“I think I’ve taken this church as far as I can.” “I think its time for a career change.” “How did you get started? I’m thinking about doing…” Several times each year I have conversations which start with one of those three lines. Not all pastors, many are people who have been in a church I’ve served, worked with, or have attended one or more of my speaking engagements. They could be speaking about their profession, church, relationships or any number of life’s arenas.

Each one, men and women alike, are looking for a change to bring greater satisfaction. My response is to have them unpack for me what has brought them to this line of thought. Asking what I call a “Tell me more” question, without using those three words. Something as, “Can you unpack that for me? What is happening that has you considering such a move?”

In their response, I regularly hear dissatisfaction. This dissatisfaction can come in a variety of forms; a leader who feels he cannot get the support needed (from above or those serving under him). For others there seems to be no challenge in his/her work or volunteerism. Whatever the reason, there seems to be an empty spot in life.

Sometimes, there is great satisfaction in the area he/she desires to change. They equate the void in life to that area. Yet, it may not be related to that area. Stan for example: Stan’s work is going great, but he is considering changing companies or starting his own firm. Stan contacted me asking how I got started.

The first issue each one of us must address is, “Is this something I have dreamed up or is this God’s calling on my life?” If not God’s calling, even if this “thing” seems to be a perfect fit for you, it will not bring the desired satisfaction and fill that longing void. The world is filled with many good intentioned people who chased a dream that failed and brought the opposite of satisfaction.

The next idea to assess, especially if this area is going so great, is other areas of their life, relationships, recreational hobbies and pass times. Though all of these may be in good standing, I want him/her to think through and examine those areas before we move on. Then I move to the area where we often find the missing link.

This missing link is often in the spiritual realm of service. Stan had taught Sunday School for years at his former church, and after transferring to his current city with his job, his family found a church that seemed to meet their needs. They attend regularly, rarely missing. But Stan had not engaged in any ministry. As we unpacked Stan’s story we found his issue was not job related, it was spiritual service oriented. Stan, like many others, connected dissatisfaction with the physical realm, when it was actually spiritual.

God created in our DNA an innate desire and need to serve others. Yet we believe to get satisfaction, we must take care of our physical desires first. Instead of always trying to satisfy your physical wants and desires, why not examine the spiritual side of your created being? This is always the real issue.

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.

No one awakens in the morning and intentionally thinks, “Now, what can I do today to mess up my life?” Again, no one awakens with the intentional thought, “I want to see just how miserable I can make my life today.” While I believe no one intentionally has these thoughts, many people go about day by day fulfilling the requirements of these statements/questions.

I pray you are not one of them, but you do see them every day. You pass by them, or they pass by you on your morning commute. You pull up beside them at every traffic light. You meet them at the coffee shop, doctor’s office, the gas pump and even near your work station.

Many of these people have spent their entire working life reaching for what they want, only to find it is not enough. Many display the outward appearance of success, yet inside feel like a failure. No amount of success is ever enough to bring lasting satisfaction.

The bottom line is when we chase after earthly things, success, titles, position, money, even leisure, we can never attain enough. None of these earthly treasures will bring the peace and joy our hearts desire. They cannot. Reaching for these longing to find peace, satisfaction, and happiness, only lead to sorrow, misery and messed up lives. No matter how many highs and triumphs we attain, any satisfaction and pleasure is short lived.

Happiness comes from external circumstances. Happiness is always fleeting. Happiness can be wiped out in a matter of seconds. Joy on the other hand comes from inside, not from external instances. True joy comes from God above. Only God can give a person Joy because God is the creator and possessor of Joy. True joy can only belong to one who sets aside all earthly desires for self and follows after the desires of the God of the universe.

It is only when we lay aside our chasing after what we think will bring success and happiness, that we can find joy, peace, and a greater success than this earth can give. Once you have experienced this joy peace and fruitfulness that comes from God above, you want more. I have said that I am a “God experience junkie”. I am addicted. I want more. Once you experience this joy, you never want to go back to fleeting happiness.

Things to consider: 1) Am I chasing after my dreams or what God created me to be?

2) Am I living for one of those fleeting moments of happiness or for those awe-inspiring God moments?

3) How many of the items on my calendar this week are to help someone else rise above their apparent circumstances and not about me and my personal life?

4) Is accomplishing my goals as pleasing to God as they are to me?

Answering these four questions can lead you toward a peace that passes all understanding, a satisfaction greater than winning a national championship, and experiencing a Joy that is from out of this world.

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 the past I have written about organizational culture. Organizational culture is the makeup of all the regular, repetitive practices of those inside your organization. These practices will determine your fruitfulness or lack thereof. In most organizations (business or churches) the culture is not premeditated or developed by leadership. It forms certain practices on its own developing as it morphs. Like yeast in a ball of dough. If your existing culture is not producing as desired or needed, it can be changed, but change is slow.

In the church, you can claim your church is an evangelistic church, but if the practices of your people are not demonstrating an evangelistic fervor, you are not an evangelistic church. That is not in your culture. Likewise many churches consider themselves to be caring, yet few truly care across the board to members and all members of the community alike. These churches culture demonstrate the following: “We are a caring church for those we like and are close to, not to everyone.”

Observe highly productive and fruitful organizations and you will find an organizational culture that drives the organization to fruitfulness (success). Observing these fruitful organizations, you will see certain principles in place, but each organization will have its unique culture. In other words, no two organizational cultures are exactly alike. There is not one size fits all when it comes to organizational culture.

Developing a fruitful organizational culture will take time. To have a new, vibrant culture ingrained in the organization will take three to five years. You start with slow, small steps and slowly, but intentionally move forward. The following are three concepts to consider when trying to implement a new culture within your organization.

1, What do we as an organization value most? How should these values be demonstrated day in-day out? Have you set down and seriously thought (prayed) through the true core values of your organization? It is not a good practice to search the internet for core values. Those are not yours, they belong to someone else.

2, What consistent behaviors of our members will demonstrate the high performance to fulfill these values? Leaders need to identify the behaviors that will demonstrate high yield and then identify current behaviors keeping your organization from being a high-yielding, fruit bearing entity.

3, What would you like the number one talking point to be about your organization both from your members and the community you serve? Does the community know you exist? Do they know why you exist? How can you better assist them in understanding who you are as an organization and why you exist?

Transforming the organizational culture is not for the faint at heart, but the results can be 30-60- or even 100-fold. For the church that is Kingdom fruit bearing. And it is our mandate. Will you begin praying today about the culture within your organization (church) and pray for your part in the transforming of the organizational culture?

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.

“Mommy, I don’t know how,” little Marrissa stated pleadingly as she walked into the kitchen with her shoe laces dragging behind her feet. Within a couple of minutes another voice, Shelly, the oldest daughter, called out from another room, “Mom, do you know where my favorite jeans are? I can’t find them.” Billy, the family’s only son queried from his bedroom, “Mother, do we have to go to school today? Can’t this be another Saturday?” Emily (Mommy, Mom, & Mother), solicited of her husband, “Bob, if you will help Billy get dressed, I can tend to these other things.”

Whether you are in an official leadership position or not, every one of us has people in our lives with needs. We are all providing leadership. Ken Blanchard in Situational Leadership lists four types of leadership that every leader should learn to deploy. As seen in the first paragraph, not only in the corporate world, these four are part of our lives everywhere we find ourselves. Even at home.

Little Marrissa needed direction. She needed someone to help her learn competency in tying her shoes. In the business world and in volunteer organizations, a new person in any position needs direction. They may have desire and personal confidence yet lack the confidence and competence to complete the new assignment without being given direction.

Mom could have used directing leadership with Shelly as well. But what Shelly really needed was coaching. She had the competence to find her jeans, her end goal. By coaching her in how and where to begin her search and steps to take to find her jeans, Mom would be assisting Shelly in putting her confidence and competence together to accomplish the task at hand. This is coaching leadership.

Billy had both competence and confidence in school. This morning, Billy was being all boy. He wanted another day to play and be free to do, boy things. His mother could have given Billy direction, she could have coached him in the importance of school. But she realized what Billy needed in this instance was support and encouragement. When people have both competence and confidence in their role, what is needed from leaders is support. Knowing that leaders have confidence in my abilities gives me strength through encouragement. This is supporting leadership.

Emily was glad to have one person in the home this Monday morning who did not need directing, coaching or supporting leadership. Yet, with her husband, Bob, Emily uses the fourth type of leadership, delegation. Bob has confidence and competence to complete the task at hand without supervision. The supervision of the task has been turned over to Bob. This is delegation leadership.

Those to whom you give leadership can fall into any one or all of these categories in various areas of life and job performance. A person in an office environment may do well fulfilling his particular task, requiring only support or delegation. This same person may not be as competent or confident in operating a new copier in the office. In this case direction or coaching leadership is needed.

It is important as a leader to understand each of these four types of leadership and know when to use each one. What can you do today to begin developing these four types of leadership – whether you are a CEO or a stay-at-home mother?

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.

Pastor Ron cannot understand what is happening. He prayed about this need for the congregation. He spoke about it with three key leaders of the church and the church’s worship leader. He shared with the church last Sunday what needed to happen. Then this past Sunday he shared the change that would be taking place. We’ve prayed about this. We’ve studied and looked at possibilities. This was clearly what we need as a church. “Why don’t they understand and want to move forward with this?”

When a change for your organization is proposed that is not part of the current culture or supported within it, an adjustment of the current culture is essential and necessitated. Yet, caution is to be observed here. A major reason for failure of needed change in organizations (churches) is leadership moving too quickly without bringing the members along through the change process.

Accepting change takes time. People need to be eased into major change, especially when the change is not within their normal organization experiences (culture). A fault of leadership is thinking “We’ve been studying this for months”. Perhaps the leadership has, but the people affected within the organization have not spent the time studying, researching, and praying as have the leaders. A good factor for leaders to remember is – When you have studied and researched it until you’re tired of thinking and talking about it, the members of your organization have likely only recently heard of the change and have not had time or resources to fully process the upcoming changes.

Fruitful change in any organization happens best when leaders spend time researching all options, contemplating, praying about pros and cons of the change, exploring how to positively overcome objections from within and outside the organization. In addition to this it is imperative to slowly bring the members of the organization along – again I say slowly.

At first, they do not need to know every detail, only the reason you are researching and the benefit to the organization. Build on your reasoning slowly, adding small pieces and bits of information that will help the members adapt and adopt. You want to feed them truthfully, but not choke them with too big a bite at one time. To lead is to bring others along with you.

Another beneficial action is to pray about early adopting members who could serve on a team to help provide leadership in the research, development, and implementation of the needed change. During the process have members of the team share publicly to members of your organization. Hearing from their peers aids members in accepting needed change.

The more you can bring members along during the research and development process of any major adjustment, the greater chance of altering the culture for a fruitful future. Understanding the behavior patterns of the people who make up your organizational culture, will greatly aid in the development and implementation phases of needed change.

For more information on leading change download and read the following Microsoft Word – Understanding People and Change (soncare.net) or Microsoft Word – Understanding People and Change (churchhealthal.org)

You can lead change in your organization. Slow down, take a deep breath and follow these steps for fruitful change.

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.

Borrowing terms from a friend of his, Gary McIntosh once wrote of three kinds of leaders in the church today; risk-takers, car-takers, and undertakers.[1] While we can all understand reasons not be an undertaker leader, there is a place for caretakers in churches as this refers to taking care of those in the body of Christ. However, our leadership and our service should not be to these exclusively. Our mandate and the purpose of the New Testament church is to reach those yet to believe. Without risk-taking leadership in our churches how can we flourish and be fruitful to the Great Commission?

Moving from being a caretaker to a risk-taker is to not let our fears overwhelm us into not attempting to meet the needs (physical and spiritual) of the community around the church facility. When we allow our fears to overtake our thinking, we become emotionally paralyzed to serving as Christ served. This will keep us from empowering members to serve according to their God-given gifts and passions. Instead, we attempt to find ways for members to use their “gifts” inside the church. We must move beyond caretaker leadership.

Becoming risk-taking leaders means being willing to empower people to fulfill their purpose, each one utilizing his/her skills, gifts and talents to a lost and dying community. Healthy growing churches continuously encourage, teach, and train every member to put into practice his/her God-given abilities outside the confines of the church facility.

This does not imply that we buy into every thought of ministry to the community from church members. No church, no matter the size can meet all the needs of their community. Yet, I believe God has given every church a particular set of strengths to help meet the needs of their surrounding community. In every situation always be ready to ask: Does this ministry meet the core values of our church and does it match our God-given strengths and gift mix?

In all of his tenure, whenever anyone came to Herb Kelleher, founding CEO of Southwest Airlines, with a suggestion for a change within the airline, he always asked the following. Will this allow us to give the customer the best flying experience at the lowest fare in the industry? (paraphrased) He was asking does this meet our core values?

If a new idea does not align with your core values and encompass some of the strengths within the church, this is likely not going to be a great fruitful ministry for your church/organization. There is much to be considered in implementing any new ministry. Not all ministry ideas are God-breathed for your church. Help your church find your niche ministries. One resource to use for new possible ministries can be found at; Microsoft Word – New Ministry Questionnaire.doc (soncare.net) or Microsoft Word – New Ministry Questionnaire.doc (churchhealthal.org)

Becoming a risk-taking leader also requires creating a risk-taking culture in your church/organization. What can you do this week to explore being a risk-taking leader and creating a risk-taking culture inside your organization?

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.

[1] The Exodus Principle pg 45, Broadman and Holman

Research has shown we have two of what I call God-given natural learning abilities. To determine this a cross-section of the population who have never been tainted by any education system had to be found and studied. Where did they find this populace sector? Preschoolers who had never been involved in organized learning. Our two God-given natural learning abilities are discovery and imitation.

What is the first thing a young child, even an infant, learning to use her motor skills does when she comes across something new to her? She reaches out to learn of its texture, composite and weight. This is discovery learning. Then when she can get her fingers around it where does she take the object? To her mouth. Why? The mouth is the first place a child learns satisfaction. Thus the discovery learning experience continues.

As young adults you hear friends tell of how life totally changes when you have your first child. When do you really understand what they are talking about? When you have your first child. Discovery learning. As we age we hear others speak of the aches and pains they experience. When do we understand what they are speaking about? When we awake to those aches and pains. Discovery.

Jesus used discovery learning in His teachings. The night Jesus walked on water, Peter had a double learning experience. First, he learned the following Jesus he could do things beyond human capabilities. Then, he learned when you take your eyes off of Jesus, you sink quickly. This is discovery learning. Feeding the five thousand was also a discovery learning experience for Christ’s disciples. The death and raising of Lazarus, turning water into wine, so many of Jesus’ teachings were discovery learning experiences for His disciples and for you and me.

Discovery learning is with us throughout our lives. We need to learn to use it in our spiritual growth and in fulfilling our God-designed purpose. Not only for ourselves, we need to be creators of experiences that cause other people to discover the truths of God’s word. Telling them does not get the job done. Creating experiences for discovery learning implants the learning in their brain. As we create these experiences, we are fulfilling the Great Commission.

The other God-given natural learning ability is imitation. Infants and young children learn by watching you and me. They watch taking your hand to your mouth for satisfaction, thus they learn. They crawl around watching you walk upright. Eventually their crawling will lead to walking. The first five to seven years of a child’s life is centered around discovery and imitation. So it goes throughout our lives. We watch others, then imitate their actions – to learn how to swing a bat or golf club, how to turn a wrench, all the days of our lives.

There is not a better life to imitate than the life of Christ. His life on earth, especially the three and a half years of ministry are God’s modeling for us, how to live the righteous life. As we study and read scripture, we discover how to implement God’s ways in a torn world.

I’m not one for copying models or doing something because someone else had success doing it. That is one form of imitation, but I do believe we are called and created to imitate Christ. If we are living the Christlike life, others will be watching. The Holy Spirit leading your imitating of Christ will lead some to be learn to walk as Christ as well.

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.

School is back in session. Summer holidays and vacations are behind us, fall is fast approaching. With this season each year, there is also a season of change in our lives. As people settle into new routines and new chapters in life, they are open to fostering new relationships. What better place than the church to find and foster genuine relationships? Many churches have a built-in arena for fostering relationships.

Sunday School or small group Bible study groups have for more than 200 years been one of the greatest avenues on earth for discovering and fostering relationships. Still today, one would be hard-pressed to find a better relationship building opportunity for the entire family than can be found in the Sunday School setting. You may call it something different and it may not meet on Sunday morning, but for the remainder of this article I will use the term Sunday School to describe this all ages, Bible study ministry of the church.

Are our Sunday Schools geared to allow families to plug into and engage in spiritual growth and relationship building? Unfortunately, many are not. We believe them to be, but ask the newcomer and you will hear terms as, “Outsider” or “I’m not part of the old guard.” Here are some helps every adult and student group can undertake to encourage engagement and genuine acceptance in fostering relationships while growing spiritually together.

1, Group activities – At least quarterly (monthly if possible), each class should have one activity planned for the whole group, outside of church. These can be cookouts, going to ballgames or events together, local mission projects, swim parties, game nights, seasonal get togethers as campfires, Christmas, summer holidays, the list goes on and on. Anything that might interest at least half of your members is a reason to get together. Relationships are fostered as we spend time together. The more time together, the stronger the bond. I know a group who grew together in their twenties while starting young families. Almost thirty years later they still hang out, fellowship, and care for one another – thirty some plus their children and now grandchildren.

2, Do missions together – Doing missions projects together will cultivate a stronger bond than sitting together in a Bible study classroom. I encourage study groups/classes to quarterly undertake a mission’s project, not collecting socks or shoeboxes, but something that the group does for some people group outside the church where they actually meet and work together, cleaning yards and homes, construction projects, feeding the homeless, visiting nursing homes, hospitals and more.

3, Be motivators – Each of the first two above are motivators for fostering relationships. They are also motivators for growing in scripture and Christlikeness. Motivation comes from within a person but is generated by outside influences. As people grow together in relationships (outside influences) the motivation factors (internal) are stirred and stimulated.

4, Care for one another – There is nothing on earth that will foster relationships greater than showing others that you care. Demonstrating that you care comes in all sizes and shapes and can be as simple as a text, a postcard, or phone call. It is also mowing someone’s grass or preparing a meal for a family in need. We each have various opportunities each day to show that we care. That is Christlikeness.

As we round the corner closing out the third quarter of 2023, what will you do to foster new relationships through your Bible study groups?

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.

You cannot give ownership. That may seem like an odd statement. If so, then this next one will also seem odd. Ownership must be taken. Putting those together; You cannot give ownership. Ownership must be taken. Let me clear this up for you. In certain areas of life, yes, you can give ownership. You can give someone ownership of a car or a home. However, in leadership and responsibility, you cannot give ownership. In these two areas, one must take ownership. Not taken as in stealing, but as in accepting.

While speaking with a pastor recently, the terminology in those two statements above became more real to me than ever before. A leader desires all his/her reports to take ownership of their duties and responsibilities. When a person slips or does not live up to expectations a good leader will work with the individual to improve. A fruitful leader will guide and assist the individual in finding the course to effectiveness.

Part of this restoration process requires guiding the person to take ownership of expectations and responsibilities. If satisfactory progress is not being made in an appropriate timeframe, some managers/leaders create a list of necessary corrections for the individual and expect that person to take ownership of each item on the list. The reality is they cannot take ownership. Ownership belongs to the creator of such documents.

Is it not better to schedule a time to sit down with that person and create a list/document together? You, the leader, guide the conversation allowing the individual to make the suggestions for the list. By guiding, you both become creators and benefactors of all items you settle on for the document. Ownership now belongs to the individual because it was designed by him, for him. People take ownership if they have helped create.

The outcomes from these two approaches are almost mind-boggling. The second one, guiding the conversation for creating the document, provides a much greater proficiency of fulfilling the necessary responsibilities and obligations to the organization. What may seem small and insignificant to many leaders can be one of the most fruitful benefits of leading/guiding others in your organization.

Do you have a group of people who need a set of expectations? Why not set up a meeting and guide them in a conversation of what you as a leader for your organization should expect. Again, this sounds odd because it goes against corporate culture and what we’ve been taught in “management” classes and settings.

In churches I have used this process many times. The first couple of times I used this approach I was impressed with their answers and their follow-through afterward. For instance, I asked how many weeks each year should I expect you (Sunday School teachers) in class with a well prepared lesson, leading your class (allowing time for vacations and other absences)? If I was thinking 46, they said 48. If I was thinking 48, they said 50.

Please hear me, I know there are times for managing and creating vision and plans. However, guiding others is bringing them along on their development track of God-given personal potential.  What if we, as leaders, cease taking the manager role, expecting everyone to take ownership of our creations and instead begin guiding and enabling others in creating the paths to unlock their giftedness and potential. This is where we see people flourish. This is where people TAKE ownership.

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.

We’ve all heard the mantras and clichés for teams, “Together Everyone Accomplishes More” or, “no one person on a team is more important than any other.” And perhaps, “As a team, we work as one unit.” These are well meaning thoughts, but is togetherness enough? Does the spirit of togetherness of a team equate to a fruitful team? My thought is no.

While Moses was on Mount Sanai receiving the Ten Commandments, the nation of Israelites, God’s team, was together in their decision, though their togetherness was to have Aaron build an idol and to turn from God. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were together, but they were not together for God’s purpose. On and on we could go, the truth is, togetherness is not all that is needed. Togetherness does not equate to fruitfulness.

Not even building a “team spirit” guarantees a fruitful and prosperous venture for a team or organization. In building a team and a positive forward-moving team spirit there are certain things to include. Each team member must:

• Selecting the right members for the team. Here are four characteristics I always look for and instruct leaders in using. A productive team member will be, 1) Open minded, 2) forward thinking, 3) ready to speak, 4) willing to listen. If all four characteristics are not within the individual, that person does not make the team.
• Number three above is to be ready to share all thoughts and ideas freely with the team, even if all others are speaking the opposite.
• Number four above means each member must also be willing to listen to every other team member with the same courtesy he/she expects from others.
• Team members should ascertain they need each other – every member on the team.
• Be willing to embrace the thought and practice of change and be willing to undertake leadership responsibilities with other team members in effecting change.
• Be an encourager through the highs and lows of the teams purpose and the organizations progress.
• Work cooperatively with all team members for the goal of reaching the best forward movement for the organization.
• Continually, positively convey to others within the organization forward progress of the team for the future of the organization.
• Have a growing passion for the work of the team and the mission of the organization.
• Maintain a Christ-like spirit.
• Pray for every member of the team, including your own behavior and attitude.

Team building requires more than working together. Fruitful, effective teams join in spirit for the betterment of the organization in accordance with God’s Will. What is within your power to be a better team member for your organization?

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.