March 20, 2026

I am always looking at the idea of hosting a recovery ministry from the standpoint of the first-time outsider. An individual who is new to a recovery program comes with certain expectations about what a given program may entail.

• The first question I ask when deciding to join a group is what curriculum is being used. Having a repeatable, consistent, guided curriculum in place is essential, as typically nobody in the group is an expert on the topic, nor on psychology in general. To me there is a difference between a recovery program and a bible/book study; lack of a guided curriculum strongly suggests the latter to the first-timer rather than the former and is more likely to steer the first-timer away.
• Longer curriculum is preferred—programs like CR and Captives Free/L.I.F.E. Recovery are designed for a 26-week cycle (CR has 26 lessons; Captives Free goes through its seven principles three times in the guide, plus a focused study in Nehemiah). When alternating with personal testimonies (recorded or live), that gives a total program length of a year, which can then be cycled at the beginning of each year. Anything less than that and individuals can feel like they’re being rushed through it.
• Even with a year-round curriculum, we have to acknowledge that each individual is going to ultimately make progress at his/her own pace. In 12-step-style curricula the fourth and fifth steps are typically where most get “stuck” and need additional time and attention to continue (or drop from the program entirely), even though the overall annual program may continue ahead through the rest of the cycle. There should always be the assurance for the participant that they don’t need to rush through things and they ought to take as much time with each step as s/he needs.

Why I recommend Celebrate Recovery

I am personally partial to the Celebrate Recovery program for a number of reasons, besides the fact that it was the program I attended in the early process of my own recovery and have the most experience with as a facilitator and teaching leader.

• It is explicitly church-driven. Each CR group (other than select online opportunities) is associated with and supported by the hosting church. It provides a biblical foundation for the program and also allows for the church to bring its other resources (Sunday gatherings, mid-week programs, church staff, &c.) to bear in the spiritual support of those attending.

• The program is designed around “hurts, habits, and hang-ups”—rather than being a single-issue program like AA, SA, NA, or Captives Free, it can be adapted to work with any addiction or personal issue, and the smaller issue breakouts can be established, developed, or closed down as needed.

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  Example: When I started CR on my own, the church I attended it at did not have a breakout group for sexual addiction; after a few months there was sufficient need to establish that small group, and I ended up at its facilitator with a consistent group of about a dozen guys by the time I moved on. I also got to meet the national facilitators in person later on at a regional training event.

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• CR provides additional in-depth support that other programs like Captives Free do not, in the form of the 12-week intensive Step Study designed for small groups in addition to the regular weekly gatherings. Step Studies offer the opportunity to dig deeper into causes, effects, and intimate accountability, and because the group is much smaller (typically no more than a half-dozen), it can be pursued at whatever pace the small group is comfortable with while the larger program continues on its annual cycle, and new Step Studies can be organized and started with small groups at any time (most start them on a quarterly cycle when there is sufficient demand). When the step study reaches the fourth step (self-examination, or Guide 2), that group is closed to new entrants.

• Because consistency within the curriculum is enforced by the Celebrate Recovery home office via copyrights and trademarks, it allows, for example, people who are on constant travel schedules or who may want to attend more than one night a week know that wherever they attend the material and experience is consistent across the board. While CR’s policies permit the use of its material alongside other curriculum, CR’s trademark policy only allows those churches who use CR material exclusively to promote itself as “Celebrate Recovery”.

• Often, churches in a given geographical area will coordinate their meeting nights toward the goal of there being a CR available somewhere in the area every night of the week and can share resources like a “speakers bureau” of members with reviewed and approved personal testimonies that can speak and teach at other CR meetings outside of their own.

The challenge of offering CR is that the program requires a significant commitment on the part of the hosting church in terms of available space and logistics, basically operating as a “church within a church” in terms of resources. It requires a large meeting space and related media/logistic support for the first half of the evening for pre- and post-fellowship, corporate worship, and large-group instruction or personal testimony, and then sufficient small room/classroom availability for however many issue groups the program chooses to host after the large group gathering (note that each issue group is male- or female-specific as well; co-ed issue groups and step studies are highly frowned upon). Additionally, space is needed during other times of the week for step studies, should a church choose to host them on site.

A typical evening usually looks like:

• Pre-fellowship, usually “potluck style” with a free or paid/donations-accepted dinner;
• Large group gathering with worship, prayer, and weekly lesson or testimony (45 - 60 minutes);
• Small group breakouts (30 - 45 minutes);
• Post-fellowship with light refreshments or desserts. (Also intended to be time where participants can seek out sponsors, &c.)

Some examples of issue-specific breakouts can include, but are not limited to the following, and are gender-specific (NOT co-ed!):

• Anger/emotional issues (including anxiety, depression, mental illness; although some churches separate these into their own groups as well).