A New Kind Of Church

Matthew 16:18
......"And on this rock (the fact that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Son of the Living God) I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."

Out of the ashes, a new work will rise...one that has been touched by the fire of God, birthed from His heart. A Church....A People who are on fire for the Kingdom.

Wise man once said that if you go fishing with minnows and the fish aren't biting, you might want to change bait. I think somehow this could apply to the way we view planting churches. Just because you have a model that you think will work, doesn't mean that you will catch anyone. You've got to find out what the fish are biting on and then use that bait.  Strange analogy you may be thinking to yourself.

Well, I see a vast number of people who are searching for truth and a life-change that is real, but there aren't enough places they can go to where they can find this message. If you know me, then you'll know that I am referring to those who are trapped in the horror of addiction.

Unfortunately, most churches are not equipped to deal with those who are seeking a way out of their addiction. Now let's be clear, there are Celebrate Recovery meetings, as well as A.A. But your average Sunday morning church is ill equipped to deal with the emotional, spiritual, physical problem that comes with someone who is addicted.

The accepted view of most traditional churches is that they really believe that if they can get these folks in the door of their church, whip a little Bible on them, get them to sign a salvation card after shaking the preachers hand, then the job is over. A friend of mine told me once that when an addict finally gets sober, the hardest thing for them to do is find a church where they can fit in.

You see, your average person in recovery is very street wise. So they can cut through all the smoke and mirrors and see the reality of what's taking place in church. Most addicts have spent their lives learning how to size up people. They know how to spot someone who is real, as opposed to someone who is merely putting up a false front. People who are serious and sincere about their recovery desire a rigorous honesty that would cause some church goers to feel uncomfortable. Why? Because addiction thrives in the secrets that people try to hide.

Now lets get real honest here.
Most churches want to reach those who stand outside the salvation relationship that Jesus offers. But they aren't real comfortable with the ones who need this salvation offer showing up on Sunday. The one's they want to reach dress a lot different....their language may be a bit salty...The truth is, the view  of the traditional church is that these folks are not civilized enough to become "real" Christians. I remember speaking at a Sunday morning breakfast meeting at a church. I was approached by several men after it was over, thanking me for coming and sharing my story about recovery. One gentleman came up and shook my hand, thanking me for working with addicts. He went on to say, "You know, if we can get them saved, clean them up and get them to cover up all those tattoo's, then they could really turn their lives around." There it was, plain as day. "We want you to come to our church, but we want you to look like us....sound like us....and act like us.

Here's a quote from the book Celtic Evangelism:
"The typical church ignores two populations year after year.
      1.) People who aren't refined enough to feel comfortable with           those who attend church.

      2.) The people who are too out of control for those who do               attend. Such people make them feel uncomfortable."

I've written this post not to shame or condemn the traditional church. They do serve a much needed place in the Kingdom. What I would like to point to is that in an age where the church is trying to decide how to be relevant, why not consider a new type of church.
Why not consider a Recovery Church. A vehicle that is more than a recovery meeting, like Celebrate Recovery. A church that is birthed to meet the spiritual needs of those who are coming out of addiction. More than a recovery meeting, the church will go one step further in introducing those who come to the real HIGHER POWER, Jesus.

Before you get all excited about this, you need to understand something. You cannot take your average Sunday morning service and transplant it to another time, and place, and call it a Recovery Church. It will require a new way of looking how to deliver the Gospel message. It will require leaders who can hear God on the fly, so to speak, to meet the demands that will come. There will be things to face that your average pastor has never had to deal with. What kind of things? Well let me give you some that I have had to deal with. How about fist fights that break out during the teaching. We had a man show up who was going through treatment. He had not idea that his wife, as well as his baby's momma would show up at the same time. Let's just say that doesn't make for good vibes. How about having the offering stolen as the baskets were being passed around.  Then there was the time that we had Lysol spray in the bathrooms to help with any odor. Turns out that you can "huff" the spray and get a pretty good buzz. These are just a few that I have encountered over the years. It will take a new-kind of pastor to take on a Recovery church.

God will have to raise up these churches.....
And God will have to call those who move into the position of Pastor. You will not be dealing with the typical problems that most pastor's find themselves dealing with. Such pastor's will have understand the life and darkness that people in addiction move through daily. 

It will require a kind of "Unlearning" of everything that we thought would drive a church to be successful. Even the term "successful" will have to be re-defined and measured in new ways. If ever there was a population ready for the harvest,and to hear the message of hope and new life,  we will find it in this segment of society.
Whoever answers this call to build a Recovery Church will have to totally rely on the leading of the Holy Spirit, mainly because there aren't any models out there, and I'm not so sure that copying someone else's model would work. You will have to seek God to find out what will reach those who are living in addiction. No longer can you rely on man-made programs and short cuts to church growth. In fact, I would go on to say that if you are strictly in this so you can count nickles and noses, you are going fail miserably. Recovery church will be measured by the quality of people it produces, not the number.

One thing you will find that those who have embraced recovery are a lot more dedicated than your average Sunday morning attendee. A person in  recovery will usually attend upwards of 5 meetings a week. Five!! Why so many? Because this is where they find community and real life. It is a life line that helps them to keep moving forward.

I have started praying that God would raise up recovery churches, and the men and women who understand addiction, not just religion, who have a call to this segment of society.
Thanks for letting me ramble a bit...

Here again, I think the future of the church lies in answering God's call to those who are hopelessly living in this thing we call addiction. I chose the picture at the top of this posting for a reason. I see Recovery churches as being places that have been set on fire by the Spirit of God. A fire that will light up the darkness and attract others to find out for themselves what is going on at this place. Come, Lord Jesus and set us all on fire!

God on you....
mbb