Start an Addiction Ministry
63% of pastors acknowledge that addiction is a prevalent issue in their congregations.
Are you equipped to biblically counsel someone struggling with addiction?
Pray About It
Luke 14:28 says, "For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?" An addiction ministry fights on the front lines of the war against sin where deceit, destruction, and even death are common experiences. Starting an addiction ministry MUST begin with earnest, passionate prayer from men and women seeking to step in and help.
Get Support
Church support (both in leadership and laity) is a must when starting an addiction ministry. Whether a pastor or elder feels the call to start an addiction ministry and then finds a team to help, or God uses the saints of a local church to bring the idea to the attention of church leadership, a thriving addiction ministry requires support from both leadership and laity.
Apply to Join
Once you have spent time in prayer and gathered church support, it’s time to formalize your addiction ministry. Immediate next steps include reading through our Philosophy of Addiction statement as well as reading and signing your Charter Agreement. If you’re ready to get started today Contact Us to apply.
Turnkey program
By starting a chapter with us, you will receive the following to help accomplish the mission:
Our multi-level curriculum allows you to help anyone who attends your FTL chapter, regardless of where they are in their faith, find hope and freedom.
Access to our digital training guides will help define roles and responsibilities for your team and help you provide the best care for anyone attending your FTL chapter.
Unlimited access to high quality digital files enables you to print expertly designed resources for both advertising and group time, all created to bring glory and honor to God.
Our online community for Directors (via the web-based FTL GroupApp) enables you to connect with FTL Headquarters and other FTL Chapters for mutual encouragement.
Each chapter receives a steep discount on the printed materials needed to run a thriving FTL chapter. Our aim has always been to produce excellent materials at the lowest cost, enabling each chapter to run as effectively and efficiently as possible.
Receive ongoing phone support from FTL leadership as needed. FTL leadership is committed to supporting its chapter directors and helping them navigate issues as they arise.
1
WELCOME
Provide a Welcoming Atmosphere
Community is a huge deal. When God created Adam, He said that it was not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18). Community is instilled within man to want to belong to others who are similar in thoughts, interests, and actions. It does not matter if someone is part of a football team or a Boy Scout group, a 4H Club or the Glee club at high school; everyone desires to belong.
Those who are hurting and struggling with addiction are no different. Many times, those who struggle with addiction already have a community to whom they belong. That group shares a similar language/vocabulary and interests. Thoughts of breaking away from the group that is familiar in order to become part of a group which is unfamilar can be downright scary.
The church MUST create a welcoming atmosphere in which the addict not only hears that he or she is welcome, but truly experiences what it is like to be welcomed just as they are. Part of the Freedom That Lasts approach is to help churches become welcoming communities.
- Welcoming communities invite FTL students to join in the different church activities.
- Welcoming communities learn to build trusting relationships with FTL participants and the importance of that process for those coming out of addiction.
- Welcoming communities involve FTL students in life activities. Being involved in a community is more than a once a week endeavor. It is a daily life-on-life mentality. FTL believes that a welcoming community strives to have members involved in one another's lives as often as possible.
2
EVANGELIZE
Sharing the Gospel is Primary
In addition to welcoming addicts into the life of the church, FTL believes that the addict needs to become part of the church or the family of God. There is no other way for this to happen than for the addicts to HEAR the Gospel, BELIEVE the Gospel, and TRUST the Gospel. Until addicts, or any person for that matter, come to faith in Christ in this way, they will remain on the outskirts of the Christian community and will most likely return to their addiction.
Coming into the church is very different from being part of the church. The following illustration might be helpful to tease this thought out just a little bit more. There is a massive difference between a neighborhood child coming into your home to play with your kids and adopting a neighborhood child to become part of your family. The two categories might share in some similarities such as kids playing together in the yard, kids eating pizza together, and other activities like those. However, your love, care, concern, and focus are vastly different when it comes to neighborhood kids and your own. In much the same way, there is a vast difference between those who attend church and those who are the church.
FTL seeks to bring as many into the fold of the church as possible, which starts with sharing the gospel. Sharing the good news of Jesus' life, death and resurrection is non-negotiable and must be considered of paramount importance for each Freedom That Lasts chapter.
3
COUNSEL
Soul Care is Necessary
Rounding out the three-pronged approach is the FTL commitment to biblically counsel those who attend the FTL chapter. Biblical counseling simply means that each chapter understands and responds to all issues connected to addiction through the lens of Scipture alone. 2 Peter 1:3 states, "His [Jesus] divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence." It is from this verse, and others like it, that FTL draws a firm conviction that Scripture alone provides all of the answers for those struggling with addiction.
A commitment to Scripture alone means that man's wisdom and those systems of counseling that arise out of man's wisdom will not be implemented nor referenced as sources of hope and help for those struggling with addiction. While groups such as AA, NA, SA, Celebrate Recovery, and other 12-Step type programs might have allowed or aided someone to arrive at sobriety, FTL goals for addicts are far more reaching than sobriety. The goal for addicts is that they reflect the One who created them and died for them in order that He might be glorified through their changed lives. Scripture alone provides the only path that arrives at this conclusion. Sobriety is part of our plan, but it is only part of it. Becoming more like Jesus is the ultimate goal and only God's Word can provide the details on how someone can live a life that brings God honor and glory (1 Corinthians 10:31 and 2 Corinthians 5:9).
Details
Testimony Time
How Long: 10-20 minutes
What Happens: Sharing with others about the goodness and mercy of God is one of the highlights of every FTL meeting. While sharing what God has been up to is not mandatory by any means, everyone who would like to share is given the opportunity to do so. We have found that once someone speaks up, most everyone likes to share.
Care Group
How Long: 25-30 minutes
What Happens: This segment of every FTL meeting is a time for students to share with a smaller group of FTL members the work that they have put into their walk away from addiction toward freedom in Christ. This time is designed to recognize the hard work each student has done to achieve the different checkpoints found through each of the three different FTL manuals. Men and women get the opportunity to share Scriptures they have been working to memorize, journals they have been filling out, and papers/essays that they have been writing in response to the material in the FTL books. This work is self-paced, meaning the students decides how much work they are going to do each week. Achievements are celebrated and rewarded with achieving ribbons, pins, and FreedomBucks which can be used in the local store to purchase FTL materials.
Teaching Time
How Long: 25-30 minutes
What Happens: In addition to testimony time and the care group meeting, a time of teaching also makes up part of the agenda for every FTL meeting. During this teaching time, students are both challenged and equipped to continue their growth in Christlikeness.
Celebration
How Long: 10-15 minutes
What happens: The night ends by celebrating birthdays as well as recognizing hard work completed by students. When enough work has been completed in each student’s book, ribbons and pins are awarded. During this time, students and care group leaders come to the front of the room to receive their ribbons. During this time, the group gives each student a round of applause. For some in the chapter, these are the only celebrations that are taking place, so we encourage each chapter to celebrate and celebrate big.
Fellowship (optional)
How Long: 25-45 minutes
What happens: A great way to wrap the night up is to host a fellowship meal. Many chapters offering a fellowship meal ask for members of the church to provide that meal for students and volunteers. This is a time to laugh, cry, and pray with one another as they celebrate what God has accomplished in the previous week as well as what they are facing in the week ahead. We would highly encourage you to stick around and get to know others who are on the same path to freedom.
Launch a Chapter
READY TO GET STARTED?
CONTACT US
The first step is to schedule a Free Discovery Call, and we'll give you more details.
ON BOARDING
After signing the Charter Agreement, we'll send you all your materials and curriculum.
LAUNCH
We'll help you with training, setup and launching your chapter.
Contact Us
INQUIRY
Student Testimonial
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