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Category: Seriously Troubled Churches

The Everlasting Gossip Stopper Can Change Your Church’s Culture

Every human organization has a problem with gossip. It follows the association of people with people as night follows day. I’m not talking about the innocuous version of gossip which is simply talking about people. “In Bible times, women met at the village well to exchange the latest gossip.” I’m talking about the harmful kind…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Seriously Troubled Churches

Five Ways To Practice Spiritual One-upmanship

We might as well admit it. We’ve all used spiritual one-upmanship to win an argument or get our way in a board meeting or committee debate. My dictionary defines one-upmanship as “the technique or practice of gaining a feeling of superiority over another person.” Spiritual one-upmanship uses questionable appeals to the Bible, claims to godly…

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

Ten Ways To Respond To Gossip About Your Leaders

It’s out of style in today’s world, but in the value system of God, church leaders are to be held in high honor. I Thessalonians 5:13a says we should “Hold them in the highest regard in love, because of their work.” The “highest regard” means that we treat our church’s leaders as being just as…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Seriously Troubled Churches

One Big, Unhappy Family

For several decades family therapists have been thinking in terms of family systems. Family systems theory says that a key to understanding the behavior of individual family members is the family system to which they belong. Just as individuals affect the system, the system affects individuals, in many cases assigning certain roles to members without…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Seriously Troubled Churches

Four More Characteristics of the Unhappy Church Family

In an earlier post I wrote about how family systems theory applies to local churches. Family systems theory says that families are more alike than different. They’re characterized by patterns, roles and habits which show up in the Jones family from First Street, the Smith family from Second Street and the Swanson family from Third…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Seriously Troubled Churches

Six Ways You Can Help Unhappy Church Families

I’ve done some writing in this blog on the subject of dysfunctional church systems, which I’ve referred to casually as “unhappy church families.” By whatever name, these congregations are often characterized by one or more of the following: Unofficial heads of the family – Someone other than the pastor is the leader Triangles – Three…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, 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

Countering Negativity Bias In Your Organization

In “Negativity Bias And YOUR Organization” I wrote about the unfortunate effects of the human bent toward negativity in human organizations. It was a pretty negative post (of course!) but I promised I would share some hints for countering this pernicious problem.  Here’s how I defined negativity bias: Human beings are “bent” toward negativity.  Negative…

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

The All-Important Partiality Clause

“…an overseer must be above reproach…”  From I Timothy 3:2 (ESV)  “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.  Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of…

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Filed Under: Church Boards And Staffs, Healthy Pastors, Leadership, Seriously Troubled Churches

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

When Church Members Leave

For many of us, the very mention of the subject of church members leaving knots up our stomachs faster than a phone call from the IRS. Painful memories flood my mind as I sit down to write – and I thought I’d gotten “good at” letting people go. Not that we really want to get…

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

The Small Church, Post-Pandemic, Survival Guide

Everybody knows that churches were hit hard by the COVID pandemic shutdowns: Theologically liberal churches lost large percentages of their attendees who don’t seem to be returning. Many of these congregations are closing their doors.  May these buildings be re-occupied by gospel proclaiming “re-start” churches soon, for the glory of God! Larger evangelical churches lost…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Consulting Help, Seriously Troubled Churches

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 – 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

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 – Coaching Staff Members

  You may know the name Marcus Buckingham as the creator of the Strengths Finder inventory and the author of the popular book Strengths Finder 2.0.    We recently had the chance to see Buckingham’s 2017 presentation from the Global Leadership Summit entitled “Reinventing Performance Management.”  The talk was so practical that we want to…

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Filed Under: Church Boards And Staffs, Leadership, Quick Guides, Seriously Troubled Churches

QUICK GUIDE – Church Revitalization

Our awesome God loves to revitalize churches! Some Christian leaders suggest that most churches are so ineffective after thirty years that they should be replaced.  We believe that it is much more glorifying to God when churches are revived, not replaced.  Our observation is that Jesus will remove a “lampstand” when He has to, but…

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Filed Under: Church Health/Revitalization, Leadership, Quick Guides, 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

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

Book Review: Permission To Speak Freely

Doug Crandall and Matt Kincaid’s secular, business world-oriented book, Permission To Speak Freely, makes a great, challenging read for Christian leaders. Here’s the bottom line premise of the book, from page ix of the Foreword (by Shann Ray Ferch):   “By not only listening deeply, but encouraging those around us to speak freely, leaders can create…

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Healthy Pastors, Leadership, Seriously Troubled Churches

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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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