Through the Eyes of a Newcomer!

I am so excited to be able to connect to you, the Assimilation Coach of your local Celebrate Recovery ministry. One of my passions is to equip you with tools to help you draw people to your ministry and help them down the Road to Recovery. I will be posting ideas for you to consider each week to develop you and your ministry. I will share ideas that have been used at Saddleback Church, as well as churches from around the country.

As I have visited Celebrate Recovery groups all over the world, the question that I get asked most often is, "How can we grow our Celebrate Recovery?" One of the keys to growth is the newcomer. When I visit a church, I try to look through the eyes of a newcomer. Who do they see? How would they feel? What is burdening their hearts? Where are they looking for hope? When would they reach out? I.e. day of the week, time and place. Where are they coming from?

A great exercise that you can do to help your CR be more newcomer friendly is to have someone you know that has never been to CR come. This could be a spouse, friend, or a staff member. Just someone with fresh perspective. Ask them to walk through the night as a participant and experience CR the way a newcomer would. At the end of the night talk to them about their experience. This is a time to put on that thick skin and ask them to be candid with you. Remember this is not about you! This is about meeting the newcomer where they are. What did they like or not like? Based on their experience would they come back? Were there greeters and clear signs directing them where to go? Were they given a bulletin when they came in? Was the newcomers 101 group helpful and informative? Were they able to connect to someone from the group to see the next week? Were they clear on which group would be best for them the following week?

A typical newcomer needs to come 2 to 3 times before they feel like they belong. As Assimilation Coaches we will not be able to remove all the barriers that keep a person from coming to and staying at Celebrate Recovery, but we can remove the ones that we know about. I encourage you to look at your CR through the eyes of a newcomer.