Meeting Other Celebrate Recovery Encourager Coaches

This past weekend, the First Church of the Nazarene, in Nampa, Idaho, hosted a Celebrate Recovery One Day Seminar.  Many thanks to Barry and Eunice Lucas and to their team of leaders who helped make it a success!

I love meeting Encourager Coaches who are attending the One Days. In Nampa, I was able to visit with several enthusiastic Encourager Coaches from the Northwest who were eager to network and learn more about this important position on the T.E.A.M.  Of course, I told them about this blog and encouraged them to read the two years worth of information found here, as a resource.

One of the greatest networking opportunities is just ahead of us.  The Summit, in August, will be an excellent time to meet and get to know other CR Encourager Coaches.  There will be plenty of opportunities to connect with other E coaches and exchange ideas and information, as well as learn more about the role you play on the T.E.A.M. Come join us for this exciting CR experience.

Be sure to reserve your seat quickly because the Summit is filling up quickly. Two thirds of the seats are already reserved. Don't miss out on this special time together.  I look forward to seeing you there!

Blessings,

Paula 

The Personality and Gifts of the Encourager Coach on the T.E.A.M. in Celebrate Recovery. Part 4.

What qualities am I looking for in a potential candidate for the Encourager Coach?Look for that person who reaches out to others and makes them feel welcome or accepted. A potential candidate will be a helpful person, working well under the established leadership to help your local ministry thrive, with a heart for others.

The potential candidate will be a people person, outgoing, relational, and caring. As a relational person, this individual will most likely be a good listener.

In our local ministry, there is a lady that has been in our church for years. The above attributes describe her perfectly. It took her awhile to join our Celebrate Recovery Ministry, but she finally said “yes”. She has now been involved with our CR ministry for a few years. The CR leadership has seen these described gifts evident in her life over a period of time. They have gotten to know her. Just recently, she took the position as the Female Encourager Coach. She said “yes” again. It fits her so well and we know that she will bloom in this position and contribute greatly to the T.E.A.M!

Ken and I want to thank you for stopping by to read our blog! Blessings to each of you.

Paula

What does an Encourager Coach do as a part of the Celebrate Recovery T.E.A.M?

As Ken and I visited with many of you at the Summit, we encountered several individuals that were still unclear about the role of the Encourager Coach. The first part of our weekly series will attempt to make this role and its responsibilities clearer for you to assist you in finding and placing the appropriate individuals as "E" coaches on your TEAM.

There are three important points to cover this week. First, why do we have both a male and female in this role? The other positions on the T.E.A.M. do not specify this dual role in their job descriptions. Having a male and female share this position is essential because of the need for men to work with men and women with women. An encouraging role can get “close up and personal”, We don’t want any problems in any ministry because a male shares personal information with a female inappropriately or vice versa. Having the dual roles helps to eliminate the propensity of a cross-gender relationship that is too close and personal and any potential problems.

Second, what are the duties of the Encourager Coaches? The Encourager Coaches PROVIDE AND OVERSEE THE SHEPHERDING CARE NEEDS OF THE GROUPS AND MINISTRY LEADERS. In other words, the Encourager Coaches are to minister to the leaders.They oversee leadership care. This can include volunteers. Group leaders give to the participants and are their primary source of leadership. The "E" Coaches encourage and support those same leaders. Leaders can become discouraged with group issues or even go through difficult personal stresses related to family, job or relationships. The success of the CR ministry depends in part on the continued commitment and efforts of the leaders. Just as the Pastor of a Church needs to minister to his own support staff, the "E" Coach prays and encourages those leaders who do the work of the ministry. Yes, there will be times when encouragement will be needed by other individuals or groups, but the primary focus of the "E" coach is other leaders. Having that necessary encouragement available will help keep the CR ministry healthy.

Thirdly, the “E” coaches CREATE FELLOWSHIP EVENTS FOR THE LEADERS AND GROUPS. Sometimes the best fellowship occurs when the leaders “get together” and enjoy each others company. Our ministry certainly enjoys those special times. Leaders can just be themselves and laugh and share together. The “E”s also plan events and fellowship for the participants and leaders. You know from the Seven Keys that there are several opportunities for “get togethers” in the Celebrate Recovery Ministry. Social times provide a wonderful backdrop for building relationships and finding accountability partners and sponsors!

In the weeks and months to come, Ken and I will offer some suggestions and ideas for fellowship events. We would love to hear from you regarding any events that have been successful in your ministry. We will definitely share some of these events you share with us.

Next week, Ken will continue to talk about the Encourager Coach role!