Brian Thorstad, Author at Helping Churches Thrive

Churches And Politics: Rethinking The Issue, Part Two

Perhaps you’ve noticed that it’s becoming increasingly difficult for pastors and churches to simply “stay out of politics.” As our nation strays farther and farther from a Judeo-Christian world view, an increasing number of Biblical-moral-ethical issues have become societal and even political issues. Our church members are grappling with these developments all week long, and…

Churches And Politics: Rethinking The Issue, Part One

For a number of years, I’ve urged pastors and churches to stay out of politics. While writing for a mega-blog, I tried twice to write posts about this subject. The editors were so concerned about staying away from politics that they wouldn’t print my posts about staying out of politics! (A bit extreme, I thought.)…

Three Ways To Engage Seniors In Your Ministry

With help from Pastors Mark Phillips, Scott Ehle and George King “Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly, and revere your God. I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:32 “Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as…

Pastors And Churches: Prepare Your Board For The Future

“…men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do-“ I Chronicles 12:32 “Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them.” Acts 6:3 Nobody wants to prepare for a crisis. It’s a lot of…

Too Big For Your Britches: How To Kill Your Small Church By Acting Like A Big Church

“God must love poor people; He made so many of them” Anonymous, but attributed to many sources Grownups had a saying when I was a child: “Don’t get too big for your britches!” It meant, “Don’t get too high an opinion of yourself” or “Don’t be proud and arrogant” or “Don’t pretend to be something…

The Ill-Fitting Staff Member: The Best Solution For Many Situations

“A change will do you good” From the song by Sheryl Suzanne Crow, Sheryl Crow, Jeffrey Trott and Brian Mcleod “…dig up your unplowed ground…” From Jeremiah 4:3 and Hosea 10:12 I’ve written two posts now on the subject of ill-fitting staff members: church employees who – however gifted and dedicated – never were or…

The Ill-Fitting Staff Member: Four Possible Solutions

“It was he [the risen Christ] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists and some to be pastors and teachers…” Ephesians 4:11 “…speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” …

The Ill-Fitting Staff Member: How Does This Happen?

Like an ill-fitting pair of shoes, ill-fitting staff members make for painful experiences for both the staff members themselves as well as the churches they serve. It’s not easy to address these situations, but it’s important that we face the facts and get these individuals re-trained or re-deployed. Today’s post will be the first of…

Full Disclosure Vs. No Disclosure: Part Two

Last week I wrote about the conundrum of what to tell a congregation when a staff member has resigned or been dismissed under less-than-ideal conditions. We explored the options of: Full disclosure – Telling a congregation the gory details of the departed staff member’s failures, or No disclosure – Saying nothing publicly about the departure,…

Full Disclosure Vs. No Disclosure: How Much Should We Tell?

Here’s the scenario: Your church’s youth director has just resigned. He was well-liked and seemed to be effective. Most of the church has no idea what went on behind the scenes. Only a few leaders know that there were character issues, accountability issues, communication issues, philosophy-of-ministry issues and eventually, personal issues between the senior pastor…

The Myth Of The Young Pastor

I’m not picking on young pastors. Not by any means. Young pastors (and their families) are wonderful. Nor am I picking on churches which like young pastors. Good for them. In fact, I want to commend every church on the planet which is aging but interested in younger pastors because they’re concerned about reaching the…

What We Can Learn From “New Pastor Revivals,” Conclusion

Last week I wrote about “new pastor revivals,” those wonderful seasons of new enthusiasm and excitement that follow the installation of a new parson in an old parsonage. I mentioned that while it’s not usually a “revival” in the historic sense of a powerful movement of the Holy Spirit among a group of Christians, it’s…

What We Can Learn From “New Pastor Revivals”

Many years ago, my wife and I observed that churches with new pastors frequently experience new excitement, new enthusiasm and new growth. At some point we coined the term, “new pastor revival.” Of course, it’s not usually “revival” in the historic sense of a powerful movement of the Holy Spirit among a group of Christians…

Four Ways To Reform Your Killer Committees

Criminal justice experts debate whether those guilty of homicide can be reformed. Conservatives tend to say “no,” liberals tend to say “yes,” and Christians often say that since regeneration transforms the worst of us into new individuals, that fact should at least be taken into consideration by parole boards. But that’s not my area of…

Your Kommittees Could Be Killing Your Church

I’m not an anti-committee iconoclast. I only know one committee joke: Q – “What’s a camel?” A – “A horse put together by a committee.” That’s it, and now I have that out of my system. Committees can actually be wonderful: I’ve seen pastoral search committees that served God well by helping their congregations locate…

Brian’s “Peace Verses”

Psalm 3:5,6 “I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the LORD sustains me. I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.” (NIV) Psalm 4:7,8 “You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep…

Surviving Those No-Win Pastoral Situations, Part Two

“I am greatly encouraged. In all our troubles, my joy knows no bounds.” …

Surviving Those “No-Win” Pastoral Situations

I imagine that people in other professions also experience “no-win” situations. It just so happens that, having been a pastor for many years, and working with many of them now in coaching and consulting relationships, I’m tuned in to the dilemmas in which the leaders of churches sometimes find themselves. Such as: A beloved staff…

Why Pastors Go Away Mad

I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest – I would flee far away and stay in the desert; I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.” Psalm 55:7,8 Last week I wrote about the sad phenomenon of…

“Our Pastor Just Went Away Mad”

I’m sorry to say that I have heard these very words from the leaders of more than one congregation, sometimes followed by the question: “Now what?” This should almost never happen of course. Pastors, of all people, should know how to – as the old saying has it – “just go away,” instead of going…

Seven Ways Board Members Can Make A Big Difference

Board members get picked on a lot: Q – “What’s the definition of a board? A – “Dead wood.” “A camel is a horse put together by a board (or a committee).” “A board is a group of highly competent people who get together once a month and act like complete idiots.” But in truth,…