There is a huge difference between a church that has a recovery ministry and a church that is a recovery ministry. The one model of ministry offers a special service to those people who are really messed up, but the other recognizes we are all really messy and all in need of help. It is our desire that Recovery @ Cornerstone not simply be a ministry to certain kinds of people. Since we are all in recovery from sin, Recovery @ Cornerstone is for all of us.
At one level addiction to sex or substance abuse is not any different from other sins. We are all addicted to something. For some of us our addictions are anxiety and worry, or money, or rage, or self-pity. We have all developed patterns of thinking and behavior that are unhealthy and unbiblical. Recovery exists to help us each wrestle with these patterns and to address them with Biblical truth that we might resist them and overcome them as we move forward in a healthy relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We are all addicts, and that means Recovery @ Cornerstone is a place for you regardless of your struggle.
We all struggle with sin and sorrow, therefore we all need help. Our ministry is open to anyone seeking help in overcoming the enslaving interplay of sin and suffering. While we do not offer niche groups for every type of struggle, we do offer a comprehensive ministry for helping anyone in any struggle. Let me explain how recovery breaks down and you can see more clearly how this could benefit you regardless of the nature of your struggle.
Recovery @ Cornerstone has two branches. Branch one is our support side. This is where everyone begins. On Thursday nights at 7pm we offer a support ministry designed to help people open up about the struggles and learn to think correctly about it. For those who join us on Thursday nights they will participate in our large group session where we will worship together, read Scripture, and pray. Then we will hear a short teaching on an issue related to all forms of recovery (confession, self-control, community, etc. ). After the large group session individuals will disperse to their self-selected small groups. At present we have three small groups for men (sexual purity, drug and alcohol recovery, and men’s general issues) and two for women (drug and alcohol recovery and women’s general issues). We hope in the future to add a few more. The goal of the support groups is to provide you with a safe place to discuss what’s going on, how it’s affecting you, and then to help you orient your thinking carefully about the issues that are impeding your growth. Once the leader of the small group believes that you have a clear grasp on what the particular issue is that is enslaving you they will recommend you for the second branch of our Recovery ministry.
The second branch of Recovery @ Cornerstone is our “Steps” program. STEPS is a program we borrowed from The Village Church in Texas. The Village has done a tremendous job of putting together a very helpful, practical, in-depth, and theologically grounded curriculum to help with all kinds of recovery. The STEPS program is less issue specific, its broad focus is nonetheless practical for individuals of all types. The broad focus allows us to address a host of issues that may be related to an individual struggle. It asks us to do serious in-depth self-confrontation, to work through issues that we might otherwise hide. It asks us to partner with a mentor who will walk alongside us, help us to address everything, pray for us, and keep us accountable. The program will help participants to develop all the skills of basic discipleship, so that regardless of what our struggle is, how intertwined it is with a host of other issues, or whatever trouble we develop later on, we can be ready to fight against it.
If all Christians are still struggling with sin then all of us need help addressing sin in our lives. Our desire in Recovery @ Cornerstone is that regardless of what you struggle with you will seek to get help. We believe that Recovery ministry is the place for you. Whether you need help on the support side right now, or whether you think you’re ready to dive into STEPS we can help. Come join us. After all, we are all in recovery and this is a safe place for you.
Sparrow & Heart Soul Care 