OPEN USA Team Update | December 2025

As we near the end of the year – the time of year that it is very natural to celebrate our Savior’s birth – it’s helpful to remind ourselves that we don’t just serve God from afar, as though we don’t personally know Him. We serve a God who is actually with us and will never leave us or forsake us. What we are doing in OPEN is not “for” him as much as it is “with” him – He is the one leading the effort and He will accomplish His purpose with or without us anyway. It is for our benefit that we work alongside Him. Very much unlike a modern general who sends his troops into battle from a central place of command, King Jesus goes with us into the battle. 

So it is also a natural time to ask, and ask again: do we think we are slaving away for an owner of some estate (as the oldest son wrongly thought in the parable of the Two Lost Sons in Luke 15), or do we understand we are heirs of the estate? Let’s join those in the gospels and remember the God we serve, who came down and lived among us to serve and to save, to reconcile and to redeem. He is not a far away God who commands from a perch or an ivory tower. He dwells among us! 

 With all of this as background, are we amazed, or is the whole thing so normal to us that we give lip serve to it and move on with our days? I want to challenge each of us to stop and BEHOLD him. Consider verses like these:

 Isaiah 42:1 – “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.”

 John 1:29 – “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

 To behold is to stop and stare, to gaze intently – not to simply look up from one’s phone for a second and notice. Do we stop and stare at the beauty of our Lord? Do we gaze intently at Him with awe and wonder?

 This year-end, let’s take a pause to behold the King, the One who redeems and restores everything he touches – the One who is making all things new. It is He who walks with us as a friend and a father and not simply as a master, yet we should never lose our awe and wonder at who we are dealing with. Enjoy celebrating Him as Savior and as Lord, and I pray that you and your families and friends are re-invigorated as you behold the Savior’s birth! It’s from this power that we will go forth in 2026 and serve our network members so they may thrive as they bring this Good News to those who have never heard!

Coaching

The coaching team has been hard at work incorporating Neon CRM into the coaching process. There is a new database in CRM to monitor coaching relationships and our roster of coaches are now being tracked in CRM. Starting in 2026, CRM will be used to communicate with the coaching team to get updates quarterly.

The Coaching Coordinator role will be undergoing some process changes starting next year when Network members will be able to review the background and expertise of the coaches and potentially set up a coaching relationship directly.

Mentoring

Like coaching, the mentoring team are now tracking the mentor relationships and church contracts with Neon CRM. In addition, Jay S., who is handling the “Begin Here” calls, now tracks those calls and the results in Neon CRM.

If you haven’t heard, Jay’s new book, “Mentored” has now been published and it reveals all that you’d ever want to know about the mentoring process – how it works, benefits, and pitfalls. If you’re interested, here’s a link to it: Mentored – Jay Shifley

Service Provider Directory

Yes, the SPD is alive and well! However, it needs some loving care and attention to maintain its usefulness for network members. Do you know of someone who is a good organizer who can give 4-5 hours per month to provide care? Let us know at spd@theopenservices.net