This week I am delighted to introduce another new writer to our blog team, Sue Arnold. The following piece is an insightful inside look at a recovery ministry. Sue has a heart for the struggling and loves to come alongside and help in any way she can.
Sally Childress
For some years I helped to run a recovery group as part of my church’s ministry. It was a 12 step programme but the 12 steps are all linked to a bible verse and are grouped into 8 parts or “principles” which are based on the Beatitudes. That is the first thing that I appreciated about the programme, whilst anyone could attend regardless of faith, it was very upfront about the fact that the healing and recovery came from God.
Three other aspects of the programme that seem really important to me are commitment, vulnerability and the Holy Spirit!
Commitment
The programme was run over 12 months, with a meeting every week of the year unless the meeting day, Friday in our case, fell on Christmas Day itself; if Christmas Eve or Boxing Day fell on a Friday we still held a meeting. Once we had completed one cycle of the programme we simply started again the next week and there was no limit to how many times people could participate. There was also progressions within the programme.
Of course, everyone involved in running the programme missed meetings when on holiday but I really loved the consistency and commitment of everyone who helped to lead the programme, the “just being there and walking with each other” that this represented. As I have supported hurting people, in various situations, over the years I have come to believe that just being there and being prepared to walk with them “for the long haul” is healing in itself.
Vulnerability
There was a team of us who had trained to deliver the programme, but all the leaders had to be committed to working on their own recovery, no-one was the expert delivering instruction to others, we were all on the programme and dealing with our own issues. No-one was “less than” anyone else, everyone had equal value and dignity. Again, this in itself is very healing for people who may consider themselves as hopeless or faulty. It also meant that the meetings became a safe place to open up about our struggles, so there was real encouragement and accountability.
Holy Spirit
Most importantly, above all else, there was room within the meetings for the Holy Spirit to work! Each meeting followed the same prescribed format – prayer, worship and teaching in a large group, followed by open sharing in smaller groups. There were strict rules on how everyone behaved during the open sharing time. We were not allowed to react to what was shared, comfort the person speaking or even offer a tissue as any of our reactions and these responses might actually inhibit people, discouraging really honest sharing.
Initially I was rather discouraged by all this structure, and the rules on behaviour towards those talking during the open share session seemed rather counter intuitive to me. However, over the months I saw that the structure, especially in the open share groups, allowed room for the Holy Spirit to work. No person was comforting or healing participants, the Holy Spirit Himself did that! Consequently, I was amazed by how people changed and grew over the months, how they recognised unhelpful mindsets and were set free, including myself!
Obviously there were frustrations and disappointments, especially when people dropped out of the programme, or never really engaged with it, but, as with any ministry, we had to overcome the setbacks and keep going. If we are only involved with ministry for the excitement of the successes or the thanks and praise coming to us when things go well, then we should not be ministering at all! We do it for love of the Lord and other people, and all we are responsible for is our obedience to the Lord’s calling, not the outcomes. The outcome of our ministry is between God and the individuals participating. So I would encourage anyone involved in ministry to keep going, keep loving, keep praying and making room for the Holy Spirit to work and keep working on your own walk with the Lord.
Reflections
- I believe our own walk with the Lord and ongoing recovery has a big impact on those we are ministering to, both in unseen spiritual ways and in practical ways. Do we find it easy or hard to make time with the Lord to grow in intimacy with Him? Is it a priority?
- How vulnerable are we prepared to be with those we are ministering to? What might help us to be more open and vulnerable? (Possibly refer to question 1 above??)
- I am aware that too often I forget that God does the healing and I try to “fix” people! How can we practice going in reliance on the Holy Spirit rather than self-reliance? Do we trust the Holy Spirit enough to make more “room” for Him in our ministry? How do we balance commitment/good pastoral care with allowing the Spirit to move?
Sue Arnold
A grateful disciple, passionate about encouraging other disciples in their journey with Jesus. Married to Giles, Chief Executive of Church Growth Trust.