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New Book The Recovery-Minded Church Provides Addiction Recovery Toolkit for Church Leaders

The Recovery-Minded Church provides practical, clinically informed tips from a Christian addiction specialist to guide church leaders and congregations as they love and minister to people with addictions. Nashville, TN (PRWEB) Jan. 5, 2015 — In the new book The Recovery-Minded Church: Loving and Ministering to People with Addiction (InterVarsity Press, January 2016), Jonathan Benz, MS, CAP, ICADC, surveyed over 100 church leaders from across the denominational spectrum for their biggest questions about addiction and how they can and should respond:

  • If addiction is a disease, what is a biblically and theologically informed Christian response?
  • How do I help people with addiction get into treatment and stay on the path of recovery?
  • How can my church become more hospitable to people with addictions?

These and other questions from ministry leaders find answers in The Recovery-Minded Church through:

  • true stories from the frontlines of Benz’ work with people in addiction recovery
  • serious engagement with Scripture and the Christian theological tradition
  • a look at the various myths surrounding addiction in the church
  • the latest insights from medical science and the world of addiction treatment
  • practical, clinically informed tips for loving and ministering to people with addiction

Pastors across the country welcomed the book’s release: “The Recovery-Minded Church is an invaluable resource for communities seeking to be transformed by the prodigal love of God,” said Rev. Bryan Dunagan, M.Div., the senior pastor of the Dallas, Texas-based Highland Park Presbyterian Church. “This book is a must read for every pastor and ministry leader who wants their church to exhibit the heart of Jesus,” added Rev. Shayne Wheeler, M.Div., who pastors All Souls Fellowship, in Decatur, Georgia, and is the author of The Briarpatch Gospel. The book, principles of which are in use at Three StrandsSM Christian drug rehab program at COPAC treatment center in Mississippi, is designed to help church leaders be in relational outreach to the millions of people who struggle with some form of addiction. “In the face of this epidemic, churches and faith communities have a unique opportunity to extend hope to people with the debilitating disease of addiction by pointing them in the direction of treatment resources that can help,” said David Sack, MD, chief medical officer of Promises Behavioral Health, the parent company of COPAC drug rehab center. “The Recovery-Minded Church opens up this largely uncharted territory for church leaders, inviting them to see the exciting possibilities for their congregations — maybe for the first time.” “The Recovery-Minded Church might be the timeliest and most important book I will ever recommend,” said Heather Kopp, author of Sober Mercies. “Many of us who struggle with an addiction turn first to our faith communities for help and hope — and too often fail to find it. The powerful insights and gentle truths of this message, if implemented, can transform our churches, save lives, and ripple outward to change the world.”

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