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Category: Church Health/Revitalization

Experiencing God’s Leadership

“In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers…While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’”  From Acts 13:1-2 After many years of believing that church leaders were pretty much “on their own” with…

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Filed Under: Church Boards And Staffs, Church Health/Revitalization, Leadership, Pastoral Search Teams

Maximize Your Church’s Joy!

My Grandpa Thorstad was a wise guy and a tease. He usually had a twinkle in his eye and a trick up his sleave.  After his daughter, my Aunt Evelyn, moved to California, she praised her newfound “land of milk and honey” ad nauseum. My gardening-fanatic grandfather was constantly beguiled with stories of California’s bounty….

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Seriously Troubled Churches

Seven Reasons Why All Churches Need Ongoing Revitalization

I’m no science guy but I know how to Google, and I discovered this morning that 50-70 billion cells in the human body die – and are replaced with new ones – every day. Cell types that experience the greatest turnover are skin cells, blood cells and some of the cells that line structures like…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization

Eight Ways Churches Practice Ongoing Revitalization

In a recent post I shared Seven Reasons Why All Churches Need Ongoing Revitalization. Without thoughtful, intentional effort, even the most vibrant congregation will slip, almost imperceptibly, off the peak of the church life-cycle mountain. It’s much more pleasant to stay on top than to try to stop a congregation which is on a downward…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization

Three Ways Revitalizing Your Church Is Like Remodeling Your Home

“Revitalizing your church is like remodeling your house: It will take more time, cost more money and create a bigger mess than you ever could have imagined.                 But in the end, it’s worth it.” Anonymous   I have loved that observation for a long time now, and…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Consulting Help

Fresh Starts Needed; How Nostalgia Holds Us Back

Many church leaders are telling us that there isn’t going to be a return to “normal” any time soon, or ever.  Even if your “good old days” were in 2019 (instead of 1955), the 2019 version of “church as usual” isn’t coming back. Even churches which weren’t even slightly interested in experiencing revitalization are facing…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Leadership, Theology

Can The Government Destroy The Church?

“On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.  Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church.  Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Theology

Four Opportunities For The New Year

“The secret of the Christian life is a series of new beginnings” George Sweeting In my home area of northwestern Wisconsin there is a village which is prospering and attractive.  It’s not my home-town, I’m sorry to say, it’s ten miles up the road.  Back during my adolescent years, my village was prospering and the…

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

Senior-itis And Senior Pastor-itis

I think we all know what senior-itis is: the arrogance/impatience/excitement of the high school senior who feels like she’s: (a) an adult, trapped in a child’s existence (b) so much smarter than her parents (c) a college student on the inside who is suffering terribly by having to attend high school and live with her…

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

Ten Questions For The Post-Covid Church

I’m seeing a lot of internet traffic these days on the subject of the Post-COVID Church: the way evangelical Christianity is going to look, in America, after the pandemic is over.  I appreciate every attempt I’ve seen and heard to make sense of this crazy year and to predict the future. I don’t have a…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Leadership, Theology

Is There Hope For The Small Town Church?

God brought me on a journey so I could meet Joe Humrichous (pronounced: HUM rick house). The physical journey was an uneventful trip to northeast Indiana. The spiritual journey was more exciting.  I had just finished writing, A Really Great Church! in which I sought to point my readers to the sufficiency of Christ for…

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Church Health/Revitalization, Leadership

The Church In Motion

The following is a sermon which I’ve preached in many churches.  I turned it into this article for the Spring, 2021 edition of Revitalizer magazine. Like most couples who’ve been married for a long time, Donna and I are very much alike in some ways and yet still very different in other ways.  On our…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Disciple Making

Becoming Effective Leaders (BEL) Groups For Pastors

Those of us who serve Jesus as pastors deeply long to lead churches which are powerfully used by God to make real disciples – devoted followers – of our Savior.  We want to lead disciple-making, transformational churches and we don’t want to just “spin our wheels” until it’s time to retire. But how do we…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Consulting Help, Healthy Pastors

Twenty Observations About Troubled Congregations

By Peter Steinke I have worked with troubled churches for 20 years. I never cease to learn from these experiences. The list below includes some of what I have learned about congregations in times of conflict: 1. Most people are interested in relieving their own anxiety rather than managing the crisis or planning for a…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Seriously Troubled Churches

QUICK GUIDE – Getting To Sticky (Effective Pastor/Board Relationships)

The term and the concept of “Sticky” pastor/board relationships has been borrowed from Pastor Larry Osborne’s iconic book, Sticky Teams. Describing Sticky – Here’s what we mean by a Sticky church leadership team: 1.The senior (or solo) pastor is a godly and loving man who truly cares about each member of the church board and…

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Filed Under: Church Boards And Staffs, Church Health/Revitalization, Church Structure, Healthy Pastors, Leadership, Quick Guides

QUICK GUIDE – Structure For Success

  When it comes to church structure (constitutions, by-laws, policies, flow-charts, etc.): What works? What kind of structure is conducive to disciple-making effectiveness? The following are 30 “bullet point” sized suggestions. 1. Mission and vision driven – (or purpose driven) – What is your church for? Who is it for?  What is it supposed to…

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Filed Under: Church Boards And Staffs, Church Health/Revitalization, Church Structure, Quick Guides, Seriously Troubled Churches

QUICK GUIDE – Discipleship Pathways – Strategies For Discipling

  Increasing numbers of evangelical church leaders believe in “intentional disciple-making.”  This means having a plan, a system, a process for bringing new believers to maturity in Christ.  We encourage every church to decide on a discipleship pathway for their own congregation.  It may be very imperfect, but an imperfect discipleship pathway is far better than none…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Disciple Making, Quick Guides, Strategic Planning

QUICK GUIDE – Training Elders

I agree with Pastor Larry Osborne that the health of a church begins in the board room. Pastor/board unity is the key to church unity.  The leadership of a united board will usually be followed by a united church.  We believe that elders should be trained for their critically important role.  It is not enough…

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Filed Under: Church Boards And Staffs, Church Health/Revitalization, Leadership, Quick Guides

INTRODUCTORY THOUGHTS – Strategic PlanningTemplate #1

Some say that strategic planning (hereafter: SP) is a trend in the business world and therefore shouldn’t be applied to the church. However: The fact that it’s trendy in the business world doesn’t make it wrong. SP should be judged by Biblical and practical criteria, on its own merits. Planning, with humility, the fear of…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Strategic Planning

PURPOSE: Strategic Planning Template #2

  Is there a difference between mission  (what the church is supposed to DO) and purpose  (the ultimate reason for why the church EXISTS)? 1. Some evangelical writers/thinkers say “no,” there is no difference and leave it at that. 2. Other evangelical leaders confuse the issue (in my opinion) by coming up with several  purposes…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Strategic Planning

FINDING OUR MISSION: Strategic Planning Template #3

Jesus wasn’t always easy to understand but He did make the church’s mission clear and simple. Study Matthew 28:16-20 – There is only one command here in the original language.  What is it? Three participles (ing words) describe how the command gets done.  What are they? Going – this is the action that we must…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Strategic Planning

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Testimonials

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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