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The Pastor As A “Player’s Coach”

January 5, 2022 By Brian Thorstad

I’ve really been enjoying football lately. The fact that I’m from Wisconsin probably has something to do with this, but I promise that I won’t say anything more about that. But Sunday evening, a couple of broadcasters were singing the praises of Matt LaFleur as a “player’s coach.”  They went on to describe a player’s…

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Filed Under: Church Boards And Staffs, Church Structure

Wanted: The Pastoral Flight Simulator

December 29, 2021 By Brian Thorstad

An old friend and I were having one of those conversations that old friends (or married couples)  repeat regularly: Brian: “It’s so hard to be a young pastor!  There are so many landmines, so many ways to get in trouble!” Old Friend: “The young guys have all the energy; the old guys have the wisdom…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Healthy Pastors

The Three Keys To An Effective Church Revitalization

December 22, 2021 By Brian Thorstad

Most evangelical congregations in America need some degree of revitalization in that they are on the downside of the church lifecycle. This means that there was a time in the past (near or distant) during which the congregation was more effective than it is currently, at making devoted, growing, followers of Jesus out of the…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Leadership

Nickels And Noses: Better Ways To Measure Church Effectiveness

December 16, 2021 By Brian Thorstad

Are we really getting anywhere?  Are we actually making disciples, or just going through the motions, doing what we’ve always done while getting what we’ve always gotten? These are hard but important questions for church leaders to ask. I’m assuming that you agree with me that the church’s #1 “job,” its mission, is to make…

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Filed Under: Church Boards And Staffs, Church Health/Revitalization, Disciple Making

Welcoming Our Post-Apocalyptic Guests

December 10, 2021 By Brian Thorstad

I concede that my title might be a bit wonky, but there’s method in my madness. Everybody knows that most churches lost people by way of the COVID shut down. Some folks decided that if it’s okay to just “watch church” on a screen at home during the shutdown, it should be okay to continue…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Disciple Making

Elders And Congregationalism: Seven Ways To Make It Work

December 2, 2021 By Brian Thorstad

As a seminary student I was taught that there were three types of local church governance (“ways in which decisions are made,” is a good way to explain it): Episcopalian – From the Greek word, episcopos (An overseer or manager as in Acts 20:28). This is church government from the top down, as in the…

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Filed Under: Church Boards And Staffs, Church Health/Revitalization

Giving Thanks For The Future

November 24, 2021 By Brian Thorstad

The last year and a half has been a challenging time for most of us.  I don’t think I’m going to get any argument there. And I’m not going to tell you to be thankful.  But I am going to depart a tad from my usual “helping churches thrive” theme and give you some good…

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Filed Under: Healthy Pastors, Leadership

Slaying The Big Fat Anxiety Elephant

November 17, 2021 By Brian Thorstad

Some of you know that I’m big on slaying elephants.  Elephants in the room, that is.  You can read my “old” post on the subject here.  “Elephants in the room” are subjects that many people are thinking about, distracted by or troubled by, but nobody’s talking about.  They disturb and derail our thoughts, making it…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Leadership, Seriously Troubled Churches

The Church Health Vs. Church Planting Beauty Contest

November 10, 2021 By Brian Thorstad

I hate the word but I’m going to use it anyway.  The word is “sexy” and I’m employing it because it’s the best word I can think of to communicate an important concept: Church planting work is sexy; church health work is not sexy. It’s not that those of us who are passionate about church…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization

Prepping Your Church For The Next Pandemic, Part Two

November 3, 2021 By Brian Thorstad

Our disasters are not without their value if they help us to get ready for the next “go round.”  I didn’t have flight insurance.  They canceled my flight because they didn’t have enough passengers.  I lost my money and had to drive to a more distant airport.  Next time, I’ll be ready. Last week I…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Disciple Making

Prepping Your Church For The Next Pandemic

October 28, 2021 By Brian Thorstad

Something strange is happening in our basements.  The world has become so weird and scary that a lot of people who hate buying groceries – and formerly laughed at the crazy doomsday peppers – are beginning to squirrel away food in their basements. It goes without saying that the COVID pandemic and all that it…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Disciple Making

Even Larger Churches Can Offer The Welcome Of God

October 20, 2021 By Brian Thorstad

(Your Church Can Be Irresistible, Part Three) “People today are not looking for friendly churches, they’re looking for FRIENDS in churches.” Anonymous I’ve been writing about how church members can make their congregations irresistible – very attractive – by offering the welcome of God. Click here for Your Church Can Be Irresistible and Your Church Can…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Disciple Making

Your Church Can Be Irresistible, Part Two

October 14, 2021 By Brian Thorstad

“I have yet to meet the church member who didn’t think that their church was the friendliest congregation in town.” Howard Hendricks  “People today are not looking for friendly churches, they’re looking for FRIENDS in churches.” Anonymous Last week I wrote about how church members can make their congregations irresistible by offering their fellow attendees the…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Disciple Making

Heaven Help Our Church! Study Guide

October 8, 2021 By Brian Thorstad

For a free copy of the Heaven Help Our Church! Study Guide, created to be used with my book, Heaven Help Our Church!, send me an email and I will email you the document. Find me at www.churchwhisperer@gmail.com

Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Seriously Troubled Churches, Uncategorized

Your Church Can Be Irresistible

October 6, 2021 By Brian Thorstad

“What the world needs now, is love, sweet love. That’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.” What the World Needs Now Is Love, Hal David and Burt Bacharach, 1965 America is stressed to the max.  You don’t need me to flesh this out for you; you’re seeing it and experiencing it every…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Disciple Making

The Case For “Face To Face”

September 29, 2021 By Brian Thorstad

“…media means middle; it’s from the Latin for middle.  When you put a device in the middle, between people, you distance us from one another, and this is actually the power of media.  The more I can control the mediating channel, the less you really know about me.”   Andy Crouch, Partner for Theology and Culture…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Leadership

Countering Negativity Bias In Your Organization

September 22, 2021 By Brian Thorstad

In “Negativity Bias And YOUR Organization” I wrote about the unfortunate effects of the human bent toward negativity in human organizations. It was a pretty negative post (of course!) but I promised I would share some hints for countering this pernicious problem.  Here’s how I defined negativity bias: Human beings are “bent” toward negativity.  Negative…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Leadership, Seriously Troubled Churches

Negativity Bias And YOUR Organization

September 16, 2021 By Brian Thorstad

“I plan to live an unhealthy lifestyle and pass away in my cubicle, preferably on a Monday.”  Dilbert “There was a wicked messenger, from Eli he did come, With a mind that multiplied the smallest matter. When questioned who had sent for him, he answered with his thumb, For his tongue it could not speak…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Healthy Pastors, Leadership

The Board At Its Best, Part Two

September 9, 2021 By Brian Thorstad

“Let them [God’s children] exalt Him in the assembly of the people and praise Him in the council of the elders.” Psalm 107:32  I don’t know that anyone has ever described a church board meeting as being “fun,” but I can testify that I’ve participated in some which have been deeply satisfying, God-blessed, Spirit-anointed experiences….

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Filed Under: Church Boards And Staffs, Leadership

The Board At Its Best

September 2, 2021 By Brian Thorstad

Just in case you haven’t heard the old joke: “What’s the definition of a board?” “Dead wood.” To many, a board is a necessary evil.  Churches and other non-profits have to have them; the alternative is a singular leader with dictatorial powers, something that is never a good idea. In my view, when it comes…

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Filed Under: Church Boards And Staffs, Church Structure, Leadership

In Leadership, SPEED KILLS

August 25, 2021 By Brian Thorstad

If you’re old enough, you may remember the anti-drug abuse campaign: SPEED KILLS. If you’re even older, you may remember the highway safety campaign: SPEED KILLS. In leadership, speed can be deadly as well.  Before I explain how, I need to say this first (just in case you don’t know me): I do believe in…

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Filed Under: Healthy Pastors, Leadership

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Testimonials

Pastor Trey Turner "Brian is an experienced and insightful investigator of church systems.  He has real skill in looking at and diagnosing some areas needing attention.  I benefited greatly from his insight.  As a result, our church is benefiting greatly.  The process Brian took us through gave it the encouragement it needed to begin coming out of the 2020 difficulties.  We will work on the insights Brian provided as a roadmap back to better health."
Pastor Trey Turner
Pastor Greg Lund I've appreciated so much Brian's very practical coaching as he's guided me and the leadership of our church as we've sought to become more effective for God's kingdom. His extensive experience in assisting churches navigate a variety of issues makes him highly qualified to help lead churches through congregational change.
Pastor Greg Lund
Pastor Bruce Jahnke
"Our church is extremely grateful for the insight, adaptability and wisdom Brian so graciously contributed to our needs as we transitioned.  Our pastor transition was from Father to Son, which is by definition, difficult.  Yet Brian was able to foresee issues, feelings and responses with high accuracy.  Brian is personable, yet can direct when he needs to help us be reasonable and vision-oriented."

Pastor Bruce Jahnke
Andy Shanholtz I had the privilege of co leading a pastor’s training group with Brian. Brian’s wealth of knowledge and practical experience was an asset to all of us. The interaction with the group and the relationships built was a great value. I highly recommend having Brian facilitate a group to provide invaluable resources and practical knowledge.
Andy Shanholtz
Pastor Jed Manders
Leadership development within cohorts and peer groups has become increasingly popular, and rightfully so. Being involved in Brian’s leadership training group allowed me the opportunity to work through challenges, develop strengths and learn from both reading and peer development.


Pastor Jed Manders
Pastor Mark Pitroff "I have been so privileged and encouraged to be ministered to by Brian Thorstad as I have served as an Interim Pastor here in central Wisconsin.  He has been such a help and encouragement to me and especially, to this church I have served - Faith Community Church of Waupaca.  His leadership in helping us develop the “Journey Wall” enabled us to look back on the church’s history, the high points as well as the difficulties faced, especially in recent years.   Brian has helped FCC recover from a very difficult time…  Brian was such an encouragement to us, especially in the early months of recovery and preparation."
Pastor Mark Pitroff
Pastor Dan Norman “I enjoyed getting to know the guys in the group [and] I appreciated the thought, mind and spiritual challenges presented… I found many things that I was able to immediately apply, and I am still developing next steps that much of the discussion and training of this class helped to build a foundation for. [The handouts on strategic planning] will continue to be helpful in trying to guide our church to being more intentional. This [was] exactly what I was looking for at exactly the time I needed it.”
Pastor Dan Norman
Pastor Steven Boyd  "This course showed me that I, as a solo pastor, have to do things that don’t come naturally to me and has given me some tools to do the hard things.”
Pastor Steven Boyd 
Pastor Brian Schley “I found value in our meetings and am grateful you invited me to be part of it as a ‘future senior pastor.’ I enjoyed being able to be part of the conversations and glean from those beyond me. Thanks for your leadership with the group and your heart for pastors!”
Pastor Brian Schley
Pastor Todd Sauve "It was a privilege to have been a part of a pastors group led by Brian Thorstad. It's always great to learn from other pastors, and someone needs to provide leadership to make that happen. I'm thankful that Brian was willing to do that, and to share from both his successes and failures in ministry. He's honest, humble, and cares about people."
Pastor Todd Sauve

Brian A. Thorstad

Call: 651-319-1953

Email: churchwhisperer@gmail.com

1931 Cook Avenue
Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54494

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