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Category: Disciple Making

Why We Must Get Disciple-Making Back Into The Christian Life

Here’s what I’m concerned about… In the New Testament, sharing one’s faith, personal efforts to make disciples by individual disciples, is the norm: Jesus wasted no time in sending the twelve, and then the seventy, into Judea and Galilee. As busy as he was, Jesus regularly modeled personal disciple-making for his 12 men-in- training (John…

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Filed Under: Disciple Making, Healthy Pastors, Leadership

Ten Questions To Identify Your Church’s Actual Mission

Does your church have a mission statement?  If it’s an evangelical church, it probably does. What does it say?  More than likely, it says something to the effect of: “We exist to make disciples” – defined as growing, devoted followers of Jesus.  Writing a mission statement is a “slam dunk” because this imperative is so…

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

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

Five Observations About The Turn Inward

  Sometimes a wrong turn can be tragic, sending a ship to the bottom of the sea, a motorist onto the wrong lane of the highway or a passenger jet onto the wrong runway.  In churches it’s often the turn inward which sends the congregation on a one way journey to obscurity. Here are five…

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

What’s the Church for anyway?

About twenty years ago I thought we finally had it right. My own enlightenment came through Sonlife Ministy’s Dann Spader: The church is for making disciples out of the raw material of lost people. This involves winning the lost, building up the believer and equipping the worker. Refreshing. Challenging. Simple. Biblical. Unarguable. Or so I…

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Church Health/Revitalization, Disciple Making

QUICK GUIDE – Is My Church A Healthy Church?

A Worksheet For Individual Or Group Use 1. What is a healthy church? Why do we have differing opinions on this? Because it’s a theological (ecclesiological) question.  Your theology of the church determines your definition of a healthy church. Common views from a couple of decades ago: “A healthy church is a church that’s getting…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Disciple Making, Quick Guides, Seriously Troubled Churches

Falling In Love With Our Communities

Isn’t it amazing what love can do to a normal human being?  Take the 16 or 17 year old guy.  His whole life has been about himself.  He’s never done anything very unselfish, let along sacrificical, nor has he given any lavish gifts to anyone. And then SHE comes along!  He’s head over heels in…

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

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

Prepping Your Church For The Next Pandemic

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

Prepping Your Church For The Next Pandemic, Part Two

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

Your Church Can Be Irresistible

“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

Your Church Can Be Irresistible, Part Two

“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

Even Larger Churches Can Offer The Welcome Of God

(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

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

Five Reasons Why We Must Storm The Gates

Before Jesus gave his disciples the New Commandment (John 13:34,35) or the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), he pronounced the Great Prediction of Matthew 16:18 (NIV): “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” There’s no actual command here. …

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

How We Can Storm The Gates Of Hades

‘Need something exciting to do?  Does your church need an exhilarating new mission or purpose?  How about “storming the gates of hades,” a phrase used by Jesus in connection with his first mention of the church?  Here’s Matthew 16:18 (NIV) in its entirety: “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock…

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

More Great Ways To Storm The Gates Of Hades

In a post worship service discussion, a member of my congregation took me to task for comparing churches to support groups.  What I meant was that as Christians in churches, we support and encourage each other as we go through life.  What she heard, however – and, of course, every attendee hears a slightly different sermon…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Disciple Making

Three Reasons To Not Bring Your Politics To Work

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may…

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

Three Dangers In Mixing Politics And Religion

It’s easy to mix a little politics in with our Christianity. As evangelicals, we avoid the old “social gospel” like the plague, as well we should. The social gospel is what the Apostle Paul would call, “another gospel which is not another,” (Galatians 1:6) for it confuses the good news that Christ came to die…

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

Book Review: I Once Was Lost

Delightful. That’s my one word review of the book by Presbyterian pastor Don Everts and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship coordinator, Doug Schaupp (IVP Books). The two have extensive experience in leading college-age postmodern skeptics to faith in Christ; more than two thousand of them, in fact. Their book is based on a great deal of listening…

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Disciple Making, Strategic Planning

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

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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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