Helping Churches Thrive

A Ministry of Church Health Consulting

Exposing Ten Church Revitalization Myths, Part Two

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In my last post I launched into exposing ten myths about the revitalization of churches.  I began with this “googled” definition: Revitalization is the “action of imbuing something with new life and vitality”. In light of this, admittedly, secular definition, instead of asking if every church needs revitalization, maybe we should be asking if any church doesn’t need […]

Exposing Ten Church Revitalization Myths, Part One

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rēˌvīdələˈzāSH(ə)n,rēˌvīdlˌīˈzāSH(ə)n Noun – The action of imbuing something with new life and vitality. “The city has seen revitalization of its economy” Thanks to Mr. Google for the above. The idea of church revitalization assumes that at some point in time the congregation in question was teeming with life. While this is clearly not the case with every church, […]

“I trust that everything’s okay with you?”

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Just between you and me, I hate that question. It’s almost as thoughtless as the “How ya doin’?” question you get on the way into the convenience store from perfect strangers who have no intention of waiting to hear your answer. Worse yet, “I trust that everything’s okay with you?” – usually spoken with more […]

“Pastor: How’s Your CHURCH Doing?”

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I have many conversations with pastors which include this question.  We talk about lots of other things, from illnesses to children to football, and then I invariably get around to the “How’s your CHURCH doing?” question. Some pastors have the privilege of leading churches which are building the Kingdom of Christ with some real God-given […]

Models of Board Member Ministry – Brian’s Notes

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Two weeks ago, in a post called, Models of Board Member Ministry, I wrote about the endless variations in expectations and assumptions among incoming board (council, consistory, session, elders, deacons) members. Working through my post – as a group exercise – can be a helpful way to movefrom board confusion, disunity and dysfunction to clarity, […]

Models of Board Member Ministry

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Almost every church has some variety of leadership team which meets regularly (or occasionally) to make decisions and help and/or hinder the work of the congregation’s professional staff.  These groups are variously called: the board, the elders, the deacons, the consistory, the session or the council.  The degree of authority which they wield varies greatly.  […]

When The News Is Terrible

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Back in 2022, I wrote some posts which touched on one of my favorite Old Testament prophets, the sensitive, justice-loving, heartsick, singer-songwriter (I think), Habakkuk. (He mentions his stringed instruments in chapter three, verse nineteen.) The writer of the fifth to the last book in our Old Testament was a contemporary of Jeremiah, and a […]

Seven Reasons To Not Publicly Criticize Your Pastor

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Here’s something that never ceases to amaze me.  Church members sit in their favorite spot in the worship service on Sunday morning.  They pray, praise, sing, listen and, through the words of hymns, creeds, prayers and covenants, they commit themselves anew to following Jesus and loving the brethren. The service ends, there’s a ten-minute break, […]

Welcome Home!  Meeting The Assimilation Challenges of 2024

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“People aren’t looking for a friendly church, they’re looking for friends in church.” Anonymous Most evangelical churches today sincerely desire to be friendly. Most evangelical churches today believe that they already are friendly. Most, in fact, believe that theirs is the “friendliest church in town,” and, of course, as a statistical reality, most have to […]

Consider A New Year’s “Physical” For Your Church

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Nobody likes getting a physical, but most of the adults I know get one every year anyway.  We know that it’s the wise thing to do.  Problems are spotted earlier, rather than later, and the healthy habits that some patient physicians take the time to teach us improve and even extend our lives. Churches can […]

Testimonials

Brian A. Thorstad

Call: 651-319-1953

Email: churchwhisperer@gmail.com

1931 Cook Avenue
Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54494

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