Heading into the home stretch of my last lap in my mile-walk, I noticed a burning sensation spread from my upper right arm across my chest and into my left arm. Ignoring the sensation, I pressed on and finished the walk. Eventually, the burning went away. When my wife finished her workout, I told her that I needed to get my heart checked at my next doctor appointment. That was January.

Like any “tough” guy I put off the checkup. Yes, the burning sensation appeared at least two more times. On June 5, five months after the first discomfort, the sensation returned while I was sleeping. We called 911 and headed for the ER in an ambulance. That afternoon, I had the inevitable heart attack. Two days latter, I underwent open heart surgery for a double bypass. I’m still waiting for a stent in a third artery.

Many churches and Christian organization face the same dilemma that I faced. They know something isn’t right, but they ignore the symptoms or put off doing anything about it. If they properly diagnose the problem, they may not know what to do cure the problem. They may not know whom to bring in to assist them in solving the problem, or they may refuse to bring in anyone to help them solve their problem. The refusal on the part of the leadership may be a result of ignorance, pride, lack of trust in outsiders or independence. “We can do it ourselves.”

Here are four immediate actions that your church/Christian organizational leaders need to take when you sense eminent disaster.

• Prayerfully ask God to confirm whether your inclinations are accurate. Take this prayer time seriously. Ask other leaders to pray with you about your inclinations.
• If you believe that God is showing you that your church/organization is indeed in trouble, sound the warning to the other leaders without appearing to be in a panic.
• Discuss with the other leaders the possibility that your church/organization may have drifted from your God-directed mission. Take time to read and digest Peter Greer and Christ Horsts’s book, Mission Drift. If you find that you have drifted from your mission, then …
• Make the hard decisions as a leadership team to bring your church/organization back to your mission. Don’t just make a decision, take the action.

Someone had posted a riddle that goes something like this. Five crows were sitting on a fence. One decided to fly away. How many crows are left? The correct answer is five. Action must accompany decisions in order for corrective change to take place.

Regularly check the health of your church/organization. Don’t wait for the heart attack. You may not survive.