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A Ministry of Church Health Consulting

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Why Did A Good God Send Me To Pastor A Bad Church?

May 5, 2026 By Brian Thorstad

I recently dedicated four posts to the question of “Why would a good God send us a bad pastor?” (Click here for the first of the four.) I followed it up with a post on how to recover from a “bad pastor” and what a church member should and should not do if his church […]

Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Healthy Pastors, Pastoral Transitions, Seriously Troubled Churches

Why Did A Good God Send Me To Pastor A Bad Church? (Part Two)

May 13, 2026 By Brian Thorstad

Back in my childhood there was a TV show called “Queen for a Day” which I watched with my mother when I was home sick from school.  Each show was a contest between women – mostly housewives (we called them back then) – who had endured miserable lives, dealing with one catastrophe after another. After […]

Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Healthy Pastors, Pastoral Transitions, Seriously Troubled Churches

Why Did A Good God Send Me To Pastor A Bad Church? (Part Three)

May 20, 2026 By Brian Thorstad

Back in the 1990’s, I attended the same big, wonderful pastor’s conference year after year. I often showed up at the conference in tough shape physically, for it was always held during the peak days of my “big-time” allergy season. I would cough all night – sleeping in a storeroom at times so as to […]

Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Healthy Pastors, Pastoral Transitions, Seriously Troubled Churches

Why Did A Good God Send Me To Pastor A Bad Church? (Conclusion)

May 27, 2026 By Brian Thorstad

I would guess that most pastors have believed, at one time or another, that they have been sentenced to serve as the pastor of a “bad church.” The problem is inherent in the job itself: In the best-case scenario, serving as the solo or senior pastor of a church is a challenging role. In far […]

Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Healthy Pastors, Pastoral Transitions, Seriously Troubled Churches

The Pastors Who Should Pursue Church Revitalization In A Cohort

June 2, 2026 By Brian Thorstad

I’m just now (June, 2026) wrapping up a one-year revitalization cohort with four great pastors from three states. It has been a joy.  I have learned a lot from these guys and I’m pretty sure that they and their churches have each been helped significantly. We met via Zoom, once a month for 12 months, […]

Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Healthy Pastors

Let’s Invite The Young Into The Greatest Movement Ever

October 31, 2025 By Brian Thorstad

“Son, that’s just the way it is. Some things will never change.” Bruce Hornsby, 1986 Since the assassination of Charlie Kirk there’s been a lot of great discussion about the movement he had begun and how attractive it was, and is – now more than ever – to young people. This has been a great […]

Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Disciple Making, Theology

15 Ways To Solve Our Pastor Shortage, Part One

March 25, 2025 By Brian Thorstad

The pastor shortage has become a serious matter in the evangelical world.  A friend just told me that in his region of his evangelical (“Bible-believing”) denomination they will be losing one third of their pastors within the next few months.  One third! My own thoughts about how we got to this point will become apparent […]

Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Pastoral Transitions

Taking On The Crowd: 23 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Rebuking Your Congregation

January 8, 2025 By Brian Thorstad

Sooner or later, most pastors will sense that it’s time to “take on,” confront, rebuke or correct their congregation. Some combination of (1) his people’s words or behaviors (2) a compelling teaching of the Bible (3) the constraint or leadership of the Holy Spirit, or (4) the pastor’s own impassioned spirit, will convince him that […]

Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Healthy Pastors, Seriously Troubled Churches

Welcome Home!  Meeting The Assimilation Challenges of 2024, Part Two

January 10, 2024 By Brian Thorstad

I hope you like the “horror” genre, because I have an assimilation horror story for you: A pastor friend of mine was visiting a congregation which was joyfully celebrating the ordination of the young man who was about to become his associate pastor.  During the service, the pastor announced that there would be a potluck […]

Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization

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Testimonials

Pastor Josh Brown I wanted to send you an update. We are two years removed from your [comprehensive assessment] visit to us. Half the church is 18-30 years old. We are reaching a wide array of hurting people. The Lord has been kind to us! We have more ministry than we know what to do with. Thanks again for all you did for us!  We have a really great church!
Pastor Josh Brown
Pastor Darin Kirkman
I am so grateful to God for Brian, his ministry, and his friendship. As a result of his assessment and coaching, my church has experienced unmistakable, God-given renewal. We are increasingly living out our church's mission which is to love and glorify God by making disciples of Jesus Christ. This is clearly showing in terms of spiritual depth (i.e. more people are maturing as Christian disciples) and spiritual width (i.e. more people are becoming Christian disciples). Our communication is clearer, our structure is stronger, our leadership development process is better, our facility stewardship is more proactive, and our cultural mindset is now set on eagerly advancing the kingdom of God. I strongly recommend the Church Whisperer to you.

Pastor Darin Kirkman
Elder Jim I wanted to let you know that we have really made some huge changes in the last few months.  We are seeing new people every week and we had a leadership meeting with 23 in attendance. Pastor ______ is doing well and God is doing amazing things.  Thanks for your support, prayers and love for the church!
Elder Jim
A New Church-Goer ...thank you for your messages at [our church] over the past weeks.  I just started going to _____________ while you were there and hadn't been to church in decades.  Your messages kept me coming back...  Thank you for helping me find my way back to God.
A New Church-Goer
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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