According to Lead Pastor Jim Burgen, Flatirons Community Church in Lafayette, Colo., identifies with people, whoever they are, with whatever problems they have, and offers an unconditionally loving and safe place. Really. That sort of connection at the 7,000-plus member church often begins in the recovery ministry that hosts a gathering each Friday evening, called Shift.

"We have all the people other churches don’t want," Burgen told Outreach.

They are the people who don’t want other churches, either, at least churches that would turn them away because of their relationship problems, addictions or other struggles.

According to the National Association for Christian Recovery, "It is not difficult to find congregations with a performance orientation and a spirituality rooted in shame." Finding a church that is at least sympathetic to recovery is helpful. Finding one that embraces it as part of the Christian life is rare.

This is the broad vision for the recovery ministry at Flatirons. Care Pastor Toby Shope says he uses the term "recovery ministry" lightly because Shift isn’t strictly about just alcohol or drug addiction and recovery.

"It’s just for people who are walking through the brokenness of life, looking to take steps out of those ruts," he says. And he would like to see that sort of caring by the church expand even further to include more. Already grief workshops and prayer meetings have begun to meet more needs among this community.

"We are all dealing with some kind of baggage," he says.

Recovery ministry in a box

Flatiron’s recovery ministry began with an interest expressed by one churchgoer. The church then started a Celebrate Recovery program—a nationwide plan developed by Saddleback Church. This program is one neat package that provides most any church with all the curriculum, format and structure to start their own groups for the hurting.

Essentially, Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-centered ministry, similar to other 12-step programs. It is group-based and uses the Bible and Celebrate Recovery curriculum. However, the name is trademarked to insure programs everywhere are the same. Eventually Flatirons changed their recovery program name because they added other resources. Shope says churches have to decide what really works for their congregation.

Leadership buy-in

Shope says one aspect of Flatirons’ recovery ministry that keeps it successful is that the lead pastors talk with Shift language. They talk about struggles and imperfections in a way that, instead of shutting people out, opens the way for more people to come in—to struggle together.

That makes Shift successful, Shope says. "Because it comes from the front, because the leadership publicly supports the ministry of Shift."

Celebrate Recovery staff member Paula Kirchner also cites this leadership buy-in as the first reason for the success of a four-year-old program at Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas.

"The pastor is fully behind the ministry and supports it as the largest outreach ministry of their church," Kirschner blogged this month.

More resources

Church leaders interested in starting, reinvigorating or growing a recovery ministry may find the following online resources helpful:

The National Association for Christian Recovery

Offers listings of groups, therapists, treatment centers and churches with recovery programs. Also provides books, videos, workshops and other resources for addiction and recovery.

A comprehensive list of Christian fellowships for recovery:

Celebrate Recovery  -- A ministry of Saddleback Valley Community Church. Offers a Bible-based curriculum for support groups and a growing national network of groups.

Overcomers Outreach  -- Large network of 12 Step groups that 'bridge' between the Christian community and the recovery community.

Eleeo Ministries  -- Christ centered 12-step recovery / support groups for people recovering from addictions and codependecy.

Celebrate Recovery - Mid-Continental US  -- Celebrate Recovery is a network of like-minded, Bible based Christ-centered recovery ministries. This growing network crosses denominational and cultural boundaries to help hurting people in our church and community.

Alcoholics for Christ  -- Today Alcoholics for Christ has over 100 open groups meeting nationwide. There are a number of meetings in prisons, county jails, rehab centers. counseling centers, and other institutions, 43 in Metro Detroit alone. In addition to groups for alcoholics, there are groups for family members, for adult children of alcoholic parents and for high school age children.

Alcoholics Victorious  -- There are currently more than 125 groups. They meet mostly in local churches, but also in institutions, including some rescue missions. There is no common format for group process. Participation is limited to alcoholics/substance abusers.

Vencedores  -- Spanish language network of Christian twelve step groups.

Christians United Against Addiction  -- Network of 12 step group in the Philadelphia area.

Prodigals International  -- We are a Christian ministry dedicated to helping men, women and families overcome sexual addiction. Our 12-step program provides resources and support for the man who is struggling, the wife who is hurting, and the pastor or counselor who wants to help.

Recovery In Christ Ministries  -- Recovery In Christ Ministries, Inc. is dedicated to helping any individual or institution in Reaching Out to a Hurting World while enabling true Recovery in Christ.