Meet Dave Den Haan, Your Consultant for Classis and Council Leadership

What is a Thrive Ministry Consultant?

Ministry Consultants bring together a wide array of experiences and expertise that allow them to serve congregations with wisdom and compassion. They are practitioners, pastors, and seasoned ministry leaders who are eager to develop tools or serve as resources for the wellbeing of your congregation.

In what areas of ministry do you encourage and equip congregations? 

My primary area of work is church conflict. I come alongside churches when they are going through relationship tensions, organizational stress, and ministry challenges. It’s a wonderful place to do ministry because when people see problems immediately before them they are often motivated to do something. My work is to help them do something good and hopeful, something that goes beyond an immediate fix, and sets the stage for long lasting fruitfulness. 

This work puts me alongside terrific resource people at the classis level, people like Church Visitors and Regional Pastors. With that in mind, part of my work is to provide these colleagues with training and support. I see them as on-the-ground partners in the good work of helping churches and pastors to thrive together, and I want to help them do their work with confidence and joy. 

Another key area of work for me is the Specialized Transitional Ministers (STM) program. I provide coordination and leadership for the twenty-plus STMs that we support. These are ministers who serve churches for a year or so, to help those churches navigate change well, perhaps after the experience of conflict or the departure of a pastor who has been there for more than ten years.

How did you come into your role? 

I had been at a congregation in Michigan for eighteen years, and was ready for something different. I had thought that “different” meant a different congregation until my wife saw an ad for a ministry consultant to work for Pastor Church Resources, one of the organizations that became Thrive in 2023. She pointed out the ad, and suggested applying. It took some convincing, but she was persistent, and I’m glad that she was. 

The work is, as I often say, “endlessly fascinating”, and the seven years here have brought me into spaces and places where grace shows up as it is sorely needed. I get to watch God at work, sometimes wishing that he would be quicker, sometimes awed at what he accomplishes, and always glad to have a front row seat. 

I get to work with great people– both at Thrive and within the congregations I enter. I see colleagues who love Jesus and the church, readily supporting congregations and pastors with their specialized work. I see council chairpersons thrust into situations that they did not anticipate when they signed on, but with a little encouragement and guidance they step into those situations in beautiful and helpful ways. I see where selfishness and pride have done deep damage to the Body of Christ, and I see people functioning in that context with grace and hope. It’s a privilege to be with them.

What brings you the most joy as you journey alongside churches and ministry leaders? 

There are special moments, sometimes in large group gatherings, sometimes in council rooms, sometimes in individual lives, in which people are newly gripped by grace and they let go of their pride, their plans, their priorities. They realize the truth of what has happened and, significantly, they see what role they have played in the pain. They are finally ready to collaborate around a better way forward. Sometimes those moments don’t come. But when they do, my soul sings. 

How can congregations connect with you?

Visit the Thrive website at crcna.org/thrive/consultants