Like a highway, life is full of twists and turns. Some you may see before you arrive at them, others may catch you by surprise. Those that catch you by surprise often leave you with a gasp of angst and if you successfully maneuver the unexpected turn, with a breath of relief. We are coming through one of those unexpected turns in life right now, in 2020. Will you look back and say, “Whew, made it through that one.”? Or will you be able to look back and recognize the victories and successes you made personally through the time of pandemic and lockdown?

Driving an unfamiliar highway, these unforeseen twists can throw you into a skid or cause a crash. To avoid a skid and a crash, changes in your driving must take place. Back off the accelerator, press the brake, turn the steering wheel the exact needed angle. Before successes and victories can be had, changes must be made. Life’s highway requires the same. What changes did you undertake to be successful through this twist in the highway of life?

What have you learned through the changes you have made? Will you keep the changes in place? Will you return to the old ways of doing things in your life? Certainly, you are not going to change everything. But what have you learned through this pandemic that will move you to be a better person for the rest of your life?

Part of good driving requires an occasional glance in the rearview mirror. The rearview mirror never gives any indication of where you are going. Only what you have left behind. Yet, these glances in the rearview mirror are critical to safe driving. There is a reason your windshield is 72 times larger than your rearview mirror. Our focus is to be forward.

In the church, I believe pastors and members alike must glance in the rearview mirror on occasion. Not to live in the past, but to glance at what we’ve just come through. Coming out of this covid-19 twist in the road of life is one of these times.

With this glance in the rearview mirror, what has your church learned that will enable you to be The Great Commission church that God has Called you to be? What changes will you keep in place. How will you improve your serve for God? How will you be more Christ and the church written in the book of Acts, than you were 3 months ago?

Will traditions be dropped or changed to enable to be like the early Christian church, or will you reflect the church of the past 50 years – the church of the westernization of Christianity? I pray you and your church take seriously the challenge to become more like the church found in the book of Acts. It begins with prayer. There are plenty of passages to pray. Here’s one to begin with, Philippians 2:5-11.

God Almighty, Father, help me make my own attitude that of Christ Jesus, who existing in the form of God did not consider equality with God as something to be used for his own advantage. God forgive me, for I have used my position in Your family for my own advantage. As Christ emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, may I, by Your Holy Spirit, be emptied of myself and become a slave to Your truths, not only words, but in all action. Lead me to humble myself as Christ did by becoming obedient even to the point of death…

Until we, as a church, come to this point of humility and brokenness, can we truly become the body of Christ as God ordained. Life is a highway filled with twists and turns. It’s time to let Jesus take the wheel.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.

Bob is a devoted husband, father, hard worker, and member of a church I served. He attended church services every week, sitting with his wife and was a great handyman who worked in construction. Bob and his wife are wonderful people, friends. They enjoyed having people in their home. I loved the times Pam and I were invited into their home for a meal & conversation. The one thing I just didn’t get about Bob was he did not regularly attend Sunday School (small group Bible study). Was there something missing in Bob’s Christianity? I mean, certainly according to the standards of mainline denominations you couldn’t be a real committed Christian unless you were actively involved in Sunday School, right?

Now, I am a Sunday School guy. I truly believe in it and that everyone should be involved and engaged in the Christian life through an Open Small Group Bible study. And this is how God used Bob and taught me a valuable lesson that churches need to understand and learn coming out of this Covid-19 pandemic.

Bob began a larger remodel project at our church. He was there everyday after working his construction job. He would arrive about 3:00 or 3:30 each day and stay until, well, long after I was gone for the day. But I made it a point to go to the area of the church he was working and spend some time with him. Bob and I were friends, but I wanted him to know I appreciated him for using his gifts and to help if I could. And I thought I might get to talk with him about Sunday School.

In my almost daily visits with Bob at the church worksite, God began to reveal to me a lesson He wanted me to learn through Bob. I learned that Bob stopped at the same restaurant every morning (Monday through Friday) and he always carried his Bible in and studied while eating breakfast. This drew attention and gave him opportunities to pray for the wait staff and others and spiritual conversations. I learned of other things Bob was doing outside the church demonstrating his Christianity. He was always serving others with his skills and abilities.

The first lesson God taught me through Bob was, he was probably getting more Bible study than 90% of the people attending Bible study classes. The second lesson, Bob was actually putting his Christianity into practice – every day. Bob was doing for others, using his gifts and talents serving those who had needs. This is what we want taught in Sunday School, yet, it is rarely practiced in such a manner by attendees. Few members of any church I’ve served gave as Bob gives.

The main lesson God taught me through Bob was, it’s not always about attending what I want people to attend. It is about truly serving God, what we teach in every Bible study class and every sermon. God’s question to me, “Which is more important, people in class or people out demonstrating the love of Christ through obedience and service?” The answer is simple and straightforward. The Christian life is about serving. God was teaching Bob through his daily Bible study at breakfast and at night in his home.

I am still a small group Bible study man, and I am so grateful God put Bob in my life to teach me valuable lessons. As we look to reopen our churches, let us also rethink what it means and how to lead in new directions of Christianity – everyone using his/her gifts to serve outside the church building.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.

After reading last week’s post one pastor included in an email to me, “I am afraid many churches even ours once we are back worshiping in person will struggle not because of Theological or Doctrinal differences but will struggle and fight against Traditions.” Last week I wrote about churches in phase four of decline. Actually, churches in any phase of decline or growth will face this challenge of battling traditions.

The absolute best way to overcome traditionalism is to start new ones, healthy biblical ones. This pandemic and shutdown of church services has given us a great opportunity to be the church to the community around us. I pray your church has already engaged in helping your community. If not, don’t wait any longer. Start today. Plan and execute this week some form(s) of ministry to the community.

In doing so, don’t copy models, capture principles. In other words, don’t try to do something because you heard another church did it. Find out a true need in one sector of your community, and determine how you, as a church, are specifically gifted and resourced to meet that need. Then, rally the troops and begin serving your community. You can do it. God has resourced your church specifically to meet a need (or two) in your community. This is starting new traditions.

You have already adapted your regular meetings – worship services, Bible studies, prayer meetings. When it is time to go back to the church house, there is no need to stop those, at least most of them. Continue on. God can use those means even after this is all behind us. People are being saved, the Great Commission is being served and God’s Word is being delivered to many who have not darkened the door of a church in their entire life. This is new traditions in many churches.

This pandemic has brought great and new opportunities for serving and being the church, the Great Commission church, God instituted following Christ’s resurrection. The church is lacking and not following God in obedience if we come through this and attempt to return to “normal” which is, in this case, another word for tradition.

Without an awakening of the church through this pandemic, I fear what’s next is persecution of the church amplified and expediated beyond our comprehension. God is extending His mercy on His church. Will you heed the call to become and lead your church to be The Great Commission church God intended? Not in tradition or in modern culture Christianity, but in true biblical community as read in the book of Acts? How were they adding to their number daily? It wasn’t because they were sheltered in place.

As my pastor friend, Roger White, quoted above, stated, “I pray our church will realize this is a grand opportunity to show the Lord to our community.” May this be my prayer, your prayer, and that of every North American believer.

What will you begin today to lead your church away from the old, perhaps damaging traditions into new ways of ministry reaching your community and beyond? Let me hear.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.

Did you know you can still purchase a bomb shelter and have it installed in your backyard? Bomb or fallout shelters rose to popularity in the US in the late 1950’s and 60’s. These shelters were constructed to supposedly protect in times of foreign bombing invasion. Actually, President John F. Kennedy encouraged Americans to consider building bomb shelters following the building of the Berlin Wall and the Cuban Missile crisis. Shelter sales nearly quadrupled from 60,000 to over 200,000. While we never had the need to use fallout shelters, many were later deemed unreliable and insufficient.

Before succumbing to death and closing its doors a church will find themselves in phase four of decline. In Reaching the Summit I call phase four Grasping for Survival. When a church reaches phase four, more is done to keep the church doors open for the members than community action with the gospel.

In this phase, church leaders and members realize a staggering change is necessary. Therefore, they begin grasping for the next best thing, a silver bullet or a quick fix. Reality is, there are no silver bullet, quick fixes for declining churches. It takes work, commitment and a change of heart in the people of the church. The most important change is of the heart, the way we pray.

Is it possible many churches reach phase four because they are unwilling to work differently, pray differently, and change? Yes. I have heard people speak those very words. Some are tired, worn out from doing ineffective ministry for years and now unable to see or think in other terms.

Erwin McManus says of the church, “Once surviving has become our supreme goal, we have lost our way.” The goal of the church cannot be to survive. Some churches have a mantra of not to survive but to thrive. Yet, would you agree with me that God’s calling on the church is not to survive or to thrive, but to serve all mankind?

Jesus said Himself, “The Son of man has not come to be served but to serve.” (Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45) Likewise, we are called to serve. This is our purpose for living.

Today, we are living in a world of uncertainties. Not allowed to worship in group settings, not allowed to “do” ministry as we have for decades. This is not the end for God’s churches. I am hearing and reading great testimonies of God’s work, people surrendering their hearts and lives to Christ during this lockdown. We have right now, today, a great opportunity to be and share the gospel.

Yet I fear many churches are and will become spiritual bomb shelters. Crawling into the shelter of perceived safety, when called to always be the hands and feet of Christ. We have this privilege because God’s servants who have gone before us did not crawl into shelters. They were the hands and feet of Christ in tough times. Some have died that you and I would have the opportunity to hear the gospel and respond.

As the body of Christ we are to serve humanity. The only way to do this is to personally engage. Today, we are being challenged to think differently of how to engage the culture. How is your church engaging the community with the gospel in these troubling times? How are you personally?

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.

What is your church doing better through this covid-19 shutdown than it was prior? How could your church better demonstrate the visible presence of Christ to your community during this time? What will your church (the people, including you) do to show the love of Christ in your community as we come out of this shutdown? Will the community remember your church for anything significant when they look back on the covid-19 shutdown of 2020?

These are all vital questions for every church and every believer in Christ to ask right now. When restrictions are lifted and we begin re-opening churches and communities will be too late. It is the difference in being proactive and reactive. Of which will you be a part? Which will you lead your church to be? Even if you are not the pastor or leader of your church, you can still lead by your actions.

To answer the first question; “What is your church doing better through this covid-19 shutdown than it was prior?”, many churches have a better internet presence. Yet there is always room for improvement. As you consider how to move forward and re-opening your church and ministries be ever aware and searching for how to improve and increase your internet presence.

Also, I know churches that have made a more positive impact on their communities than any church in the last five decades. Members and leaders of the community will remember these churches, giving the churches a voice to be heard and open doors for Great Commission efforts.

The second question: “How could your church better demonstrate the visible presence of Christ to your community during this time?” What is your church not doing that it has resources to to help meet the immediate needs in your community? If you’re only having an internet presence and not being the hands and feet of Jesus during this pandemic, your church will be left behind, dropped by the wayside, by your community. God has handed to us on a silver platter, through this pandemic, perhaps the greatest opportunity to be his hands and feet that we’ve seen in decades.

The third question: “What will your church (the people, including you) do to show the love of Christ in your community as we come out of this shutdown?” I fear many churches (all the members) will jump right back into their self-seeking rut of desire and comfort. Though this rut of self-desire and self-pleasure is not found in God’s desire or command for His people, it has become the Christianity of North America. Oh church, let us no longer serve the westernization of Christianity. Rather, let us be the New Testament church God has called us to be as we read in the book of Acts.

Perhaps the most pertinent question of all four is, “Will the community remember your church for anything significant when they look back on the covid-19 shutdown of 2020?” There will be few communities where we will hear, “The people of that church put their own lives at risk to help others by ___________.” People in those communities will be drawn to Christ throughout and after this pandemic shutdown.

My prayer is that you desire to be a proactive, Great Commission Christian and desire for your church to be as well, reaching your community for Christ as we are commissioned to be. Be Christ’s light in the darkness of today.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.

Is your organization (or even your home) structured to function effectively and efficiently? All organizations have some type of structure. Unfortunately, many, perhaps the majority, do not have an efficient, effective operating structure. In the church for instance, nine out of ten healthy high performing New Testament churches have healthy efficient functioning structures. On the contrary, such an effective, efficient functioning structure is almost always missing in declining churches.

As mentioned in sentence two of the opening paragraph, most churches (and other organizations) have structure but lack an efficient functioning structure. Many of these issues are addressed in Reaching the Summit without ever mentioning the phrase organizational structure. We attempt to assist the church in realigning their structure to be a functioning biblically based organism with an effective, efficient functioning structure.

What does all this mean and what is the difference? Let’s look at one scenario played out in many churches across North America. See if it fits your other organizations too. Most recruiting for lay (volunteer) positions in the church is done in the hallway on Sunday mornings. We corner someone in the hall and implore him/her to take a certain position for the coming fiscal year. Seldom do we offer training or even sufficient resources. We’re only looking for a yes. Once someone says yes, we run off to fill the next position.

This recruiting leads to untrained or under-trained, unmotivated and sometimes unskilled people leading the ministry positions and discipleship classes in our churches. Can you see where this is going? Untrained, unmotivated people with the lack of needed skillsets cannot lead or assist their ministry and your church to effective ministry. It is easy to draw the line of comparison between this recruiting practice and declining churches. These churches indeed have a recruiting process, a structure, but not an effective or efficient one.

There is an intimate connection between structure and healthy living. In fact, you could say this connection was first demonstrated in the Genesis account of creation. Verse 2 of Genesis chapter one says “the earth was without form, empty, and full of darkness.” God spoke form (structure) into place and life became a reality. Every part of the creation account in Genesis demonstrates the principle that structure gives life. Even humankind, until God breathed life into man, man was not a functioning structure.

Many of our churches find themselves going through motions of action without form and void of true biblical functioning structure. The functionality of our church (and other organizational) structure has been tested these past few weeks, and the testing is not over yet. We are quite possibly only at the beginning of the testing of effective structure functionality.

As we look ahead to coming out of this covid-19 cessation, it is critical that leaders look at the changes needed in your organizational structure and begin preparing for a better, effective, efficiently functioning structure for fulfilling God’s mandate through His church. Church as usual will drive you quickly into further decline. What will you do today to begin reversing decline and setting an effective, efficient functioning structure in your organization?

For more information contact George Yates at SonC.A.R.E. Ministries or contact your denominational leaders.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.

It has been said that over 80 percent of North American Christians are biblically illiterate. Not that they cannot read the Bible, but that they choose not to. And biblical illiteracy is not settled with the younger generations alone. Every generation alive today is included.

Millennials and Generation Z (everyone born after 1982) are often categorized as rejecting Christianity. Yet, in fact this is not true of most in those generations. What they do reject is a false representation of Christianity that has been portrayed by their parent’s generations.

Somewhere along the timeline post World War II, the church (the people of the church) began loosening the reins on biblical belief. This loosening began an ever-increasing moderation of what it means to live a Christian life. In the 1960’s the Baby-boomer generation (my generation) acquired the nickname the “Me Generation”. There was valid reason for this nickname thinking more of self than anyone else, which included family and God.

The increasing moderation of Christianity in America, lived out by the Silent Generation (1927-1946), the Baby-Boomer generation (1946-1964) and Gen X (1965-1983) is sometimes rejected by younger generations due to its “me-isms”. While no more biblically literate than their previous generations, the younger ones are looking for a cause, a reason to get involved with something bigger than themselves.

Unfortunately, the Christian life lived out by most self-proclaimed Christians today, is not the same as what we read about in the Bible. But, hold on. Hope is not lost. As our hope is found in Christ and hope is a promise from God. There is in front of us an opportunity to redeem our generations.

We are living in a troubling, trying time which affords us opportunities to live as the early church lived in the book of Acts, if only we redeem the time and practice true biblical discipleship. We are seeing acts of true discipleship right now, for which I am encouraged.

May I suggest you begin by praying about your own life and how it needs to change to reflect the desire of Christ as lived out through the book of Acts. Then search some relevant disciple-making resources to assist you in your growth and your church in becoming a true disciple-making, Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) church.

Like anything, check references on Discipleship resources. Discipleship resources have been around a long time, yet our lifestyles show that not all of them grow true Disciples of Jesus Christ.

Here are three that I know or have been recommended to me by others:

PassionTree.org, a network for Disciple-Making Pastors.

Discipleship.org, online resources equipping & leading

Real Life Ministries, training and resources

Discipleship is a life-long process. There is plenty of material and curriculum aimed at Discipleship. While some of these are good, printed material does not make a Disciple. Discipleship is practiced in daily living as Jesus lived it with His Disciples recorded in the New Testament. Don’t rely solely on the printed resources of the day. Will you take the challenge to find a true biblically based discipleship process, commit your life to grow, not in American Christianity, but in the true likeness of Christ, and lead others in doing the same?

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.

Life is different today than it was one month ago, for everyone of us. In our personal lives, business and in church, we’re having to make adjustments and changes in everything we once considered normal. None of us know what twists and turns life will take as we progress through these trying times. My guess is not everything will return to what we once knew as “normal.”

In a recent post, I stated that I believe the church is in the midst of a transformation. Personally, it is one that I believe has been coming and would have gradually come about over the next ten to fifteen years. However, with this current pandemic that timeline progression has been accelerated rapidly.

Churches that attempt to return to the former normal, will likely face greater difficulties than they experienced in past decades. I am not saying you cannot return to some of the former ways of ministry. However, we must with a discerning spirit, discover what God desires us to learn from this time of social upheaval.

Our economy may or may not bounce back. It will likely be a slow process. However, when a nation experiences such a social upheaval as we are experiencing, it’s not a bounce back, but an alteration that takes place. Some may be small, but alterations in the way we do life are to be expected.

Changes are taking place now. Churches and other organizations are changing to meet the demands of life under lock-down conditions. Yet, to exist in the coming years, more than these temporary changes will be required. Are you willing to lead your church in transformation? A transformation of pastors, leaders and members alike will be required. The future of your church depends on following God through this time of trial and not returning to church as usual.

A transformation requires a changing of the heart. We can change our thinking, but until we have a change of heart, our actions will fall short of even our thinking. Each year many people think about losing weight or getting in shape. Yet, their actions and habits never change. Habits do not change because we “think” or know they should change. Habits change only when our hearts change.

It’s true most churches have changed the way they conduct services and ministry while we are in lock-down. Many pastors and other leaders are chomping at the bit to get back to normal. Normal? What is normal?

Only God knows how short, how short have we fallen from God’s desire for His church, the bride of Christ, in the past fifty years. Could it be that God is allowing us to go through this trial to bring about the needed transformation of the bride of Christ and to draw man’s attention to Him? Are you praying for a true heart transformation?

What are you learning through this time of pandemic that will alter who you are and how you trust God and treat others?

How much time have you spent asking God to help you understand how to better serve Him following this time of pandemic?

To what level will you sincerely commit to allowing God to totally transform you for serving Him regardless of how different it may look?

My prayer is that God’s transformation in you is identifiable to others around you.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.

At age 21 I had a sporting accident. I tore a bleeding cartilage and shredded all the ligaments behind my left knee, so bad they could not be surgically repaired. I had surgery to remove the bleeding cartilage followed by five weeks in a soft cast. Then I went through eight weeks of rigorous workouts at a physical therapy clinic.

My therapist was nice enough. She wasn’t very big, but she sure knew how to bend, torque, and maneuver that leg to the point of deep pain. I won’t say that she took pleasure in delivering me to my threshold of pain, but I do remember smiles on her face while putting me through those rigors. I took the rehab seriously and faithfully worked to strengthen that leg.

My range of motion with that leg on my first visit was 12 degrees. The day I left, 120 degrees. I had set a goal of the amount of weight I would work out with and reached it. The first day the workout was free of any weight.

My Physical Therapist taught me a series of exercises to strengthen my left leg that would take about 40-45 minutes each day. The first time was without weights. Then we strapped a one pound weight around my ankle. Then two, then three…On my last day I accomplished a feat that no man, even twice my size, had ever done. I completed that same workout with forty pounds of weight strapped to my ankle. Little skinny me, maybe 129 pounds, had successfully completed all of the required exercises with forty pounds of weight around my ankle.

When I walked out of that center for the final time my left leg was much stronger than the right leg, which had never been damaged.

I went through a lot of painful days, painful workouts during that time. I did it because I had a goal in mind. I was going to be as strong as before the accident. I came out stronger.

We all face trials, struggles, and hardships in life. There will be physical ones like I faced. There will be financial hardships and struggles, mental ones too, and even spiritual trials and struggles. When we go through life’s struggles, trials, and hardships, if we allow, God will lead us through them, so that we come out stronger believers and stronger proponents for His Kingdom and His power.

In the Bible, chapter 1 of the book of James tells us Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. ⁴ But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

If I had laid around crying about my poor knee, and how it couldn’t be surgically repaired; If I had not worked out daily as instructed by my therapist, my knee would have atrophied worse than the 5 weeks in the soft-cast. It would have been a useless knee, not able to carry my weight.

I had to stretch it, work it, bend it, lift weights with it and let the Physical Therapist bend it until I was in deep pain. My leg had to be stretched beyond what was comfortable. My rehabilitation of that leg was not a one-time venture. It was day by day, every day, a 40-45 minute workout each day. So it is in life, if you want to grow you’ve got to be stretched – sometimes until it hurts. It is a day by day process of development. Growth never takes place in your comfort zone. God stretches us to strengthen us. The more we’re stretched, the more intense our workout, the stronger we become.

When a man accepts this testing in the right way, and day by day he develops this steadfast devotion moving through each day, then day by day he will live more triumphantly and move nearer to the standard of Jesus Christ Himself.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.

This post is an excerpt from a forthcoming book on Lessons from God.

Texting with a pastor today about these uncertain times it was obvious he was truly concerned about his congregants and the future of the church. I shared with him just a snippet of what I plan to share in this post. I believe it was 2008 when I first shared this as I addressed a group of pastors and church leaders. A question was posed about the future of the church, the church in general.

My response was something like this: “I’m not certain what the church will look like in twenty to thirty years (2030-2040). But I will tell you this, in my opinion, it will be different than we have known church for the past sixty to seventy years. I believe we will see a lot of empty church buildings dot the landscape all across our nation…We could see a rise in smaller, home churches, which has a biblical base as we read in Acts. Technology will certainly play a part. Whatever it looks like, it will be different from what you and I have known as ‘church’ in our lifetime…”

In my texting today I admitted that this Covid-19 is perhaps speeding up those dates by a full ten years. And that may not necessarily be all bad. Churches today are being forced in some sense to adopt and adapt to today’s technology. We are having to reconsider and reconfigure almost everything we do as “the church.” And it may not be temporary adjustments.

I see this as possibly a blessing in disguise or at least a providential intervention to get the church’s attention for needed change. I realize the word change is a dirty six-letter word in the church, but change is essential for the continuing existence of God’s church. For two thousand years the church has adapted, morphed, and changed to reach the culture of the day.

The church today has a golden opportunity to reach our communities, nation, and world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The question is, will we, the church, allow God to use us to be His church, regardless of what it is to look like. Regardless of our traditions or a completely new venue.

So, pastor, church leader, let me encourage you. While today church does not look like what it did just one month ago, this did not catch God off guard. He not only was aware of it before it happened, He has known since the foundation of the world.

Since it has not caught God off guard, He knows there is work to be done. It is not a new work, only new methods. We need a new mindset. For many in our world, a new mindset will require a transformation. I believe a transformation of the church is indeed in the making. And we are blessed and privileged as His servants to join Him in that remaking, transformation of Christ’s bride. “Let us rejoice and be glad in it!”

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.