The Competition is Not the Church Down the Street

Grace Covenant Church - Austin, TX

At the Summit or a One Day Conference, you may have heard Pastor John note that "our competition is not the church down the street". Our competition as noted in 1 John 2:16 is "the world, the flesh, and the enemy of our soul".

This afternoon, I had a great reminder of how churches supporting the ministry of Celebrate Recovery can network to support and encourage one another in local fellowship. I'm grateful that Robin and Kari of Grace Covenant called together TEAM members from diverse geographic and denominational points in my hometown, Austin. In addition to existing TEAM members, we also had a couple of groups that are now in their 90 day kick off, and yet another group that is in their rebuilding process.

One of the items discussed, a problem for several groups locally, concerns the key of Senior Pastor Support. We can't stress enough - a foundation of success for any church's Celebrate Recovery ministry is SENIOR PASTOR SUPPORT. It is vital that the Senior Pastor see the outreach possible of helping those who are hurting in the church and community.

A second area we talked about is the importance of sharing testimonies in the local network. It is great to have the "Testimonies to Go DVDs" for those occasions you can't have a "live" testimony, but it is even better to be able to contact a neighboring group and have someone "show up" to share their story on your meeting night.

Keep in mind that, as the Ministry Leader, your responsibility is to read and approve every testimony given at your CR. If someone says, "why do you need to review my testimony, I've already given it in six other area churches", be especially alert. There are many places to review the importance of writing and reading a testimony in CR. You can look at this blog's archives to see more detail.

The key to take away from today's entry is to help your neighbor CR groups, and to do so through healthy networking. Resist any temptation to isolate your group or do this ministry in your own strength. The competition is not the church down the street!

...oh - several were planning to meet at the networking tent at the Summit. We'll see you there!

Celebrating Recovery - each day in Christ! - Jim

Training New Groups - Helping Each Other Along this Road to Recovery

We had a great One Day event at Bay Area Community Church in Annapolis, Maryland as Tom and his group of volunteers did an outstanding job of hosting the RECENT CR event in the North East Region.

As I was SHARING OR TEACHING about the 90 Day Kick-Off strategy, I mentioned THAT we have observed three types of networking taking place across the country. In this post, I wish to address the second type of networking I mentioned at that seminar, the issue of a Celebrate Recovery ministry setting itself up as a “training center” for other Celebrate Recovery ministries.

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH an established ministry helping a smaller church or a satellite campus. The point I wish to make, is that by hosting ALL the CR leadership training in an area, a large church can foster AN UNHEALTHY dependence that causes the leadership of a smaller church not to GROW IN THEIR OWN ABILITY TO TRAIN AND GROW THEIR LEADERS – period.

We believe that the Basic Leadership Kit, the Advanced Leadership Kit, and other Celebrate Recovery approved resources provide everything a leader needs to train five leaders or fifty!

A legitimate, large, well established Celebrate Recovery ministry can help or assist new teams through inclusion in leadership training early on. Just don’t foster dependence BY doing all the training for new groups in your area. ALSO BE CAUTIOUS AND DON’T add ADDITIONAL rules or requirements to the Ninety Day Kickoff plan.

One other note of caution to Ministry Leaders. If a trainer from a local CR ministry is offering to “CERTIFY” your team after attending so many training sessions, they are operating outside the traditional model of training that has been established.

As always, we have a great team of State Representatives and Regional Directors who are willing to assist or answer questions, based on their experience of starting and growing healthy Celebrate Recovery ministries.

Celebrating Recovery – each day in Christ! - Jim

Cell Phone Law In Effect July 1, 2008

I wanted to be sure everyone is aware that a new law is going in effect and will be of concern while we are visiting Southern California for the 2008 Celebrate Recovery Summit.

On July 1, 2008, a law prohibiting vehicle drivers from using cell phones will go into effect.

If you would like additional information on this new law, and how it affects you as a motorist in California, please visit the California Highway Patrol.

Look for an update on the final One Day Seminars of this season next week. The seminar schedule for the Fall will be out by the Celebrate Recovery Summit in August. As of yesterday we were already over 2450 in registration!

Celebrating Recovery - each day in Christ! - Jim

Celebrate Recovery Summit Selling Out Fast!

I Just wanted to let you all know that the Summit is selling out fast. We are weeks away and over 1/3rd of the available spots have already been filled. 

If you're planning on coming out to the 2008 Summit, make sure you register today.

Go to www.celebraterecovery.com for more information.

God Bless,

Johnny

Are You Doing This For the Exercise?

I did my part for “National Bike to Work Day” yesterday. Though it was an “out and back” route so I could begin the work day from home, I made my presence known as a cyclist in the community. As I was stopped at a traffic light I heard a cherry “hello!"

Turning to my right I saw an older woman, riding an adult tricycle with a basket on the back. Quite a contrast, me in my riding outfit (including a helmet – always a helmet!), and she was riding in casual clothes and tennis shoes. I’m sure it was a striking contrast, a granny utility bike waiting next to a “roady”, ready for the light to change.

She looked me over and asked “are you doing this for the exercise”, to which I answered “yes I am”. She noted “I’m doing it for the groceries”, pointing to the full basket mounted on the back of her trike. “I’m glad the trip home is downhill” was her parting comment as the light changed. I wished her a great rest of the day as the light changed, and pedaled my way toward exercise.

In the solitude of the next twenty miles I had the opportunity to think about the interaction at the first traffic light of the ride.

Webster’s dictionary also defines exercise as - something performed or practiced in order to develop, improve, or display a specific capability; or skill or a performance or activity carried out for training and discipline.

Celebrate Recovery has its share of folks doing recovery as an exercise of sorts. As ministry leader, you have probably encountered participants as have I. Those who struggle and even drop out along the way. Many times you may even hear them say “I tried Celebrate Recovery and it did not work”.

Excuse me??? They may have been occupying a chair, or coming as an exercise or habit, but they likely were not working an honest program. I believe you will agree that attending is a whole lot different than participating!

I have seen too many examples of lives transformed by the power of God’s word and our network of support and accountability to give credence to any suggestion that Celebrate Recovery does not “work”.

Those who have come hungry and ready to live life based on the promises of God will not be disappointed. When you come for the groceries – He will deliver.

Celebrating Recovery – each day in Christ! – Jim

p.s. – Have you registered for the 2008 Celebrate Recovery Summit? Promotion has barely begun, and the registration as of yesterday was nearing 1,000. We’re certain that the online registration will be closed by the end of June or the first of July as we near capacity. Please, please, please – reserve your place at the Summit before you take care of airfare and lodging.

Home Improvement, Recovery Edition

When you visit Celebrate Recovery groups in different parts of the country, you have an opportunity to see some really great t-shirts. Local groups have come up with some rather unique ways to promote their ministry to the church and community.

While at a recent One Day Seminar, I saw a shirt that had "Home Improvement, Recovery Edition" on the back.

What an awesome reminder we are involved in the restoration and recovery ministry!

I was recently in Social Circle, Georgia, where several homes have been restored to their former glory. The home pictured above has been recovered for the purpose of serving many through weddings, receptions, reunions, and concerts. (Ask your Georgia friends how the town got it's name - cute story!)

God has always been active in the work of restoration. A great story of support and accountability is found in the book of Nehemiah, where in Nehemiah 3:8 (NIV) it says "They restored [a] Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall", talking in part about the coordination of different groups to restore the city.

Teamwork is important in all areas of Celebrate Recovery. It takes T.E.A.M. to insure that one person is not responsible for carrying all the load of administering and running every aspect of the local ministry, cooperation is important in every element of running the large group meeting night, and trust and relationship are key to what takes place in open share and step study groups.
Oh - as part of that trip to Georgia, I had the opportunity to meet with a great group of leaders from the South East Region. Many Thanks to Rob Snyder and the team from Perimeter Church as they hosted the South East/North Central Regional Team meeting and a One Day Seminar. In the photo above you will see many of the leaders who serve that region of the country, along with leaders of the North Central Region.

Celebrating Recovery - each day in Christ! - Jim

Leaders Meetings Part Two

Sorry it’s taken me so long to get to this second installment about Leaders Meetings. Last time I mentioned that we make them mandatory and why we have chosen to do that, and that we try to make the meetings fun.

One thing we started last year that our leaders have really enjoyed was we began giving out an award called the “Extra Mile Award.” It was for a leader that we felt had gone above and beyond in their service for the month. We bought them a $25 gas card as the award. We would bring them up in front of the rest of the group and thank them for their service. We’d also tell the rest of the group how they had gone the extra mile. This was a simple thing to do, relatively inexpensive, and it greatly impacted those who received them.

Do you have leaders that have put in some extra time?

Leaders that come to your group early and set up chairs?

Leaders that stay late to clean up?

Leaders that run more than one group, maybe a Step Study and an Open Share group?

Leaders that go the extra mile?

If so, celebrate them at your next leaders meeting. It doesn’t have to be a gas card or even have a dollar amount attached to it, but letting them know you’ve noticed will go a long way. It will also encourage folks to attend the meetings, they won't want to miss their turn.

Give the extra mile award a shot for a while and see if Leaders Meeting attendance increases. If not, at least the leaders you honor will be encouraged and they’ll know that you know they’ve gone the extra mile.

Johnny