordable because the costs of most CBA1: The Church Business Administration Network services are dependent upon what the client church/organization is able to afford and donate to the consultant.

7. Typical Ministry Consultant Terms
  1. Ministry Consultants work for multiple churches/organizations and are not obligated to disclose their clientele list beyond those requested as work references.
  2. Work provided by the Ministry Consultant is copy-written by and the intellectual property of the Ministry Consultant and may be used by the Ministry Consultant in his/her work with other churches/organizations.
  3. The payment and funding of all copyright expenditures is the personal responsibility of the Ministry Consultant.
  4. Ministry Consultants are not a part of the church/organization’s staff, but are self-employed business owners hired to provide specific ministry services for specified periods of time (usually not less than 4 to 6 months).
  5. Ministry Consultants primarily work from home or a place of their individual choosing, and are not required to work from the church’s/client’s premises or location.
  6. Ministry Consultants have flexible hours with the understanding that the Ministry Consultant will work as long as necessary to complete all assigned/contracted work by the determined/agreed upon deadline.
  7. Client churches/organizations may request the Ministry Consultant’s presence at a meeting, but the Ministry Consultant’s presence is based upon the Ministry Consultant's availability.
  8. Ministry Consultants are responsible for only doing the limited scope of work that he/she is contracted to complete with the client church/organization. The traditional staff employment clause of “All other work as assigned by the pastor/ministry leader” does not apply. Additional charges can/will be assessed for any and all “additional work” requested by the client church/organization that is outside the contracted/agreed upon projects, work, and services.
  9. Ministry Consultants do not receive any benefits from the church/organization. Health insurance, retirement, personal leave, etc. are all the personal responsibility of the Ministry Consultant.
  10. When the Ministry Consultant’s contracted time has expired, the church and the Ministry Consultant have the option for renewal and continued work. However, renewal of the consulting contract is neither required nor guaranteed.