Ellen Baxter

Ellen Baxter helps congregations and organizations discover new possibilities for their future through collaborative leadership, strategic visioning, and thoughtful change management. Drawing on decades of experience across nonprofit, corporate, and faith-based settings, she guides leaders as they discern how their gifts can best serve their communities.

Ellen's work as a consultant brings together a unique blend of experience across faith communities, nonprofit leadership, and corporate strategy. Known as a connective leader, she helps groups recognize new possibilities for their future through collaborative leadership, strong programs, and agile change management. Her favorite projects involve building partnerships that foster purposeful programs while engaging leaders directly in the hands-on work that leads to innovative solutions.

For more than 25 years, Ellen’s consulting and advocacy work has focused on issues such as homelessness and poverty, mental health awareness, empowerment of older adults, and support for victims of domestic violence. She believes deeply that every person deserves a fair voice in society and often helps organizations build partnerships that combine resources to better serve their communities.

Ellen’s work with churches centers on project assessment, program development, strategic visioning, board and team development, leadership coaching, and conflict transformation. She has served as a consultant across 22 states and currently pastors two congregations in West Marin County in Northern California, where she collaborates with small faith communities to discover creative ways to engage their neighborhoods.

Consultant Q&A
What inspired you to serve as a church consultant or coach?

I answered a call to ministry after a career that spanned corporate, nonprofit, and artistic spaces. Churches are made up of people from many walks of life who seek a place where they can share their faith with others. Because congregations are shaped by the communities that surround them, I am led to utilize my background as a guide and collaborator, helping churches identify their gifts and live into who and where God is calling them to be in this season of their history.

What are your primary areas of focus?

Project assessment and management, program creation and development, strategic visioning, board and team development, leadership development, coaching, and conflict transformation.

Can you share a memorable success story or impact from your work?

The greatest impact I see comes in collaborative settings, particularly in leadership development and change management. Watching groups work together for a common purpose—willing to learn, grow, and take risks—is one of the most rewarding parts of this work.

How do you integrate your personal faith and professional training in your consulting?

Daily prayer and meditation are an important part of my life, along with my work as pastor of two small coastal community churches. I draw from those practices and encourage congregations to share their own stories of faith. In my consulting, I often use an Appreciative Inquiry approach that centers dialogue on the stories and testimonies of the people within the congregation.

What kinds of churches or leaders do you feel most called to work with?

I genuinely enjoy working with all types and sizes of faith communities. However, the most meaningful work often happens when leaders bring a collaborative spirit, openness to possibility, a willingness to take risks, and a deep appreciation for the gifts already present within their congregation.

Why does this work matter personally to you?

I have been part of many congregations throughout my life, and I am passionate about what the church represents as a place for community to gather both as family and as a beacon for its surrounding community. Because churches are made up of people and our relationship with God is deeply personal, congregational life can sometimes feel messy. What inspires me is the hope that emerges through stories of change and forgiveness, and how that hope strengthens relationships and shared faith.

Favorite quote

“Never place a period where God intended a comma.” — Gracie Allen

What states are you available to serve?

I am available to consult with congregations across all 50 states.

Email Ellen