Alcoholics Anonymous is a place of healing, support, encouragement, and accountability. It’s a place where people are expected to “be real” about their struggles and addictions. No one says, “I don’t have a problem. I’m just fine.”
Now, I don’t envy anyone who struggles with a drinking or drug addiction, but the PLACE sounds pretty inviting; a place where people are welcomed with open arms because of a shared struggle and a desire to get beyond their present situation.
Welcome Sinners
It makes me wonder why are churches aren’t more like this. Just imagine how much of a failure AA would be if the people inside the group acted as if they had no problems and anyone with a “real” problem was looked at with disapproval? People would stop coming. They would go somewhere else. This sounds a lot like the situation with many churches in our world today.
The Church versus AA
Which scenario paints a more accurate picture of our church today? Are our churches more like AA or more like a place where only the perfect people hang out?
We are all sinners, looking for healing, support, and encouragement. Our churches should be a place where we can be real. Instead of thinking we’ve got it all together (sin free). . .
We are all sinners, looking for healing, support, and encouragement. Our churches should be a place where we can be real. Instead of thinking we’ve got it all together (sin free), and looking at outsiders as if THEY are the ones with the problem, we should be inviting them in and embracing them as fellow sinners who share the same struggles we have. If our churches operated with this spirit of openness and humility, wouldn’t you be more likely to come each week?
My Prayer
My prayer today is that our churches would become more like an AA meeting. Call it “Sinners Anonymous”, or “First Church of Sinners” with services each Sunday at 9am and 11:00am.
The reason AA and Celebrate Recovery are successful is because the people who come are told at the first that there will be no judging of their faults. That the sins they confess will be kept confidential. Confidentiality is a requirement. No rumor mongering, no snide comments and no condemnation is allowed. If churches welcomed people and accepted them, and forgave them as they are when they arrive, the churches would be full. Full of broken people seeking God and receiving healing while AA, NA, and Celebrate Recovery would be empty. Unfortunately todays churchs’ are busy telling believers that the world is out to get them and not encouraging believers to go out and get the broken, the failures, the weak, and the dirty of the world.
John, what you say is true about the 12 Step programs. I would like to add to it that there is one other difference. They do not require everyone to believe in the same God, or to even believe in any God for that matter, so long as they believe that there is a power greater than themselves. I think this is a testimony to the brokenness of those who come seeking help in the meetings–their faith was never properly developed or nourished (by a parent or by themselves–depending on when they were first affected by alcoholism or addiction), or they were taught in churches about a God that is all condemning and unforgiving. This makes so many of the 12 Step members leave church and never want to come back. It takes years in the 12 Step programs to reconcile them to the God of heaven, and some never get there. I’m neither an alcoholic nor an addict, but I’m the family member of one. I was raised in the church, but married an alcoholic at a very young age. I wavered in and out of the church over the years because I felt judged by the members. I also felt abandoned by God. My faith was not fully developled or nourished enough to help me to understand God was always there. I’ve been in Al-Anon (the 12-Step program for the family members of alcoholics) for over nine years. After being in there for seven years and working the 12 Steps twice, I finally came back into reconciliation with God and church. It took a church that was pastored by a recovering alcoholic/addict and attended by a few other people who were in recovery for me to see that God had never left me; I had left Him. Oddly to some, I am not comfortable in a Celebrate Recovery meeting. I still feel condemnation is a subliminal message there–at least in the ones meeting in the area I live in. My pastor does not attend 12 Step meetings, but he definitely talks/walks a great program. Another point you mentioned is about the confidentiality and the “no rumor mongering.” I think this would be a difficult standard to maintain in a church setting unless the atmosphere were shifted over time (and it might take a LONG time). Even though these are biblical principles, we still have people coming to attend services who aren’t coming because they are acknowledging they need Jesus and are ready for help. Some are there for the “social status” of being able to “look good” because they attend a church. These people present a problem to those looking for a safe place to talk about the spiritual, emotional and physical pain they are in. Thus, the basis for the false posturing of “having it all together.” Very sad. I think to overcome this, a church would really have to hold itself out there–on their website, in their weekly bulletins and announcements, and in their advertising that breaking confidentiality and rumor mongering would not be tolerated. Thanks for reading the long post. Not sure I have a better answer, but I would definitely be in favor of a better church.