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.

God created you with a purpose in mind. Then He gave you a passion to pursue that purpose, to learn and develop the skills to excel at your passion and purpose. Regardless of our calling in life, there are times when we feel discouraged, even ready to quit and find something else. In these times, have you ever wondered if you could recapture the joy and passion of your calling?

Your occupation is not your purpose. Your occupation is the means (tool) God has gifted to you to work out your purpose.  Hitting those low times does not necessarily mean it is time to quit. Look for God in those times. Ask Him to give you direction   When you hit those times, and we all do, follow these four steps to recapture the passion of your purpose.

First, pray. Not just once. Not for 30 seconds. Commit to pray daily, multiple times a day. Every time God lays that burden of your passion and purpose on your mind, Pray. Commit to one time during the day when you will be able to spend 10-15 minutes minimum in prayer, without interruptions, every day. Pray for the recapturing of your passion and pray that your passion in the days to come will surpass any you have experienced in the past. Also, pray for your co-workers, your family, and your purpose, be it in ministry, working in a factory, as a driver, or whatever trade you are in to fulfill your purpose.

Next, Commit to Love. Recapturing the passion for your purpose requires returning to loving what you do and where you are in life. To recapture your passion, you must love, not only the thing that allows you to fulfill that passion, but also the people around you. Commit to loving each member of your family, all the people you serve, those you serve/work with, and those you work for. Without the commitment to love you cannot return to your full God-given passion.

Third on the list, be an intentional mentor, discipler, builder of leaders. Recapturing your passion requires understanding that your purpose is to help others reach their full potential. Whatever your level of experience is, there are others you can pour into, men and women you can influence and empower to reach for heights beyond where he/she stands each day. Be a mentor. Be a discipler, be a builder of leaders.

Most of all always follow God’s direction. He is the God of all creation. He created your most inward being, all of you. He knows your potential. He designed a purpose specifically for you and as a parent desires his/her child to excel, so the God of the universe desires for you to excel at your purpose. And He desires for you to excel with a passion that exceeds earthly realms.

Copy this blog post to your files and save it for when you have one of those low times of discouragement. Re-read it then and say, “Yes Lord, we can do this!”

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.

Recently, in a small group setting a conversation broke out between two individuals. I have written much about asking the right questions and how to properly formulate those questions. It is my belief that we are oftentimes asking the wrong questions, in church, in business, and in our personal conversations. As long as we’re asking the wrong questions, we’ll never get to the right answers. Learning to ask properly formulated questions is a great start.

While it is a start, good questions are not enough. In the conversation I mentioned in the first sentence of this article, person number one was asking questions to ascertain information from person two. Acquiring information is one of the four purposes of a question and perhaps the most used. Some of the questions in that conversation were descent to good questions. Yet, I recognized an issue in this conversation.

The main issue in this conversation was not the questions being asked. It was the refusal of the questioner to accept the answers given. Some of person 2’s answers were perfectly legitimate answers. Instead of accepting the answer and asking a follow up question, the questioner would not let up, pressuring for the answer he wanted.

This type of questioning is not leading. It is a team buster and a morale killer. Every person on the team will pull away from open dialogue, fearing similar treatment from one or more team members.

People you are leading or partnering with on a team may not always give the answers you desire. Within a team that should be okay. One purpose of a team is to gather possibilities from multiple sources. At the first meeting with any new team I share four reasons they were selected, four characteristics they must live up to. 1) Open minded, 2) Forward thinking, 3) Ready to speak, 4) Willing to Listen.

Everyone has an equal voice and is expected to speak freely, even if his/her thoughts are opposite of what everyone else is sharing. The team needs all the information and insights God may be giving to each individual. On the flip side, because everyone is expected to speak, then all must also be willing to listen with patience and openness.

Perception is reality. What a person perceives is her reality. We must accept her response as her reality. Then, if pertinent, we need to use properly formulated questions (asked in the proper tone) to help her in understanding the truth. On the other hand, we must also be willing to listen as her perception may be closer to reality than we want to admit.

Asking properly formulated questions and being willing to accept answers go hand in hand. We can and must do both. Are you open-minded enough to listen to the answers of your questions even if they are not your anticipated answers?

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.

Leaders are made, not born. While it is true that not everyone is a natural leader, everyone can lead in some capacity. In fact everyone does lead in some capacity, even if it is leading in negativity, which is easy to get people to follow. All people have natural gifts and abilities that can be developed. In addition to these gifts, believers, followers of Jesus Christ also are blessed with Spiritual Gifts. Each of these gifts can be developed for use in leadership roles. Consider these following suggestions for identifying leaders.

Begin with prayer, regardless of your organization, begin with prayer. I am a firm believer in prayer as I have witnessed it firsthand in praying for leaders and leadership positions. God knows better than any of us how to fill positions with the right people.

Always be observant of the people in your organization. Watch for what people gravitate to naturally. In the church is he always hanging around the kitchen looking to help out? Is she always making her way to speaking to guests in a friendly, welcoming manner? Listen to what people enjoy speaking about and which conversations they engage in. Observation can one of your greatest recruitment tools.

Identify upcoming positions that need to be filled. Every organization should always be thinking ahead. What are the next two to three positions that we will need to fill. As you identify these begin watching for the right person (praying and observing).

Resource for Success every person you identify as a potential leader. Provide quality training on-site or away. What other resources are necessary for the right person to have success in this position? What additional resources will be beneficial?

Remain open and available for communication. Empower people to lead and give them freedom to lead, while remaining open to communication between you and all levels of leadership in your organization. As you approach potential leaders, they already know if you are open to assisting them in fruitful leadership. The way you assist and treat current leaders impacts how open potential leaders are to serving in leadership within your organization.

Here are characteristics found in fruitful leaders.

• Positive attitude in all things,
• know how to positively lead people,
• teachable,
• willing to learn and attend training.
•  Spiritual leaders must have a deep conviction and commitment to the Holy Spirit’s leading.

Identifying potential leaders is the responsibility of every leader. What are you doing to identify and develop new leaders? How will you improve your identification of new leaders this week?

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.

Fred was one of the leaders in his business and his church. Working 55 plus hours a week and serving in several positions at church, Fred was lucky to have two nights at home each week. Those two nights were consumed with yard work, needed tasks, and repairs. His quality time with family usually consisted of breakfast on Sunday morning- each member running in and out of the kitchen as they prepared for church, and the drive to church and back home – when the kids weren’t going home with a friend.

A schedule like Fred’s can have several devastating consequences and will lead to burnout. Eventually, the proverbial well will run dry. Every person needs not only to pour out into life’s arenas, but also to be poured into. It is great to be busy, in-demand, and hard working. Yet, staying busy at the expense of your own physical, mental, and spiritual health will have devastating consequences.

When the well is empty, you feel you have no more to give. You are physically, mentally, or emotionally exhausted, or all three. It is wise to take inventory of your schedule from time to time. Here are a few tips to help avoid running the well dry.

• Understand yourself. Know your strengths and your limits.
• Realize it is okay to say “no” to things not in your strength mix.
• Plan and protect personal time, daily if possible, or at least three times per week. Even 15 minutes can give you a fresh start.
• Find something you enjoy doing that has no relation to your job or other obligations, – a hobby, sport, or relaxation event.
• Avert situations and people who drain you, leaving you frustrated or exhausted.
• Build relationships with people who are positive and encouraging.
• Build quality family time into your schedule, at least weekly. A date night, family outing, or game night.
• Acknowledge when you need help and voluntarily ask for help.
• Have a prayer partner or two with permission to challenge you about your well running dry.

Perhaps most importantly,

• Start your day with a minimum of 15 minutes with your creator, God Almighty and His Word, The Holy Scriptures.

Perhaps you have built-in other ways to keep your well from running dry. Share them with me and others. Whom do you know who does a good job at keeping the well from running dry? What will you commit to today to ensure your well is not running dry?

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.

Having an effective, fruitful organization (church, ministry team, business) requires more than pulling a group of people together and calling them a team. Effective organizations create a culture within that cultivates successful fruit bearing results. Here are some components for that type of culture.

1, A continuing system of training. Leaders are made, not born. Train up everyone to be a leader of their own abilities. Not everyone can be the leader, but everyone has the potential to be a leader. Provide quality ongoing training that assists each person in rising to his/her potential. Training is a key component missing in many churches and organizations today. Provide ongoing training and resources that enable each person to be equipped for the task and furthering their personal growth.

2, Open avenues of communication – from the start. Open, two-way communication is vital to the effectiveness of any organization. Many leaders stifle two-way communication, wanting only top-down communication to get the job done. This stifles communication and effectiveness. Two-way communication means observing, listening, adhering, and implementing wise and usable input from anyone on the team.

3, Improve the environment. Regardless of your length of existence, age of facilities, or size of your organization, there is always room for improvement. Every member’s desire should be to provide the very best environment possible, for everyone. One person should not desire a plush comfy, $200 chair to sit in while everyone else is expected to sit in metal folding chairs. Provide the best quality furnishings and resources to be afforded on your existing budget.

4, Cultivate a team approach to leadership. Whether you are the pastor, CEO, or top person in your organization, or you are the newest member of an organization, opportunities for shared experiences and responsibilities are critical. Teams provide support for one another. Also, fruitful teams provide friendly accountability. Friendly accountability is not holding others oppressed under your thumb. It is lifting their tired arms in Aaron and Hur fashion (Exodus 17:12-13). A team approach always holds each member in equal esteem assisting each one to perform at his or her best.

5, A positive, caring atmosphere. People will always perform at higher levels when in a positive, caring atmosphere. Knowing that we are accepted and cared for fulfills one of man’s basic needs and it breeds fruitfulness. A caring, positive atmosphere removes anxieties and stress allowing each person to work/serve without many of the stresses of life.

Certainly, these are not all inclusive of the makeup of a fruitful team. However, build these into any team and you will have an effective, fruitful team. Which of the five components will you focus on first, this week, with the teams to which you are affiliated?

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.