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Christian recovery programs can provide great ministry opportunities at many churches. If your church does not have a recovery program yet, you may be considering starting one up. Here are 10 tips on how to start a Christian recovery program at your church:
Prayer. First and foremost cover your recovery program in prayer, even before you launch it.
Be prepared for spiritual warfare. Recovery programs can be very controversial in some churches. They attract people that some of the members of your church may not be comfortable with… "sinners". Many of the people in recovery may still be struggling with alcoholism, addiction, physical or sexual abuse and compulsive or obsessive behaviors. These issues can be frightening to church members who have been trying to protect themselves and others from these types of problems all their lives. Be prepared to address these fears.
Gain the support of your church pastor and key members of the church board. Without the support of the leadership of your church you will be fighting an uphill battle. Explain to them how a recovery program in your church may not only bring people to Christ but also provide tools for existing members, as well as offer opportunities for church members to get actively involved in leadership.
Build a Recovery Team. Don't try to go it alone. Even Jesus built up a team of twelve disciples around himself for ministry. Talk to others that you know who may be interested in participating in Recovery Ministry.
Invite Christian members of secular recovery programs to join you. Whether these individuals are already members of your church or not, if they are strong in their faith and have healthy experience in recovery chances are they can provide the support you need to successfully launch a recovery program at your church.
Select a recovery curriculum that meets your needs. Not all recovery programs are the same and there are dozens to choose from. Celebrate Recovery is perhaps the most popular Christian Recovery program and is currently at over 10,000 churches worldwide. However, there is also, Overcomers Anonymous, 12 Steps to the Cross, Alcoholics Victorious, Christians in Recovery, Stepping Stones Recovery, and many more. Find a recovery format that meets your personality and the needs of the people you will be ministering to.
Recovery Bibles. Besides any curriculum you may chose to use, you will absolutely need a Bible. The best recovery Bible by far is the Life Recovery Bible. The Serenity Bible is also very good for recovery. You will need to remember that many people coming into recovery have a very limited understanding of the Bible, so you will want something that is contemporary.
Decide upon a meeting time or times. The day and time that you select to hold your recovery meeting must be considered very carefully. Make sure it does not conflict with other church activities. Most recovery meetings are held in the evenings. Friday night has traditionally been a very good time for recovery meetings because that is often the time when those who need recovery ordinarily get into trouble. In some cases you may want to hold more than one meeting. For example you would not want a group of men struggling with sexual addiction to meet on the same evening as a group of women that meet for sexual abuse recovery. Carefully consider the needs of those you are ministering to and try to avoid conflicts.
Start small. Don't try to start your recovery group with more than 12 people. Start small. Give your recovery group a few trial runs. Build the group slowly so that you can work out the bugs. As you and the other people get more comfortable with the format, the schedule, the time and the curriculum then begin inviting people.
Invite… Invite… Invite… In recovery they say that you have to give it away to keep it. Jesus basically said the same thing. He wants us to bear fruit. Once you feel comfortable with your small recovery group go invite people to join you. Make flyers and distribute them to secular 12 Step Recovery groups, rehab facilities, hospitals, Christian bookstores, and other locations. Put an ad in the local newspaper. You may even want to call your local radio stations and ask them if they will run a FREE public service announcement (PSA).
Hey Mark! I remember when you would call my roommate every week to invite him. Funny how I was the one who ended up there. You are a gem and of great service to me and others that I see you with.
» left by sue thom from nj (129 days 3 hours ago.)
hi mark,
there are different kinds of recovery. i tried to get a recovery meeting in the middle/high school, but i never received an answer from the principal or superintendent, as they watched each kid walk by them stoned or drunk. personally, i think there's only one recovery program that is the brass tacks, the hard knocks. i don't know if a softer technique would work, but i hope it does. the meetings i went to were in the rooms of my own church at the time, but the curriculum was different. i hope you start something that works, and people are saved from the demon of drugs and alcohol. thanks for sharing,
Hi Sue, Thank you for your comments. We have started many recovery programs at many churches in California and Nevada. One recovery program was set up as an outreach program in the downtown area. We have reached literally thousands of people through the years. And guess what? It works!
I agree that recovery should not be the easier softer path, by any means. We need to pull people's covers on a regular basis. Recovery is simple... but it isn't always easy.
I am sorry that you were unable to get the schools to assist in getting some kind of recovery program offered at their facilities. MAMA (Mothers Against Methamphetamine Abuse) has had pretty good success at making inroads into the church. You may want to contact them. You can find them online.
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