Guiding Principles of Recovery Church
1. Mission Statement: “We are a spiritual community for people in search of growth and healing in recovery.”
2. Organization of the Core Community–Participatory vs. representative democracy:
* Every church attendee should have equal voice and vote except where church or State laws demand difference in membership.
* Every church attendee is invited to all church meetings and shall have voice and vote except where church or State laws demand difference in membership.
*(See the 12 concepts of AA-IV and XII; also look at Tradition 9 in the long form for more information about this form of democracy.)
3. The Worship Services–Community based worship not presentation style of leadership:
* The leadership of worship services should come from the community itself as a general rule. This leadership should be on a volunteer basis and the leaders should come from the community and return to the community so as to not draw attention from the primary purpose of worship that is to focus on God and recovery.
* The pastor and occasional special groups or individuals may be paid to lead worship. However, the primary function of this leadership should be to draw attention to God and recovery.
4. Singleness of Purpose–Recovery Church has but one primary purpose and that is to carry the message of God’s love and to celebrate that love to all people in recovery.
* Special attention should be addressed to only those activities and events that have to do with recovery or the need for recovery. While social justice and fellowship are certainly important to any church, these functions should always be done under the rubric of recovery and how recovery can happen and change our society.
5. Our Theological Belief–“Recovery Church is a Christian community that is open to diverse concepts of spirituality, accepting all who share a nonjudgmental belief in the Christian values of trust, compassion, openness and service.”
* Recovery Church promotes the understanding of a plurality of belief. Awareness of a power greater than self will be the essence of Recovery Church. Individual practices of Christianity and other spiritualities may be used to embrace individual spiritual experiences, but these should not be seen as normative for participation in Recovery Church. Recovery Church should be seen as a Christian Church that is accepting and encouraging of all spiritual practices that enhance recovery.
6. Committee and Task Force Responsibility–Recovery Church will operate with the least possible organization and structure. Only those groups demanded by the State of Florida will be ongoing. A Group of Elders shall rotate leadership and be responsible for ongoing functions of the church. The Elders shall elect leaders who shall function in leadership and yearly church meetings will endorse said leadership.
With the respect to all other church functions, short-term task forces shall perform an agreed upon mission and then disband.
7. Our Staff–Recovery Church shall have as small a staff as possible so that individual church members better understand their role to be the ministry of the church. The AA responsibility pledge shall be the guiding principle for ministry of the church.