Recovery Ministry
In the last several years, recovery ministries have been springing up all over the Dayton, Ohio area. With the opioid epidemic, many people in the church decided they wanted to get involved and start these ministries. For several years I helped start several recovery ministries in the area and elsewhere.
My passion for those who need recovery comes from losing my father when I was 15 to an overdose, and ultimately becoming an alcoholic myself. By the grace of God, today I am more than 8 years sober and try to stay involved in these types of ministries. Four to five years ago I would be praising these ministries and churches for simply opening their doors to those in need and being willing to help. However, in the last couple of years I have attended several recovery ministries and left feeling concerned about the direction we are headed in.
My primary concern is the motive of the leaders involved in recovery ministries. I realize many people are in recovery and love Jesus, however that alone doesn't make someone a good candidate to lead. They may come in on fire for Jesus and wanting to reach the masses, but when they are only reaching a few they are getting discouraged and shutting down. Recovery ministries are shutting down as fast as they are starting because someone in an office decides that its about having the 99 each week and not the 1.
My questions to these leaders are: What is your motive? Is your motive to serve Jesus and help others? If you are one who cares about numbers and want to shut down after a few months or a year, doesn't that make it about you? Didn't Billy Graham have to have someone who reach him? What if the one person you reach becomes the next Billy Graham? Or maybe, you look at it as not helping that one, but also the one's family who doesn't have to live in fear anymore, and that persons next boss who doesn't have to worry about theft at the workplace, or her children who wont lose their mother to an overdose or accident and end up a statistic, or could it be that you reach just the one and it goes no further and Jesus still looks at you and says, "well done, good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21).
Not everyone is called to lead a multitude. Especially if we aren't faithful with the few. In Matthew 25:14–30, Jesus tells the parable of the talents. To summarize, three different men received three different amounts of money to invest and grow (notice not everyone gets the same thing). Two of them invested wisely and doubled their masters profits, while the other did nothing and was stripped of his portion and called wicked! YIKES! Could you imagine what Jesus would say to those who are called to do recovery ministries who simply give up because they aren't reaching the masses? Instead of using their God given talents to reach, teach, mentor, and grow the few they have been given, they simply hide away because they aren't getting what they wanted out of it.
Other than the amount of people showing up, we hear things like, "I'm just tired and need a break." To many people get into ministry with visions of holding a microphone and preaching to hundreds if not thousands. The reality is that is just 1 hour of the entire week of work that leads up to that moment. Between the studying, organizing notes, slide shows, counseling, meetings, funerals, etc etc, leading a ministry is not for the faint of heart. Then you add in addictions and recovery and you are spending more time in coffee shop meetings with those in recovery (if you are worth your weight in salt) than you are in the pulpit by far!
Here is the reality: RECOVERY MINISTRY IS HARD! It is not for those who want it, its for those who are called to it. I can only mimic someone from television for so long before I burn out or get run out and blame it on someone else. We have to do a better job at serving those in need. It doesn't matter if there are 8 people or 8000 in the seats, every single one of them are there because they NEED to be. No one life is worth more than another regardless of how many there are.
In the parable of the lost sheep (Matthew 18:12-14), Jesus is absolutely clear that the one lost soul is more important than the 99 who are already on the right path. The reality is, if you have 100 people coming to your recovery ministry, the majority are already saved and still working a program. Many are probably there for the fellowship and continued growth. However, the ONE newcomer is completely lost, afraid, don't really know about the "whole Jesus thing," and we want to shut down or not give it our all because there "inst enough people coming." But isn't that one lost who we are supposed to be there for?
Here is the challenge for those who are in recovery ministry or thinking of starting. DON'T QUIT! Studies show it takes approximately 3 years to build anything worth keeping. If you give up in the first few months or years, you may miss the miracle. In my first ministry, between years 2 and 3, we went from 40 to over 100 each week in attendance. Not because we were great, but because we stayed faithful to those who needed us and in turn, they passed the word on to others who saw the change in them.
The only secret sauce to growing is remaining faithful to the few God provides. Get them involved. Don't make it about you. Get them involved. Don't put up a leadership wall where you think you have it all figured out and no one can give you advice. Get them involved. If you aren't growing, maybe its because what you are doing isn't working! Try something different. Get them involved.
Notice I repeated something here? The fact is people want to feel important. They need to feel needed and wanted. If you have people handing out bulletins who are 10 years sober, MOVE THEM! It is no longer about them. The purpose of recovery is NOT recovery. Its to get people RECOVERED and serving in the Kingdom as productive members of the body of Christ. Teach those in long-term recovery to mentor the newcomer. If I'm 3 months sober and no one even knows my name, my leaders are missing the mark. Approach the newer people and show them their worth. Bulletins and announcements can only go so far. But if you come to me and ask if I would be willing to JOIN the TEAM, I feel important and not invisible.
Lastly, "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men," (Colossians 3:23 ESV). It doesn't matter if it is the same 4 people every single week. We work for the Lord. If those are the people He sent that week, be faithful in your work to them as well. Many people in recovery are looking for a reason to leave, give them a reason to stay! Give them everything you have and your reward will be their growth. If its not, you are in the wrong line of work. Others' growth and recovery is what it is all about. As soon as it becomes about me, I need to go back to step 1!
Dr. Mike Lawson, DCC
My passion for those who need recovery comes from losing my father when I was 15 to an overdose, and ultimately becoming an alcoholic myself. By the grace of God, today I am more than 8 years sober and try to stay involved in these types of ministries. Four to five years ago I would be praising these ministries and churches for simply opening their doors to those in need and being willing to help. However, in the last couple of years I have attended several recovery ministries and left feeling concerned about the direction we are headed in.
My primary concern is the motive of the leaders involved in recovery ministries. I realize many people are in recovery and love Jesus, however that alone doesn't make someone a good candidate to lead. They may come in on fire for Jesus and wanting to reach the masses, but when they are only reaching a few they are getting discouraged and shutting down. Recovery ministries are shutting down as fast as they are starting because someone in an office decides that its about having the 99 each week and not the 1.
My questions to these leaders are: What is your motive? Is your motive to serve Jesus and help others? If you are one who cares about numbers and want to shut down after a few months or a year, doesn't that make it about you? Didn't Billy Graham have to have someone who reach him? What if the one person you reach becomes the next Billy Graham? Or maybe, you look at it as not helping that one, but also the one's family who doesn't have to live in fear anymore, and that persons next boss who doesn't have to worry about theft at the workplace, or her children who wont lose their mother to an overdose or accident and end up a statistic, or could it be that you reach just the one and it goes no further and Jesus still looks at you and says, "well done, good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21).
Not everyone is called to lead a multitude. Especially if we aren't faithful with the few. In Matthew 25:14–30, Jesus tells the parable of the talents. To summarize, three different men received three different amounts of money to invest and grow (notice not everyone gets the same thing). Two of them invested wisely and doubled their masters profits, while the other did nothing and was stripped of his portion and called wicked! YIKES! Could you imagine what Jesus would say to those who are called to do recovery ministries who simply give up because they aren't reaching the masses? Instead of using their God given talents to reach, teach, mentor, and grow the few they have been given, they simply hide away because they aren't getting what they wanted out of it.
Other than the amount of people showing up, we hear things like, "I'm just tired and need a break." To many people get into ministry with visions of holding a microphone and preaching to hundreds if not thousands. The reality is that is just 1 hour of the entire week of work that leads up to that moment. Between the studying, organizing notes, slide shows, counseling, meetings, funerals, etc etc, leading a ministry is not for the faint of heart. Then you add in addictions and recovery and you are spending more time in coffee shop meetings with those in recovery (if you are worth your weight in salt) than you are in the pulpit by far!
Here is the reality: RECOVERY MINISTRY IS HARD! It is not for those who want it, its for those who are called to it. I can only mimic someone from television for so long before I burn out or get run out and blame it on someone else. We have to do a better job at serving those in need. It doesn't matter if there are 8 people or 8000 in the seats, every single one of them are there because they NEED to be. No one life is worth more than another regardless of how many there are.
In the parable of the lost sheep (Matthew 18:12-14), Jesus is absolutely clear that the one lost soul is more important than the 99 who are already on the right path. The reality is, if you have 100 people coming to your recovery ministry, the majority are already saved and still working a program. Many are probably there for the fellowship and continued growth. However, the ONE newcomer is completely lost, afraid, don't really know about the "whole Jesus thing," and we want to shut down or not give it our all because there "inst enough people coming." But isn't that one lost who we are supposed to be there for?
Here is the challenge for those who are in recovery ministry or thinking of starting. DON'T QUIT! Studies show it takes approximately 3 years to build anything worth keeping. If you give up in the first few months or years, you may miss the miracle. In my first ministry, between years 2 and 3, we went from 40 to over 100 each week in attendance. Not because we were great, but because we stayed faithful to those who needed us and in turn, they passed the word on to others who saw the change in them.
The only secret sauce to growing is remaining faithful to the few God provides. Get them involved. Don't make it about you. Get them involved. Don't put up a leadership wall where you think you have it all figured out and no one can give you advice. Get them involved. If you aren't growing, maybe its because what you are doing isn't working! Try something different. Get them involved.
Notice I repeated something here? The fact is people want to feel important. They need to feel needed and wanted. If you have people handing out bulletins who are 10 years sober, MOVE THEM! It is no longer about them. The purpose of recovery is NOT recovery. Its to get people RECOVERED and serving in the Kingdom as productive members of the body of Christ. Teach those in long-term recovery to mentor the newcomer. If I'm 3 months sober and no one even knows my name, my leaders are missing the mark. Approach the newer people and show them their worth. Bulletins and announcements can only go so far. But if you come to me and ask if I would be willing to JOIN the TEAM, I feel important and not invisible.
Lastly, "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men," (Colossians 3:23 ESV). It doesn't matter if it is the same 4 people every single week. We work for the Lord. If those are the people He sent that week, be faithful in your work to them as well. Many people in recovery are looking for a reason to leave, give them a reason to stay! Give them everything you have and your reward will be their growth. If its not, you are in the wrong line of work. Others' growth and recovery is what it is all about. As soon as it becomes about me, I need to go back to step 1!
Dr. Mike Lawson, DCC
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