Making Your Group Safe for All - Celebrate Recovery Ministry Leader's Chief Commission
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 at 9:48AM Last week we were in Pennsylvania for a One Day Seminar, including the Seven Keys of Recovery and the Advanced Leadership Training. Many thanks to Ron and his team of great volunteers. I also made a new friend on Face Book!
I enjoy Face Book and the opportunities it brings to "stay in touch" with family and friends on a social level. I also have fun with the creative use of YouTube for promotions about Celebrate Recovery world-wide. There are many other creative ways technology connects us and raises awareness of CR in the public eye - and techchnology is great - most of the time!
One area of concern regarding our advanced means of technology is that of anonymity and confidentiality. I've seen and heard examples of someone filming or photographing all or part of a Celebrate Recovery meeting, and then displaying it somewhere on the web.
As a Ministry Leader, your first obligation is to make Celebrate Recovery a safe place for all participants. Letting a camera, camera equipped cell phone , or other video recording device into your meeting can be a violation of the sacred trust of confidentiality or anonymity.
A leader may point out that "I got a signed waver from all concerned". My concern is for that individual who walks in without giving their consent, or the person who later changes their mind and later says, "I didn't really want to sign, but everyone else did".
Two points regarding technology use in a Celebrate Recovery meeting - then I'll let you evaluate where your group stands.
1.) Recording the lessons of Celebrate Recovery is something you should not be doing. The body of the lesson, including the acrostic, is copyrighted material and should not be duplicated for public consumption.
2.) Perhaps the best use of still or video photography is in the promotion of your CR ministry. Think of the "WORDS" video, or the DVD included in the Basic Leadership Kit. A local promotional video is usually shot once, then used for specific purposes in the local church.
In addition, regular or weekly photography or video taping should not be a part of your Celebrate Recovery ministry. The use of camera or cell phone photography should be STRONGLY discouraged in your Celebrate Recovery ministry. If you are recording Celebrate Recovery lessons for inclusion on the web - you're going to have to stop.
Serving as a Ministry Leader, you've likely thrown personal anonymity and confidentiality out the door a long time ago. I wish to encourage you to make CR a safe place for all - and keep the cameras out of the meeting unless there for specific purposes of promoting your ministry.
On another note - this Friday is the last day to take advantage of early registration for the 2009 Summit at Saddleback Church. You may register by visiting us online at Celebrate Recovery .
Celebrating Recovery - each day in Christ! - Jim
Reader Comments (2)
Thank you for the specifics on recording a Celebrate Recovery meeting. You clearly identified video as a no-no. Would you verify that this should apply to audio-only recordings and postings on the web also (lessons, testimonies, etc.)?
Many, many thanks for the great blogs!!
Billy Carneal
Is it ok to take notes from a lesson/testimony during large group on my phone ( typed as a word doc) and then refer to them once in small group?
Is it ok to take notes or jot down one liners that others in my group share b/c it triggered a memory or thought for myself and it was helpful?
Is it ok to reference notes taken on a legal pad from a lesson/testimony during large group while in small group?
Thanks!