Unearthing the realities of a declining organization is only the beginning. Church leaders must recognize the need for change – change for the better – the need for improvement. One major objective for each of us in all aspects of life is improvement.

We are incessantly seeking to improve some feature or component of life be it physical, intellectual, or spiritual. When we discover certain truths of undesirable development (such as decline in the church), we have two choices: ignore it and let things continue in the direction they are headed or seek and develop strategic plans for improvement. The first choice is like sticking our heads in the sand. The second response usually requires a change of course and this often goes against our nature. We are creatures of habit, not of change.

Our very nature gives us an aspiration to envision a more desirable outcome. However, our mental or psychological make-up may not be prepared to take on the needed changes to reach the desired objective. When a person or organization desires to make changes to any recognized unhealthy patterns or practices, the necessary resolve to undertake the risks of the needed change may stop us from moving forward. The unhealthy pattern is in most cases better understood (by the church) than healthy behaviors, and because we have been operating out of this pattern, though it is unhealthy, it may even feel safer no matter how detrimental.  Our psychological security system informs us it is safer to stay with what we know.

Remember the Israelites after Moses had led them by God’s direction out of the land of Egypt where they were horribly treated and beaten as slaves. They said to Moses: “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you took us to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Isn’t this what we told you in Egypt: Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” Ex 14:11-12 (HCSB)

Even after God delivered the Israelites, this time by parting the Red Sea and allowing them to cross over on dry ground and drowning Pharaoh’s army, how many more times did they pose the same complaint to Moses? While we want a better life, even a godly life, our flesh tries to convince us to stay with what we know. The unhealthy pattern is perceived as our “safe zone.”

Perhaps the greatest thing you can do for your church at this point is to bring in a coach for an objective assistance in making the right decisions and moving the church forward. The coaching process supports the individuals and the organization as the needed changes to produce healthy and productive behaviors are discovered, explored, and implemented.

Seeing the straight-forward realities can be an eye-opening experience for individuals and the church as a whole and this, in many cases, should be a jarring awareness. The reality of our situation in a declining church should jar us as the unexpected sound of a loud horn blowing without warning. Realizing there is a call for further development and change leads us to the next step of our vigorous face to face with reality.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Click here to receive this blog in your email inbox each Tuesday.

This article is excerpted from chapter 8 of Reaching the Summit: Avoiding and Reversing Decline in the Church.

In life are you making life investments or simply trying to preserve the status quo? If we’re honest, many people are simply trying to maintain a certain comfort level. To do anything else would require risk-taking. The majority of personality temperaments are risk averse. Taking risks is not something we are comfortable with. This investment versus preservation is not only about money. It permeates most all areas of our lives.

A good example is given to us in The Holy Bible by Jesus Himself as He shares the parable of the talents recorded in Matthew 25:14-30 and Luke 19:11-27. While in this parable Jesus is using a form of currency (talents) as His topic, I want us to look at our true talents as we think of investing or preserving. Being a good steward of every talent and gift God has given us requires moving beyond prudently preserving the status quo.

Investing is putting to use your God-given talents, money, and skills. God desires you to put those to use for his kingdom. When you invest, you are taking a risk. You are risking whether your investment will bear fruit (kingdom fruit in this case). But risk taking also could mean exposing yourself to ridicule and walking away empty handed. Even that is okay. Jesus said they are not rejecting you; they are rejecting Him. It is better to be commended by God and ridiculed by man than the reverse.

The master in the parable commended the two servants who doubled the investment given them. “Well done,” he said and gave them even more. However, it was only words of condemnation for the one who had hidden his talent. I do not know about you but I would much rather hear words about me like, “Well done!” as opposed to words such as slothful, wicked, and lazy.

One great lesson for us from this parable is that God is not pleased when we try to avoid risk to maintain status quo. God is not pleased when we hide or bury our God-given gifts and talents to preserve our preferred level of security and desired pleasure. What are you hiding, avoiding risk to stay in your area of comfort and pleasure?

Regardless of who you are or where you consider yourself to be in regard to giftedness, God has blessed you with certain gifts and talents to be invested for His kingdom and glory. Each time you invest one of your talents, you do bring God glory. Each time you invest, God is gladly preparing a “Well done…” statement for you. According to your actions, is God preparing words of commendation or condemnation?

Your talent investment should not only be considered inside the church. God is providing opportunities for investment in the market place – your workplace, neighborhood, family, and everywhere you find yourself this week. What is your next step of investment over preservation?

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Click here to receive this blog in your email inbox each Tuesday.

One of the training sessions on a CD that I produced based on conferences was titled, “If the Church Were a business, What business Are We In?” Today if we asked a similar question most church attenders would give us a biblical answer or a comfort zone response. Too often we settle for good rather than the greatness for which God created us. Satan knows a Christian or church who will settle for Good is no threat to his kingdom. As long as we settle for good, we will never strive for the greatness of God’s design.

There is no point in changing that which does not need to be changed. However, it is a sin not to change or drop methods or traditions that are using up valuable resources, time, and money. Practices, methodologies, and traditions that are not leading us to accomplish the Great Commission need to be evaluated for transition or relinquishment.

The preservation of anything we consider normal, be it a tradition, methodology, or regular practice can easily become a sin factor in our individual lives and in the church. Too often in the church and in our daily lives we choose habit and repetition over biblical principle. Therefore, without realizing it we are turning our backs on God and His guidelines for us. All for the comfort of what’s familiar.

Would we not do well by evaluating between good and God’s best? If every church would honestly evaluate every ministry annually, how much more of God’s best Kingdom-centered ministry could be accomplished. Is it possible that most churches do not evaluate ministries due to the fear of offending ministry leaders or certain financial givers?

You can evaluate ministries without upsetting the applecart, so to speak. Asking questions as “Of the three areas of the Great Commission, which is this ministry fulfilling?’ and “Of the five functions of the church which best describes the intent and outcomes of this ministry?” The following is a link to an easy and unbiased approach to evaluate ministries in any church. Microsoft Word – Evaluating Ministries.docx (soncare.net)

Many of our traditions and regular practices are not necessarily evil. They are simply outdated or they have run their course. As a teenager I remember the Shure sound systems. They all looked alike and youth choirs and churches loved them. They were great. I have seen a couple of them over the past ten years and each time they bring back fond memories of my teen years and our choir tours. However, I realize those Shure sound systems cannot hold a candle to today’s technology and advanced systems.

Shure sound systems have run their course. Many of our church practices have done the same. It is time to retire those that are not affecting the Great Commission. Right now, as we look to regenerate (see last week’s post) our churches, we must evaluate what is prudent for reaching today’s generations while keeping God’s message intact. This is our golden opportunity. Do not go far into 2021 without beginning a practice of evaluating every ministry you consider reinstating or continuing.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Click here to receive this blog in your email inbox each Tuesday.

There is a lot of talk and many articles lately of rebooting, restarting the church coming through this covid pandemic. Some of those articles, webinars and talks are mine. It is true, most churches in North America today are in the process of or are considering their options following a year of closures, illness, and uncertainties.  2021 will be known as a year of transition for all churches. While it is only one of many transitions any church will face throughout the lifecycle of the church, there are always similarities in these situations.

Allow me to insert another term, regenerate. We know in the spiritual world regenerate is to be born again. According to Webster’s dictionary regenerate means to form or create again or to be restored to a better, higher, or more worthy state. Today, God has given us the opportunity to regenerate His church. God has given us the time, opportunity, and resources for a fresh start as His people.

To regenerate is not to restore what was, but to recreate what was to be in its original intent. Church leaders should look on this as a blessing from our God of all creation. One of the major elements of this type transition is the ability of leadership to transition God’s people to move forward in alignment with God’s purpose.

To regenerate is to begin again – not with the old. To regenerate is to begin again as something new. We would do well to re-engage scripture with a freshness of Spirit while abandoning our presumptions of past methodologies. The church in North America has held on for too long to traditions and methodologies that have become a hindrance to God’s work. Is this not what much of Jesus’ rebuke of the religious leaders of His day was about?

As followers of Jesus Christ could regeneration be setting aside all of our assumptions of scripture and allowing them to speak to us afresh and new? What would your church, the people, look like if everyone’s memory was cleared of assumptions and traditions, and all scripture was viewed from a fresh, new perspective from God’s Holy Spirit. This, in my opinion, is the opportunity we have through Christ in 2021. Scripture has not changed, but our perspective on fulfilling it has needed this transition for some time.

Is it going to be easy? No! Is it needed if God is going to reclaim His church in North America? Yes. Imagine with me a new, invigorated, Christ proclaiming army of God whom God is using to reach America and the world for Christ. This is regeneration – God’s regeneration of His church.

It is time for a new start. It is time for God’s church to be formed again in the likeness of the bride of Christ described in the New Testament. This is the regeneration of God’s church. Are you ready, willing, and able? What is your first step for you personally? How will your prayer life change for your church?

In the months and years to come may your portion of God’s church be found to be in a better, higher, and more worthy state than in history.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Click here to receive this blog in your email inbox each Tuesday.

A tomato plant produces tomatoes. A tomato manufacturing plant produces canned tomatoes, tomato paste, sauce, and juice. Everything that manufacturing plant produces is tomato related. The Toyota Automotive manufacturing plant in Georgetown, Kentucky produces Toyotas, not Ford’s or Chevy’s. The automotive plant in Bowling Green Kentucky does not produce Toyotas. The only cars coming out of the plant in Bowling Green are Corvettes. When a person or organization sets out to produce something, it produces that particular item. With this in mind, what does the New Testament church produce?

Most people involved in a church would respond with answers as Christians or disciples. And that is true. Yet, is there more? The church is called to make disciples who look, walk, and act like Christ, correct? In making disciples Jesus also produced leaders. Should this not also be an obligation of the church today?

Jesus’ original Disciples became leaders in the early New Testament church. But he also called some of His disciples to go to their own community and become leaders. Mark chapter five tells of a demon-possessed man whom Jesus cast out the demons and healed the man. The man begged to go with Jesus, but in verses 19-20 we read, “Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” ²⁰ So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.”

We are seeing fewer church leaders being produced in churches today. We are also experiencing less disciples to be leaders in culture, in our communities. Our task/obligation is to build growing disciples to go into the world and make more disciples. Our joy should be to produce disciples who become leaders in business, in organizations, government, and all walks of life.

Tomorrow’s leaders are going to come from somewhere. Should it not be from the church? In a world filled with darkness and despair should the church not be the cutting-edge producer of leaders? Who in your church, your circle of influence can you encourage and pray for Christian leadership as school teachers and administrators, for local government Christian leaders, for manufacturing plant Christian leaders, for sports team Christian leaders? Who in your circle of influence should you be praying for, asking God to raise up as the next generation of leaders? Where is your leadership role?

Can the church once again become the major producer of leadership for the arts, for government, schools, for our children’s sports teams, and the corporate world? I believe it can once God’s people get on our knees interceding for our current and future leaders in all areas of life.

Is your church producing leaders for the church and for our world? Who are the Godly leaders your church is preparing and producing today? What is your personal God-given role in becoming and producing Godly leaders for today and our next generation?

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Click here to receive this blog in your email inbox each Tuesday.

In scripture Christ speaks of potential in at least two significant parables. First, the parable of talents (amount of money). Second in the parable of the sower of seed. In the first, each person was given a certain number of talents. Those who invested wisely gained more talents. The first two men doubled their investment. These men were rewarded for the good stewardship of their talent investment and were given even more. The third man however, hid his talent in the ground, buried in a clay jar, nothing was gained. Yet, there was great loss. Any talent buried, not put to use, is a waste of that talent.

In the second parable, the sower or farmer was planting seed. He scattered some seed on dry hard-packed ground, some on stony ground, some among the weeds and thorny ground, and other in rich fertile soil. The seed was the same. The difference was the type of ground in which the seed landed. The seed that landed in the fertile soil is the only seed that produced a verifiable harvest. That seed reached its potential by producing 30, 60, even 100 times what was planted.

Let me stretch your thinking some. Think of the seed as the potential God has entrusted to you. We all have potential. God created each one of us for greatness. Therefore, we all have the potential for reaching God’s desired level of greatness for us. We are the soil. Is your soil rich and fertile in what it takes to produce a harvest for God’s greatness? Or is it filled with weeds and thorns that choke out that harvest? Is your soil hard-packed, incapable of allowing God’s potential to take root in you?

If you’re still not certain of your potential for greatness for God, think on this next statement. Scripture says we are created in the image (likeness) of God. If God is the Creator of ALL things, and you are created in His image, do you not have ability to be creative? Since we are created in His image, we all have been blessed with the creativity to reach our full potential through the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

When we use our God-given creativity to unearth and develop our potential, God will bless us and enable us to produce a harvest for Him like the seed that fell on rich fertile soil. To achieve this type of soil we must draw near to God, study His word and pray at deeper, greater levels than many are willing.

Our obligation is also to assist others in becoming rich, fertile soil in which their potential can produce a vast harvest – even if their harvest surpasses ours. When, with a breaking heart, you look at others because you can see the potential that they may not yet see, that often is God’s invitation for you to be a soil enricher for that person.

As we strive to be the rich fertile soil developing to the best potential harvest possible, we must see every human being as one of God’s treasured potentials. What will you undertake today to allow God to unleash your potential and to build the potential of others?

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Click here to receive this blog in your email inbox each Tuesday.

What has been your character transformation in 2020? It is my belief that character is an ever-transforming part of who we are. Your character is in a continuous state of change. Factors affecting character include, your age, life’s experiences, acquired knowledge, and relationships. As we age and gain more life experiences our character should reflect the impacts of those experiences on us personally and in how we treat others.

Would you agree with me, that as believers in Christ our character transformation should always be pointing toward greater Christlikeness? As we enter the third month of 2021 our character should reflect a greater sense of who Christ is and the great phenomena He has provided than we had entering March 2020.

Our goal and outcome every year should be to be more Christlike than the previous year. After all is this not discipleship? To be more Christlike requires greater in-depth study of God’s Word, intense time with God, getting to know Him. It will always require heart, mind and, soul searching, asking God to reveal and remove those areas that have kept us from serving Him whole-heartedly, surrendering ALL.

The dictionary defines character as the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual. I believe this definition is incomplete. The mental deals with the brain and cognitive application. The moral deals with the heart and the seat of emotion. The portion missing from this dictionary definition is the spiritual. We all have a soul and as the mental deals with the mind, the moral with the heart, so the spiritual relates directly to the soul. The mental, moral, and spiritual make up the complete being for each of us. Without considering the spiritual input into our character, are we not incomplete?

As believers, Disciples of Jesus Christ, the continual development of our spiritual being will impact our mental and our moral qualities. To ignore or slack off the spiritual maturation in any given year could be likened to eating only sugar for one year. The consequences will bring about serious health issues, including hospitalization or death. You would not do that to your body, why would you consider doing it to your soul?

This is one reason to stay connected to a local church, a local body of believers all working together to grow mentally, morally, and spiritually. Serving together with others in the body of Christ provides greater avenues of resources to study and grow into Christlikeness. Being part of discipleship small groups is great for the mental learning and moral practicing of the spiritual teachings.

These small groups should not only meet together to study but should be actively and regularly serving together in the community. Christians who come together to study and then to practice their discipleship to the lost community are the believers who will experience growth in all three character areas; mental, moral, and spiritual.

Attending church does not make you a believer or a growing disciple. If you desire to follow God, you need to be actively engaged in a character building, disciple-making small study group. This is what builds the three areas of character.

Are you involved in any discipleship character building groups? If not, what can you do this week to find or start one? If you are engaged in one, how has your character improved this past year?

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Click here to receive this blog in your email inbox each Tuesday.

Is my life compelling evidence that there is a living God of the Bible? The incarnation and resurrection of Jesus Christ is God’s undeniable evidence to man that he is a live and well. But, the question remains, “Is my life compelling evidence that God is alive and that He loves me and a lost world?” Is your life compelling evidence that He is alive? When people meet you and when they get to know you, do they stand in awe of a living, loving God living through you?

You are not God and neither am I. But we are called to live our life in such a way that the world around us sees God, hears God, and is drawn into a personal relationship with Him. And yet, in the flesh this is impossible. If God’s Holy Spirit is not free to rule and to reign in every area, every corner, every closet of your life, you cannot fully serve God as He created you to.

I have a pastor friend who many of you may know. My friend was on a trip to Nashville, TN recently to help his daughter move. While moving furniture into her apartment on December 7th he collapsed. His wife and daughter began doing CPR until paramedics arrived. My friend was suffering from v-fib. Not only his heart, but medical personnel were also deeply concerned with brain damage and other organ failure which often accompanies v-fib. An induced coma was administered on day one and several severe procedures to keep him alive.

Within a few short days he was awake, speaking with and asking to pray with hospital staff and others. His healing progression was advancing so quickly he became known as the miracle man throughout the hospital. People were coming to he and his family asking to be prayed for and praying for him as well.

He and his family shared and prayed with many people in the hospital. My pastor friend preached a Christmas Eve message to his church from the hospital – 17 days after his collapse. No brain damage and 100% cognitive skills were retained. This my friends is truly a miracle of God. He was released from the hospital on December 26. There is much more to this incredible story of God’s miracle in this pastor’s life and His concern for the eternity of others.

Just days after his collapse, still not knowing what was ahead in his recovery, this man was showing compassion and concern for others. My friend, Barry and his wife Marci who I’ve known for a couple decades are truly living life with a compelling evidence that the God of the Bible is alive and cares for all people. Not only with this incident, their lives have been living evidence for years and it shows. The question remains for you and me, Is my life compelling evidence that there is a living God of the Bible?

While this should have been a 4-6 month journey, on January 10, 34 days after his collapse my friend and his wife stood before their congregation and shared their story. I entreat you to watch their testimony at the following link. hbc 10:30AM Contemporary Service – 01/10/21 – YouTube I cannot give justice to this working of God in 500 words. There is much more of God in this story than I could possibly write in this post. Please watch, you’ll be beyond encouraged and inspired!

May their story stimulate you to live a life of compelling evidence for our Living God!

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Click here to receive this blog in your email inbox each Tuesday.

“Perhaps the greatest tragedy of our time is that we have kept our pews and lost our children.” Erwin McManus. Has our passion in the church become more furniture focused than God focused? Honestly, not in every church is the focus on its furnishings. But where has our focus turned in the church. The implication here is that we, the church, have turned our focus from God to something else, and many in the church would want to quickly denounce that premise. Yet, I will respond to that denunciation with one question.

If our focus were still on God, would the vast majority of our churches be in decline? Don’t get me wrong, we come together to speak and sing about God. We pray to God. We give to the church for God. But is our focus on God as He desires? Is our focus on God as was the church in the book of Acts? I have been in churches where more time was spent discussing the carpet, scuff marks on the hallway floors, and paint colors to use than time spent in prayer.

I’ve been in “prayer meetings” where thirty minutes were spent sharing prayer requests and talking about others and at the end one person offered a one-minute prayer for all the concerns. The average regular church attender spends less than thirty minutes in prayer each week – an average of 27 minutes. This includes prayers in worship services, before meals, and bedtime among other prayer times. There are 168 hours or 336 half hours in a week. Twenty-seven minutes is less than 1/336 of our week. We spend more time brushing our teeth.

If our focus were on God would we not spend more than 1/336 of our time communing with Him? Is it possible that after all the sermons and homilies we’ve heard, all the Bible studies we’ve been part of, all the ministry opportunities we’ve been afforded, that our focus is still more on our comfort and pleasure than on the God of the Bible?

Is our focus more on our buildings than God’s Commission to service? You can check your heart here by your first thoughts after reading or hearing this question; If God stood before you today and said, “Your building is a hindrance to serving me fully. Will you give up your church buildings and everything inside to follow me?”

What if God asked you to give every dollar in your personal/family bank accounts to help pay off the mortgage of your church? And if God stated that He wanted you to quit your job next week, pack up your family and move to Zimbabwe in four weeks, what would be your first thoughts?

God may never ask you anything like those scenarios, but where is your focus. Would you have without hesitation said yes to each of those situations – and followed through. It is likely that most church attenders/believers would desire to discuss other possibilities with God before making those tough decisions.

God blessed Abraham with only one son. When God told Abraham to take his son and offer him as a sacrifice (killing his only son in obedience to God), Abraham began preparing. He did not question God. He did not enter into a debate with God. Abraham was totally surrendered to God. (Genesis 22)

We sing songs like I Surrender All, and we say that we are wholeheartedly sold-out to God, yet is our focus fully on God or on our comfort in the pleasures and materials of this world? If God were sitting across from you right now, what would He ask of you to give up in order to serve Him more fully?

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Click here to receive this blog in your email inbox each Tuesday.

With very little education space, Pastor Jason realized numerical growth in the Sunday morning Bible study had reached its pinnacle. Originally built for a horse barn the church had creatively remodeled the building to accommodate a worship space and a few classrooms. There simply was no more room to add additional Sunday morning Bible study classes and little room to add newcomers to existing classes.

After months in prayer and brainstorming, Pastor Jason and the church leaders brought a plan before the church. A risky plan in human eyes and in traditional church terms. The plan, scrap Sunday morning Bible study. Now, that’s not the term they used, but they were going to move Bible study to other times during the week using other locations.

I’m not in favor of doing away with Sunday School. So when Jason first approached me with the idea, I was cautious, but listened. Over the next couple of months, they would bring their workings and ideas to me and then to a team from within the church. We discussed, I would caution or suggest in certain areas, they would go back and iron out the bugs, then we would meet again to discuss. Jason, his staff, and the team had really thought this through. They had a plan, more than a plan.

Every Sunday morning in July included a training meeting for every person who would lead and participate in one of the new small in home groups. Then the launch. An instant increase of more than 20% in attendance was realized immediately. Additional groups were needed due to increase in new servants for second quarterly cycle and the following one as well.

One of the key ingredients was active ministry engagement by each small home group. Not necessarily as you might find in most churches though. One requirement for each small group designed and built into the training was that each group would choose a ministry – outside the church – they could be engaged in as a group and they would serve together at least once each month at that ministry location. Some chose food pantries, nursing homes, and any “others oriented” local ministries where they could physically serve together.

This church installed in their small group ministry a means to not only talk about discipleship, but to demonstrate discipleship on a regular basis and doing it together. The work of the gospel and the Holy Spirit is manifested through ministry (serving others).

This church has become a disciple-making church realizing that the church does not exist only for its members. By building in this model of ministry the church was building into their culture of connection; connecting to God and one another through Bible study and connecting to a lost world by serving them together. They also realized a principle for what makes people stick, serving together. People serving together will stick and you grow disciples through serving together.

What is your take-away from this article for your life personally, and for your church’s effective fruitfulness?

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Click here to receive this blog in your email inbox each Tuesday.