As co-founders of The Church Consultants, Jill and Vernon are answering a "call" to assist churches in applying the biblical blueprint for living as a body of believers. Melding their complementary strengths, they work alongside church bodies and their leadership using a variety of methods to envision an effective equipping ministry and work out realistic plans for the local church to achieve that vision.

Jill MacKenzie entered ministry professionally to pursue a passion for matching believers with their spiritual enthusiasm about the same time as churches were beginning to be aware of the importance of developing the laity in ministry. Jill attended Fuller Theological Seminary's Master Program for the laity. During this same period she joined Ms. Sue Mallory as a founding board member of Southern California Association for Lay Empowerment and Development (LEAD). Subsequently she has served on the staff of churches from coast to coast in various equipping ministry positions.

To better serve the church at large Jill felt compelled by God to be more available to work with many churches as a consultant. Understanding the importance of networking, she serves as the founding President of LEAD of the Mid-Atlantic Region and has started a local equipping network for the Susquehanna Valley of Central PA.

Vernon Strawhand has been a leader for over 30 years in the church and business community, with degrees in engineering and management science, Vernon has spent over 35 years in electric utility and consulting work, focused in the area of planning and supervision.

 As a life-long church leader, he has ministered to youth, served on multiple church leadership boards, and chaired teams involved with planning, personnel, staff organization, and the restructuring of leadership teams. In addition, he has attended the Level I and Level II Training Institutes of Leadership Connection, as well as other national conferences addressing lay leadership and equipping. Vernon brings a broad and practical perspective of lay leadership to the consulting team. He is actively engaged in ongoing ministries and is the chair of the Equipping Team at Central Presbyterian Church in Towson, MD. He serves on the board of LEAD of the Mid-Atlantic.

Supporting Consultant

John Mattern has been an active member of various churches his entire adult life and even helped start a church in his home. His church leadership roles have included teacher, elder, deacon, trustee, youth advisor, small group leader, host leader, counseling minister, and lay-care minister. He holds a leadership position on the equipping ministries team at Hempfield United Methodist Church where he is currently a member. In order to better understand how important it is for a church to minister effectively, he attended the Level I Institute provided by Leadership Connection (formerly LTN - Leadership Training Network).

John graduated from Millersville State College with a BS degree in biology and later received a Masters Degree in counseling from Millersville University. After graduating he served in the U.S. Army and then taught sciences in public schools before retiring. During those years, he served as a teacher, SAP counselor, and a football coach.