As with addicts and the broken themselves, Came to Believe Recovery (CTBR) is seeking to meet the church where they are and equip them to be more effective in responding to brokenness resulting from alcoholism and addiction within their congregations. CTBR believes that the Christian church is uniquely positioned to be a leader in combating addiction and facilitating restoration. The great commission commands engagement with the least, last and lost not only within the church community but outside as well. Our programs are designed to help the local church uncover the most effective way to engage an ever-expanding need within their local context.
Churches are the first place many people go with personal problems and concerns. Seen as sympathetic organizations as a whole, it’s easy to see why addicts and broken people gravitate to church.
It is even more common for family members to approach a church, either the church they grew up in or a new church they’ve heard of that seeks to help the lost. Looking for any solution for their loved one, families engage with churches, medical professionals, counselors and self-help groups for answers.
Within the church and outside the church, the answer is the same, it’s just the approach and path that varies. The founders of A.A. developed the 12 Step program of recovery based on their experience using specific Christian principles they adopted through their work in the Oxford group. Came to Believe teaches and practices the same program of these founders. We have returned to the roots of the original program that experienced significant permanent recovery rates of over 90%.
Why not just send everyone to the Oxford group, one might ask. Recognizing that a large portion of alcoholics was not Christian or had different concepts of God, or even no concept, the founders of AA knew the Oxford group would exclude many; something had to be done. All alcoholics needed to be given access to the miracle they themselves had experienced. They needed a program that could bridge the gap and meet every category of the broken “where they were”. So the spiritual principles were written into a 12 step format that all could follow.
The 12 step program was based on principles found mostly in the book of Matthew, chapter 5-7 known as the sermon on the mount, Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians and the book of James. While other portions of the new and old testament provided inspiration and guidance, these three biblical resources contain the bulk of what undergirds the 12 step program.
