True discipleship is messy. I knew that in committing to this brother’s discipleship it was not going to be convenient or simple. Meeting for coffee once a week was not going to be sufficient. The truth is that he struggled with pornography to such a degree that it was consuming his life and, though he loved Jesus, he was honest enough to admit he loved his sin more. He needed more long-term, consistent, and intentional discipleship than a book study could provide. The truth is that all legitimate discipleship works that way. A Recovery Culture Church gets that and cultivates that attitude among its members. There are several ways that we can help make our churches a recovery-culture.
First, and perhaps most importantly, we need to help our congregations become people-focused. True discipleship can’t be measured in easily quantifiable terms. It’s far too messy to work that way. Every person is different too, so the rate of their growth will be unique to them and to their situation. we can’t boil everything down to programs and plans. We aren’t looking simply for results, but we’re looking for signs of growth in people. That growth may look very different from person to person. Becoming a recovery-culture church starts with caring more about people and their individual growth than our programs, tangible results, or formulas.
Closely associated with that first point is the need to e flexible in our format. Recently our senior pastor was wrestling with the reality that we all have expectations about how services should go. We learn that certain things are “acceptable” in corporate worship and other things are not. Certain things are “right” for our evening Bible study, and other things are not. The reality, however, is that people don’t always conform to our expectations. During our Recovery Meeting last week a man stood up and began shouting, he was expressing some very serious pain and sorrow in his life. That was not a “normal” experience for our group session, and people were clearly unnerved. The same thing happened on a Sunday evening when he visited for Bible Study. In those settings it can be easy to just dismiss the person, quiet them down, and move on. But we need to observe that this person wants our attention, he is in need. How we respond can either help him or discourage him from seeking help. The same is true of the young boy with Autism. If we don’t care appropriately for him we may communicate to his family that our expectations, our forms, are more important. But Recovery Culture Churches know to be flexible, to adjust on the fly. They know to make room for the hurts of others, the brokenness of their lives, and the cries of their heart.
Recovery Culture Churches also know to be honest about their sin. If it is true that churches are “hospitals for sinners” then we need to make that evident. Far too many churches throw around that cliché while they continue to cover up any real evidence of sin in their midst. When visitors come they can often feel intimidated, and unwelcomed because they don’t “look the part” of church-goer. We need to be honest about the fact that we all suffer from addictions to sin. Cultivate a community of brokenness, humbleness, and confession. Maybe everyone in the church doesn’t need to know everything about you, but some people do. If our whole congregation is regularly talking about their sin, talking about how God is working on them to sanctify them, and welcoming others to confess their sins then a healthy environment of healing can take place. Pastors and lay leaders ought to regularly encourage the church as a whole to confess their sins to one another (James 5:16).
A Recovery Culture Church ought, also, to take an interest in training their people to do Biblical counseling. A Recovery Culture Church does not have a counseling ministry, rather it is a counseling ministry. Biblical Counseling is not something professionals do, it’s something the church does. God has given ministry of discipleship to the church as a whole, not to the pastoral staff and the paid “professionals.” The “one another” commands of Scripture require Christians to be involved in one another’s lives, offering counsel and compassion to one another. As a church seeks to address and the sin and sorrow in one another, and not merely talk about them, then more training for lay counselors needs to happen. Everyone in the church ought to know how to disciple others and so fulfill the commands of Scripture. A Recovery Culture Church seeks to de-professionalize the ministry.
There is much more that can be said. Becoming a Recovery Culture Church requires highly involved and intentional effort on the part of the whole church. I am no expert on this stuff. I am continuing to learn and have much more to learn on this subject. But I have seen the difference a Recovery Culture Church can make and I won’t ever go back! The Gospel is displayed in how we care for one another. It’s not always convenient, it’s often messy, but my through my friends I have seen the difference it makes. My friend knows the difference too. He still struggles with pornography, but he will gladly confess that he feels very much like a welcome disciple of Christ at his church, and that’s just as it should be.
Sparrow & Heart Soul Care 