Flourish Coaching

09/03/2026

Performance thinking changes how we see ourselves and everyone around us.

When I evaluate myself or another person mainly by how well we performed, I am no longer relating through the gospel. I am treating success and failure as though they determine our standing.

But the Christian life begins somewhere else: **not with how well I performed, but with how Jesus performed in my place.**

That changes the posture I bring into leadership, disagreement, failure, and community. I can tell the truth about myself and others without making performance the final word.

Follow us here so you don’t miss Season 5 of the Church Renewal Podcast when it launches this fall:
https://www.churchrenewalpodcast.org/765722/follow

07/20/2026

Westkirk Presbyterian Church is seeking its next Senior Pastor.

Located in Urbandale, Iowa, just 15 minutes northwest of downtown Des Moines, Westkirk is a warm, multigenerational PCA congregation with an average worship attendance of about 215.

The church values Christ-centered expository preaching, reverent and musically rich worship, Reformed theology, and genuine Christian fellowship.

Westkirk is looking for a spiritually mature, relational shepherd who can preach faithfully, lead with conviction and gracious strength, develop elders and staff, bring diverse people together in the same congregation, and help guide the congregation toward deeper unity and outward mission.

Read the Lead Pastor Packet and learn how to apply:

https://www.westkirk.org/senior-pastor-search

Perhaps you should apply. If not, please share this with someone who may be a strong fit.

07/16/2026

Quick post GA 2026 reflections from Matt. If you missed the Session Communication seminar, you can find it here https://youtu.be/PV0Hy5p4bbE?si=nBeUCx60L4wGBFyN

06/30/2026

Good Session communication does not begin when an announcement is made. It begins with how the Session discerns.

In this full seminar from the PCA General Assembly, Flourish Executive Director Matt Bohling explains why communication problems are often rooted in the decision-making process itself—and how elders can build trust by discerning carefully, communicating consistently, and taking the congregation on the journey.

Matt offers practical guidance for Sessions seeking to move beyond managed conflict, communicate difficult decisions faithfully, navigate confidentiality, and develop a regular rhythm of communication as an act of shepherding.

Healthy communication is not merely an organizational task. It is an act of love and care for Christ’s church.

Watch the full seminar here: https://youtu.be/PV0Hy5p4bbE?si=CY9Ora6yTxuXi3pY

Good Session communication does not begin when an announcement is m...

06/24/2026

We’re at GA 2026 in Louisville this week, sharing what Flourish has learned from walking alongside Sessions and churches as they make consequential decisions.

For those who could not join us, we’ll publish the full Rethinking Session Communication seminar on YouTube next week. Here’s another glimpse of what’s coming.

What was the fruit of the Jerusalem Council’s community spiritual discernment?

All of us.

The gospel went to the Gentiles as free grace because the early church did the hard work well, both in its decision-making and in its communication.

That is the aim for every session facing a difficult decision: not merely managing conflict, but having a spiritual conversation robust, honest, and prayerful enough to say to the congregation:

“It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.”

That is more than management. That's community spiritual discernment.

06/23/2026

We’re at GA 2026 in Louisville, and we’re grateful to be here sharing some of what Flourish has learned from walking alongside sessions and churches in difficult seasons.

We also want to bring the Rethinking Session Communication Seminar to those who were unable to attend. We’ll publish the full-length video on YouTube next week. Here’s a glimpse of what’s coming:

“If they only knew how hard this was.”

The sleepless nights. The late session meetings. The prayers, apologies, and difficult decisions no one else sees.

Your congregation may never fully understand what faithful leadership has cost you. And they may not need to.

Your Father knows.

He saw the prayers in the middle of the night. He saw the work done in secret. Elders, you can bank on that.

06/17/2026

Some church decisions feel heavier than others.

In this video, Robert Benedict, a PCA ruling elder and former Flourish client, reflects on the moment his Session had to face the reality of their congregation’s condition.

The church was tired. Trust had been strained. The congregation had declined. And the Session was facing options no elder wants to put before the people:

Call a pastor.
Fold.
Or merge.

That kind of conversation is not theoretical. It is heavy because it is about the life of a congregation, the care of Christ’s people, and the future of a local church.

Robert says it plainly: “I was afraid our church wasn’t going to exist.”

Many ruling elders know this kind of weight. The responsibility to shepherd faithfully when the path forward is unclear. The desire to move quickly, but the fear of moving unwisely. The need to trust the sovereignty of the Lord while still making real decisions in real time.

For ruling elders headed to General Assembly: if your church is approaching a season where the next decision feels consequential, we’d be glad to talk.

You do not have to carry that weight alone. Connect with us at at GA 2026 in Louisville https://www.flourishcoaching.org/ga2026

**Video: When the Future of the Church Feels Uncertain**

06/15/2026

Mistrust in a church rarely appears out of nowhere.

It is usually preceded by miscommunication, misunderstanding, unclear expectations, and conversations that should have happened but didn’t.

In this video, Robert Benedict, a PCA ruling elder and former Flourish client, reflects on what he learned serving in his former congregation that moved from strain into crisis.

One of the warning signs was not simply conflict. Every church experiences conflict.

The deeper warning sign was mistrust taking root: between members of the congregation, between the congregation and the Session, and even among leaders themselves.

When that happens, elders cannot afford to treat communication as a secondary matter. Communication is part of shepherding.

For ruling elders heading to General Assembly: if your church is beginning to show signs of mistrust, relational strain, gossip, or communication breakdown, this is worth paying attention to before the crisis deepens.

Struggling in this way? Meet us at GA and lets talk. https://www.flourishcoaching.org/ga2026

**Mistrust usually starts as miscommunication.**

06/12/2026

Wise eldering in a time of pastoral transition means taking your time to be wise.

It means resisting the fear and anxiety that so often drive churches to act prematurely. It means recognizing that a failed transition costs far more than a careful one ever will.

The costs are not only financial, though they are financial. They are also spiritual, relational, and missional. A failed transition can set a church back years.

But there is a better way.

Churches that take the time to answer the hard questions, face their present honestly, and seek the long-term good of the flock are far better positioned to receive and retain the right pastor.

That kind of leadership is not flashy. But it is faithful.

May the Lord give Elders wisdom and courage for this work.

Struggling through a church transition? Going to GA 2026 in Louisville? Sign up and join us here https://bit.ly/4u1COT5 for an informal gathering with your peers, supported by Flourish.

06/11/2026

Naming a church’s weaknesses plainly can be both relieving and painful.

In the second video from our series with Robert Benedict, a PCA ruling elder and former Flourish client, Robert reflects on what it was like for his Session to have the congregation’s weaknesses named clearly.

Many Sessions already know where the weaknesses are.

They know the patterns.
They know the subjects that are hard to discuss.
They know the places where the church’s culture, process, or habits are not serving the congregation well.

But knowing something is there is not the same as having the permission, language, or outside perspective needed to name it faithfully and begin working on it.

That is part of why outside help can be so valuable.

Not because it replaces the leadership of the Session, but because it can help elders see more clearly, speak more honestly, and shepherd more intentionally.

As Robert says, when those weaknesses are named, it can be “relieving, challenging, and humbling.”

For ruling elders headed to General Assembly: if your Session knows there are things it needs to name, but has struggled to know how, we’d be glad to talk. Find us at GA in Louisville: https://www.flourishcoaching.org/ga2026

**Video 2: Naming Weakness Is Both Relieving and Painful**