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Category: Church Structure

What Structure Can And Cannot Do

I have to admit it. I’m a structure guy. Even during periods when evangelicals seem intent on denigrating the importance of Biblical, workable, church structures, I’ve stuck to my guns: good structure can help a church to function well. But it certainly can’t do everything. Biblical, workable, understandable constitutions, by-laws, governance systems and policies have…

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

The Board At Its Best

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

Sample Elder Covenant

NOTE: I’ve been a part of writing several elder board covenants. This one is my favorite.   As elders (Acts 20:28-10; I Peter 5:1-4) we pledge ourselves to: Watch our relationships with God carefully, knowing that we are only as useful to each other and our church as we are close to God. Acts 20:28 Make…

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Filed Under: Church Boards And Staffs, Church Structure

Models for Elder Ministry

There are many models for how elders "do" their work and what is expected of them. This tool is for pastors and elders to work through together.  It will help you talk through your different understandings and come to agreement on what kind of elder meetings and expectations you want to have.    Download Elder…

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

Is There Hope For The Congregational Church?

My impression is that increasing numbers of pastors of evangelical churches today (2011) have “just about had it” with congregationalism, that form of church government which invests every member with the right to speak up, vote and get involved in decision-making processes.  Pastors – not just those who lack patience, but those who want their…

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

Do We Have To Have These Business Meetings?

Many  pastors enjoy church business meetings as much as root canals.  A trip to a proctologist or a funeral for a thither is a more welcome event on the calendar.  “Do we have to have these business meetings?” they groan to no one in particular. Far too often these necessary-but-evil events turn out too long, too boring…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Church Structure, Leadership

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 – 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

STRATEGY – Strategic Planning Template #8

Introductory Quotes:  Do you agree or disagree?  Why or why not? “For most churches, doing anything intentionally would be an improvement.”  Anonymous “Vision is worthless without strategy.” Attributed to Aubrey Malphurs “…anyone who fails to define their strategy is not only foolish but also demonstrating poor management of the time, talents and treasure of their…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Church Structure, Strategic Planning

Three Steps To Great Leadership In Your Organization

In an earlier post (Three great expectations for a leader) I’ve described some “best practice” leadership expectations for organizations that want to achieve real mission success: Expect your leader to dream – to pray down a vision from God for your organization. Expect your leader to design – to implement a strategy for mission fulfillment…

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

Book Review: Designed To Lead

What? Another book on leadership? Yes it is, but Designed to Lead (The Church and Leadership Development) has a different take on the subject. As the subtitle suggests, Eric Geiger and Kevin Peck’s 2016 book focuses on the place of the local church in developing leaders for the whole wide world. Their thesis is that…

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

Four Ways Great Churches Keep It Simple

“Out of complexity, find simplicity.” Albert Einstein Not everything in life is simple, of course. There’s doing your taxes. Or getting your new computer up and running. Sigh. But the longer I live, the more I value the genius and the hard work which it takes to arrive at the elegant simplicity that is on…

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

Three Reasons To Kick Robert Out Of Your Church

No, I’m not talking about Elder Bob, or Deacon Robert or Youth Guy Robbie, I’m talking about the ubiquitous Robert’s Rules of Order. No offense is intended to Henry Martyn Robert either. The US Army Major meant well when he published his Pocket Manual of Rules of Order for Deliberative Assemblies in 1876. Robert was…

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

If Not Robert’s Rules, Then Whose Rules?

In a recent blog, Three reasons to kick Robert out of your church, I wrote about the problems involved in using Henry Martyn Robert’s famous Rules of Order in churches. They’re not consistent with the New Testament leadership pattern, They’re not consistent with a Biblical philosophy of leadership, and They open the door for ungodly,…

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

Encountering Dysfunctional Church Systems

In the 1962, Western classic, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” Jimmy Stewart plays a fresh-faced young lawyer, Ransom Stoddard, determined to bring law and order to the wild west town of Shinbone. Before he even makes it into town he is robbed and brutally beaten by the outlaw bully, Liberty Valance. As much as…

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

Three Reasons Why Board Members Should Let Their Pastors Lead

I want every board member reading this to know that I greatly respect you. I’ve walked miles in your moccasins. I know how smart you are, how knowledgeable you are, and how much you’ve invested in your churches. Nevertheless, you need to let your church’s “lead” pastor lead the church that you have poured so…

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

More Reasons To Let Your Pastor Lead

In an earlier blog (“Three reasons why board members should let their pastors lead”) I spoke directly to board members and made a case for allowing your “lead” pastor to actually lead your church: to be the one who comes down from the mountain with both a vision and a ministry strategy for your church….

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

The Pastor As A “Player’s Coach”

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

Pipelines, Pathways And The Church’s Supply Chain Crisis

Everybody knows that we have a supply chain problem in America in 2022.  It’s irritating.  It’s frustrating.  And it’s hard to put a finger on exactly what the problem is.  All I know for sure is that there are a lot of items “missing” when I go to the store. After twenty-two months of the…

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

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…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Church Structure, Disciple Making, Seriously Troubled Churches, Strategic Planning

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…

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