This covenant is born out of decades of ministry experience serving those impacted by addiction and recovery across the United States and around the world. Throughout those years, we have witnessed the transforming power of God's grace while also recognizing opportunities for the Church to more intentionally reach, welcome, disciple, and walk alongside those affected by addiction. Like many pastors and church leaders, we have often wrestled with how to best serve those navigating addiction and recovery. Those struggles were not born from indifference, but from a sincere desire to faithfully shepherd God's people. We have also recognized that, despite our best intentions, churches can sometimes unintentionally create environments or practices that make it more difficult for individuals to pursue or sustain healthy recovery. This covenant is offered as a practical guide to help churches become places where recovery is understood, encouraged, and supported through the transforming power of Jesus Christ.

This covenant is not an accusation or critique. It is written with deep gratitude for the thousands of churches faithfully serving their communities. We simply recognize that many leaders have quietly wondered, "I want to help... I just don't know how." We understand, because we have said those same things ourselves. This covenant is an invitation to pursue Christ's heart for those impacted by addiction and recovery. These commitments serve as a shared roadmap for creating churches where these individuals and families can encounter the love of Christ, experience authentic biblical community, and grow as fully devoted followers of Jesus free from the bondage of addiction.

We joyfully commit ourselves to these principles because we believe every person bears the image of God, no one is beyond His grace, and the local church is God's primary instrument for making disciples and transforming lives. May this covenant strengthen our unity, deepen our compassion, and equip us to faithfully reach, love, serve, and disciple those navigating addiction and recovery until every community has a church known as a place of recovery through the transforming power of Jesus Christ.

We Believe

• We believe people can and do recover because no one is beyond the reach of God's grace.

• We recognize that addiction affects individuals, families, churches, and communities without discrimination. Addiction does not care about age, race, income, education, profession, or church background. We recognize that addiction can affect any family, any church, and any community. There are no "those people." There is only us.

• As a Recovery Friendly Church, we commit ourselves to creating a church culture where people affected by addiction are welcomed, supported, discipled, and encouraged as they pursue faith and recovery.

Therefore, we covenant together to:

• We will welcome people impacted by addiction with grace, compassion, dignity, and respect.

• We commit to creating a church culture where people are welcomed before they are well. We welcome people where they are, not where we wish they were.

• We believe healing, growth, and transformation happen best in the context of grace, truth, and authentic accountable community.

Encourage Recovery

• We will encourage individuals affected by addiction to actively pursue recovery.

• We recognize that healing rarely happens in isolation and that healthy recovery takes place in community.

• We will encourage participation in healthy recovery communities, Twelve Step fellowships, and other recovery supports.

• We will encourage sponsorship, discipleship, accountability, and the working of the Twelve Steps.

• We recognize these practices as valuable tools that help foster spiritual growth, healing, and lasting recovery.

Honor Recovery Service as Ministry

• We recognize that sponsoring others, leading meetings, mentoring newcomers, and carrying a message of Christ centered hope and recovery is ministry.

• We encourage those who have found hope and healing to share that hope and healing with others.

• We recognize that serving others is an important part of long-term recovery.

Support Spiritual Transformation

• We recognize that addiction affects the whole person (mind, body, spirit, etc.)

• We believe addiction involves a spiritual dimension that many in the recovery community have described as a "spiritual malady." This “spiritual malady” requires a spiritual solution and that spiritual solution is ultimately found through Jesus Christ.

• We will encourage practices that foster spiritual growth (e.g. prayer, confession, accountability, service, worship, Scripture, and community).

Embrace People in Recovery as Part of the Church Family

• We seek to see people as God’s image bearers.

• We will not view people in recovery as second-class citizens within the church family.

• We will seek to provide people in recovery opportunities for discipleship, fellowship, care, service, and leadership consistent with the same expectations and standards applied to all participants in our church family.

Reach the Recovery Community

• We will make intentional efforts to welcome, support, and engage the recovery community.

• We recognize that some individuals may require detoxification, treatment, counseling, medical care, or other specialized services.

• We understand that we may not be addiction experts and will refer, seek wise counsel in the areas we don’t have expertise.

Speak the Truth in Love

• We believe that genuine love requires both grace and truth.

• We will compassionately address addiction and its consequences rather than ignoring, minimizing, or enabling destructive behaviors.

• We recognize that lasting recovery often begins with honesty. Therefore, we will encourage individuals and families to face addiction with truth, courage, humility, and hope.

• We will speak the truth in love, offering support and accountability while pointing people toward healing and transformation.