By Madison Rodgers
Celebrate Recovery, a program that began in 1990 at Saddleback Church, has maximized its reach to congregations all over the country. The founder, John Baker, started the program when he was going through Alcoholics Anonymous and wanted to create a 12-step program similar to AA that was Christ-centered.
Pastor Michael Carson and his wife at a conference marking 25 years of Celebrate Recovery.
Celebrate Recovery follows an adapted version of the 12-steps to recovery called the “8 Celebrate Recovery Principles” that serves as a “large umbrella” program under which “a limitless number of issues that people can learn to find freedom.”
The program at Saddleback has helped “more than 17,000 people…attracting over 70% of its members from outside the church. Eighty-five percent of the people who go through to program stay with the church and nearly half serve as church volunteers.”
Celebrate Recovery has been picked up by Little Rock’s Church at Rock Creek and is lead by Assistant Pastor Michael Carson. Celebrate Recovery is a Biblical and balanced program that works to aid people in overcoming “hurts, hang-ups, and habits.” It is based on the words of Jesus taken from Matthew Chapter 5. This program at The Church at Rock Creek helps the lives of 30-40 people every week. The guidance to recovery begins with the “8 Celebrate Recovery Principles,” Which are as follows:
1. Realize I’m not God; I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable. (Step 1)
2. Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him and that He has the power to help me recover. (Step 2)
3. Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control. (Step 3)
4. Openly examine and confess my faults to myself, to God, and to someone I trust. (Steps 4 and 5)
5. Voluntarily submit to any and all changes God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects. (Steps 6 and 7)
6. Evaluate all my relationships. Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I’ve done to others when possible, except when to do so would harm them or others. (Steps 8 and 9)
7. Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will. (Steps 10 and 11)
8. Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and my words. (Step 12)
The Church at Rock Creek is dedicated to helping those affected by addiction and other issues through this program. While they may not be able to measure their success rate, they firmly believe that through dedication to Jesus Christ, they can truly help those affected by “hurts, hang-ups, and habits.”
The program meets on Tuesday nights from 6:00-6:45 PM for supper and fellowship in the Worship Center, from 7:00-8:00 PM for worship, teaching, and testimonies, and from 8:00-8:45 PM for open share small groups that provide a format for open-sharing in gender and issue-specific groups.
For more information about the ministry, you can contact Michael Carson at 501-225-8684, or you can email him at mcarson@churchatrockcreek.com.