How one Lutheran Church is reaching and evangelizing the recovery community
“You look at the numbers and you gasp” -Thom Rainer on the decline in church evangelism efforts.
In a fascinating youtube video on trends in church data, Thom Rainer explains to Carey Nieuwhof that the trend line for church evangelism efforts, “almost looked like nothing but a downhill rollercoaster.”
I am not enough of an expert on church trends to provide a detailed analysis of the factors causing the decline in evangelism. But, I can tell you that evangelism and outreach to the recovery community are alive and well at CrossWalk Lutheran Church where Resilient Recovery Ministries has its home base. I’d like to share what is happening and why it is happening.
What is happening?
The efforts are varied— and not every effort might be considered successful, but here are some of the evangelism “wins” at CrossWalk:
Baptisms of people in the recovery community
People in recovery homes have completed our Bible basics class
Church members facilitate Christ-centered recovery groups in 5 rehabs and sober living homes
A giving campaign raised $10,000 dollars for dental care to rehab residents whose teeth have been ravaged by meth use and homelessness
Volunteers from rehabs provide security to keep our parking lot safe from catalytic converter thieves.
Church volunteers bring baked goods, cards of encouragement, and hugs to people in recovery
A team of “recovery hosts” provides a warm welcome to people in recovery who arrive at church by the van load
Residents near our mid-town campus will begin to receive transportation to church
Why is it happening?
It would be exaggerating to say that we have a roadmap other churches can use to reach out to the recovery community. Developing that roadmap would require two steps” 1) careful documentation of our success and 2) replication in other churches. I know just enough about program research and development to know that creating a roadmap would cost millions of dollars, and thousands of hours of work and study.
However, I know enough about the Christian Church to know that God can and does build up ministries with a fraction of the resources used by universities, non-profits, and social entrepreneurs.
So, I will share some of the key components that I believe have been used by God to build up CrossWalk Lutheran Church’s evangelism efforts.
Our pastor is in recovery.
Nope, pastor Dan doesn’t have a drinking problem. But he does attend our Resilient Recovery Group as a participant. He has been very open about his struggles with anxiety and panic disorder. At the pulpit, he shares his journey without glossing over his flaws and blemishes. This honesty helps him connect with people from the recovery community. Recommendation: Consider hiring a pastor who is a sinner and encourage him to speak openly about his struggles.
Preach the gospel.
The gospel is not a set of rules. It is not a game plan for life. It isn’t tips, hints, or life hacks. The gospel is the message that forgiveness is available now—that even our worst, most shameful, and most persistent thoughts and actions can be wiped away and we can be new and clean. The implications of that message are still reverberating around the globe. Proclaiming that message is your true purpose as The Church and it is a message that people in recovery receive like water in the driest of deserts. Recommendation: Make sure that every message contains The Good News.
Offer Christ-focused recovery groups in Recovery Homes.
We initially thought recovery homes would flock to our in-person Resilient Recovery Groups. However, we found that many recovery homes struggle to have enough staff and transportation available to reliably attend our in-person groups. Online groups were not the answer, either. But when we began to offer the groups in the recovery homes themselves, we saw a lot more engagement. In fact, some homes find our help so valuable, that they contribute financially to the ministry. Recommendation: Consider offering to visit group homes in your area. Many will gladly accept visits, Bible studies, classes, etc. We encourage the use of Resilient Recovery Groups, but other options are available, too.
Plan for disruption at church.
Although 90% of residents at recovery homes are indistinguishable from your other church members, somewhere between 5-10 percent may have psychiatric issues. How does this impact a church service? Some individuals may experience an increase in psychiatric symptoms in the church building. They may need to step out to self-soothe. They may also need gentle reminders to stay on track. Having someone available to encourage quiet behavior, or to provide gentle reminders of some simple safety rules has been helpful. Recommendation: Have a recovery host or other volunteer who can be available during church services.
Offer volunteer opportunities to people in recovery.
This is such a win-win. Churches cannot function without volunteers. And people in recovery are frequently bored and searching for opportunities to perform acts of service. Acts of service help build up a sense of competence and personal worth in people who have been filled with shame and self-loathing. One of our recovery volunteers recently told us, “you can’t believe how much it means to me that I get to do this.” He went on to recount a number of examples where he was not reliable or helpful to his family. He saw his volunteer gig as an opportunity to begin to build habits of trustworthiness. Recommendation: Write down a list of tasks that need to be done and work with group home staff to identify individuals ready to begin volunteering.
