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Category: Interim Pastoring

A Great Opportunity For Older Pastors

Many pastors in their fifties and sixties are facing a similar scenario: They sense that they are nearing the end of their current pastorates and they are highly uncertain regarding the future. They know that most congregations don’t want pastors who are over sixty, and, in fact, many don’t want pastors who are over fifty….

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Filed Under: Interim Pastoring

Metaphorically Speaking…

The new paradigms in interim pastoring can be hard for people to understand. The “new wave” interim pastor isn’t an intern, a fill in, a substitute or something less than a “real” pastor; I’m thinking of the visitor who heard me a couple of Sundays and then told me that I was good enough to…

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Filed Under: Interim Pastoring

Types of Interim Pastoring

At one time there were only two types of interim pastoring – or, at least only two types had been identified and labeled. There was intentional interim pastoring, wherein the pastor lets it be known that he is not a candidate for the long-term pastorate of the church, and trial interim pastoring, wherein the pastor…

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Filed Under: Interim Pastoring

Putting Two Dollar Plants In Ten Dollar Holes

Or, “How an intentional interim pastor can help your pastor-less church prepare for its future.” Like Moses before him, Episcopal Bishop, Loren Mead received some of the best advice he ever heard from his father-in-law, a skilled and experienced gardener: “It’s better to put a two dollar plant in a ten dollar hole than a…

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Filed Under: Interim Pastoring

Top Ten Reasons For Calling An Interim Pastor

10. He helps keep the giving up. His steady presence sends the message that things are “okay” and his full-time status keeps the need for giving up! “Saving money” during the interim time can often result in diminished giving by the time the new pastor is called. 9. He helps keep the attendance up. When…

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Filed Under: Interim Pastoring

Not Your Father’s Interim Pastor

It wasn’t so long ago that almost all interim pastors were of the traditional variety. They preached sermons, gave pastoral care and basically just kept things afloat until the congregation could call a “real pastor.”  Things have changed. Today’s interim pastors, who sometimes prefer to be called transitional pastors, are doing interim ministry in some…

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Filed Under: Interim Pastoring, Pastoral Transitions

Three analogies for understanding redevelopment transitional pastors

I’ve found that the following analogies are helpful for understanding the new paradigms in transitional (interim) pastoral ministry. The redevelopment transitional pastor is like: A “This Old House” crew member – If you’ve seen the long-running public television show you know the routine: A couple of homeowners sit down with the “This Old House” leaders…

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Filed Under: Interim Pastoring, Seriously Troubled Churches

When Is A Pastor Like The New Sheriff In Town?

In earlier posts I’ve written about the analogies I use to help people understand the new varieties of transitional (or interim) pastoral ministry. I’ve explained that proactive interim specialists, variously called “strategic interim pastors,” “restoration pastors,” “redevelopment transitional pastors” or simply “interventionists,” are like: “This Old House” crew members Dog or horse whisperers Special forces…

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Filed Under: Interim Pastoring, Leadership, Seriously Troubled Churches

When Is A Pastor Like Nanny McPhee?

In an earlier post I wrote about some of the analogies I use to help people understand the new varieties of transitional (or interim) pastoral ministry. I explained in “Three analogies for understanding the redevelopment transitional pastor” that these proactive interim specialists are like This Old House crew members, dog or horse whisperers or special…

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Filed Under: Interim Pastoring, Leadership, Seriously Troubled Churches

Gaining Restoration Authority

Where do strategic (or “restoration” or “redevelopment”) interim pastors get the authority to change so much so fast in the churches they lead? A church-health expert once told me that “all an interim pastor can do is to give a church a good slap in the face.” As one who has been doing interim pastoring…

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

The Big Mo And Interim Pastorates

Here’s a question which is being politely debated within interim ministry circles:  Do interim pastorates which are more than one year long kill the Big Mo…momentum?  The answer is definitely “yes and no.” YES! – If the interim pastorate is a traditional interim pastorate – in which the pastor works less than full time, preaches…

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Filed Under: Interim Pastoring, Seriously Troubled Churches

Joy In The Journey

(Unexpected fringe benefits for the interim pastor or “Guys, have your wife read this!”)    “Ohhhhh yukkkkk!  That sounds awful!  That’s the last thing I’d want to do!  Oh man, you can have that ministry!”  Those words were the actual reaction of a fellow pastor upon hearing the basics of my strategic interim pastor ministry…

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Filed Under: Interim Pastoring

Working Yourself Out Of A Job

(How interim pastors can help their church’s pastoral search committees)   Of the many projects I’ve undertaken as an interim pastor in several churches, helping these church’s long-term pastor search committees has been among the most satisfying.  The help I have given has been greatly appreciated, the task of leading these groups has been comparatively…

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Filed Under: Interim Pastoring, Pastoral Search Teams, Pastoral Transitions

The Surgical Model Compared To Ten Developmental Tasks Of The Interim Congregation

The surgical model involves three stages and as many as ten redevelopment tasks: 1. There's a DIAGNOSIS STAGE that takes about 2-6 months.  The interim pastor will major on getting to know people and getting to know the congregation.   During this time the church may need to get real regarding its history.  Some churches…

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Filed Under: Interim Pastoring

Determining The Level Of Intentionality Needed In An Interim Pastor

Brian's note: Dr. Ken Moberg designed this grid to help church leaders determine the type of interim pastor their church needs.  A "high level of intentionality" is another way of saying, a transitional or transformational (or interventionist) interim pastor, as opposed to a traditional or "maintenance model" interim pastor (or none at all).     

Filed Under: Interim Pastoring

“Enjoying The Ride”

(Or, “How you can survive the pastoral transition at your church”) Psychologists today tell us that stress is an inside job, more of a function of the individual human personality than an inevitable reaction to circumstances.  You could almost say that we make our own stress.  Two people are strapped into the same roller coaster….

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Filed Under: Interim Pastoring, Pastoral Search Teams, Pastoral Transitions

“In Defense Of Playing Defense”

Okay, I might as well admit it.  I’m the guy (or one of the guys) who’s always talking about playing offense, not defense, in the ministry of the church. “I love playing offense,” some of you have heard me say, “I don’t like playing defense, and I hate punting.”  I’m not really talking about football,…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Interim Pastoring

“Playing Twenty Questions”

Elsewhere on this site (“Gaining Restoration Authority) I’ve written about the value of conducting listening sessions at the beginning of a change-oriented interim pastorate.  We have found this to be so valuable that we (Donna and I) would do this in any new pastorate that we would undertake, interim or long-term, no matter what the…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Interim Pastoring, Strategic Planning

The Introverted Pastor’s Survival Guide, Part One

Many people are surprised to hear that a lot of pastors are introverts.  More specifically, they are – in my opinion – introverts in an extrovert’s job. For the record, the basic differences are as follows: Introverts are less outgoing, talkative, enthusiastic and energetic, than their extroverted cousins. Introverts are more oriented to the world…

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Filed Under: Healthy Pastors, Interim Pastoring, Leadership

The Introverted Pastor’s Survival Guide, Part Two

A few years ago I came upon a delightfully different title in a bookstore’s psychology section: Quiet: The Power of Introverts In A World That Can’t Stop Talking.  I wonder if anybody heard me saying “Amen!” as I paged through the book.  Author Susan Cain argued that modern western culture is biased against introverts, noting…

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Filed Under: Healthy Pastors, Interim Pastoring, Leadership

The Introverted Pastor’s Survival Guide, Part Three

I’ve mentioned, in two previous posts on this subject, that many pastors are “introverts in an extrovert’s job.” By an “extrovert’s job,” I mean that the general population, widely believed to be more extroverted than introverted, carves the pastoral model in its own image.  Here’s what I mean: While I’ve had people compliment me for…

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Filed Under: Healthy Pastors, Interim Pastoring, Leadership

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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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