Lord, Send Us the People Nobody Else Wants or Sees!
Jorge Acevedo
When Jorge Acevedo asked God to send him "the people no one else wants or sees," he had no idea how his prayer would be answered.  But God did answer his prayer and Jorge ended up with a church filled with several thousand of the most honest, authentic, broken and deliriously wonderful people in the world.  Hear about a church that makes everyone feel welcomed and that is seeing life transformations happen every day.

Swamped
Matt Russell
At the heart of recovery ministries and recovery churches is the reality that the heart of God descends to the depths of human brokenness, darkness and estrangement with his light and love.  Matt Russell knows, understands and embraces the ministry of recovery.  His listeners will be encouraged by his insights and experience.

Recovery -- It's A God Thing
Teresa McBean
Recovery ministry is a God thing...and it's complicated.  When our prayers are answered and we fill our meeting places with the forgotten, unseen, broken-hearted and hurting people in our community, we understand it won't be easy!  When the Master selected 70 and sent them ahead in pairs, knowing what they would encounter, He gave them this charge: "What a huge harvest! The workers are few.  Ask the God of the Harvest to send harvest hands.  On your way! But be careful--this is hazardous work.  You're like lambs in a wolf pack."  (Luke 10:1-2)   How do we prepare?  Where do we go from here?  Teresa will challenge and encourage us to consider the possibilities and the perils of answering God's call to recovery ministry.

No Band-Aids on the Battle Field!
Carolyn Miller
God so lovingly gave us an eternal recovery plan because He knows real problems need real answers.  Yet, the overwhelming demand for help causes many Christian caregivers to abandon substance for the superficial -- placing band-aids on the deeply wounded.  Dr. Carolyn Miller invites you to join her in throwing away the band-aid.  Become God's salve that brings true healing and lasting change.

About our breakout sessions: All attendees are free to attend any workshop they would like to attend; however, to obtain (Continuing Education Credits) CEU units you must have your paperwork validated at the conference to receive credit.

(For pastors, recovery ministry leaders and volunteers and counselors interested in obtaining a better understanding of the theological perspective on creating a recovery ministry culture.)

TrueFaced
Bill Thrall
So many of us hide behind masks, hoping that people will love and accept us more if we act in a certain way or live up to certain expectations. Author Bill Thrall, of Leadership Catalyst, will discuss what it means to experience God’s grace and live in the freedom He has promised. Bill’s personal experience as a pastor once driven by the need for acceptance provides attendees of this track with a double blessing: an opportunity to find some hope in the midst of personal stress and a vision for how to create a community of grace where we serve.

(For pastors, recovery ministry leaders and volunteers, and counselors who are interested in bringing a recovery ministry to your community that is committed to healthy sustainability.)

Post Recovery Life Coaching: Consolidating Progress with Clarity and Purpose
Jeff Jernigan, Nancy Jernigan and Dr. Danae Stewart
What is Life Coaching? How does Life Coaching relate to and interact with Recovery Ministry? What are four key elements to coaching strategy? What are the steps to becoming a Life Coach? Learn how a recovery ministry can utilize life coaching to support and encourage participants in recovery ministries. Expect an interactive multi-media presentation designed to answer these questions from a Biblical perspective.

Laws of the Jungle: Principles for Creating a Healthier Recovery Culture
Rod Casey
Life in recovery can sometimes feel like a walk on the wild side! Navigating team dynamics can leave us feeling like “fresh meat” or worse yet, “skinned alive.” Are there any “laws” that might govern the way we work together as a team? Join us for this session as we unpack practical principles for a healthier team culture in a potential “rainforest” of relational deep weeds.

Youth Ministry In Recovery
Gregg Taylor
This seminar is for those who desire an honest, in the trenches discussion around the unique challenges of youth ministry within a recovery environment. How do we support and develop youth at the intersection of recovery and ministry? What does it look like to love a 9th grader who smokes pot on a daily basis? What about the kids whose parents have checked out? In what ways can we partner with other organizations who specialize in walking with kids in recovery?

Discipleship That Works....12 Steps for Life Change
Scott Miller
Have you ever wondered what the “12 Steps” were all about, but were afraid to ask? Is there a place in the church for a model that has become known because of its use in the recovery community? Churches have discovered that these tools are not only the foundation for many effective recovery ministries, but are vital for discipleship of the heart and true life transformation. Come find out why the “12 Steps” are moving out of the basement and into the discipleship ministries of churches across the nation.

Contextualizing Christian Recovery: Creative Adaptations to Diverse Faith Communities
Dr. Dale Ryan
How many inspiring conferences have you attended that ultimately left you frustrated? Have you felt discouraged as you seek to implement new ideas and fresh approaches to ministry that conference speakers raved about, only to end up disheartened because these great ideas didn’t work in your ministry context? This session will provide the attendee with two opportunities: an overview of the state of recovery ministry in churches today and offer suggestions as to how to creatively adapt to fit the particular needs in their own faith community.

The Risks and Rewards of Recovery from a Senior Pastor's Perspective
Pieter Van Waarde
Why should a pastor even open the door to this potentially controversial subject? Doesn't personal Bible Study and solid Christian teaching (in and of itself) deal with fundamental issues of life? Won't recovery ministry simply complicate the work of the local church? As a Senior Pastor, these are the questions that often go unspoken -- but are very much part of our processing when thinking about the place and role of recovery (from the Senior Pastor’s perspective). This session will talk candidly about both the risks and rewards of this work.

Maximizing the Volunteer Experience
Dr. Don Simmons
Why do some volunteers have an experience that they talk about for years to come, and others want to forget they ever served? Why do some volunteers seem to “get it” and others seem to just show up for the donuts? This workshop will include tools for providing timely information to volunteers, empowering volunteers for leadership, evaluating the volunteer experience and helping volunteers to engage fully in the serving experience. Information will be provided on the most effective methods to shift the experience from “community service” to “life transforming discipleship.”

CR Inside
Hector Lozano
This presentation provides basics on starting a Celebrate Recovery ministry inside jails, prisons & rehabilitation facilities, the curriculum, format and application depending on short-term versus long-term incarceration periods. The presentation addresses the benefits for prison/jail management and benefits to the community at large as well as the fundamentals on transition from incarceration to the community and the role of the local church. This presentation is intended to provide answers to all the questions you may have about recovery “inside” jails and prisons.

Recovery is for Kids, Too!
Linda and Dave Sibley
Here’s a workshop for those interested in helping elementary age children deal with the complexities of a high-stress lifestyle. The issues that bring families into recovery inevitably affect the children in those families. This seminar offers the basic information and skill-building essentials needed to provide a place of hope and healing for kids, too!  Learn how to use the confident Kids Support Group model to proactively serve and strengthen children living in a high stress environment.

Recovery Life Coaching: A Church Based Ministry That Works!
Greg Callow, Ron Hall, Irene Wood, Jessica Briggs
If a person needs more than a recovery group, what can we do? If a person needs more than a sponsor, what can we do? Christian Life Coaching can be the answer! Christ’s Church of the Valley, San Dimas, CA, has designed a life coach ministry that works. We will answer such questions as: What defines the basic components of Christian Life Coaching? How is it different from a lay counseling ministry and other pastoral care? What are the steps and resources to set up and maintain our own life coach ministry? How do I train life coaches? Interested in the basic life coach training curriculum? We will have it available.

Getting Started in Recovery Ministry
Jane Wolf
Recovery ministry begins with a dream: provide a safe place where broken, hurting people can recover their precious, God-given lives. This workshop focuses on key questions related to starting a recovery ministry. How do you start? Where do you find leaders? What curriculum do you use? What it takes to support and sustain an effective recovery ministry?

Addiction Deliverance Outreach: How to Start a Recovery Revolution
Chad Hunt
The ADO program equips the average layperson to help those who struggle with substance abuse; the Counselor’s Manual and Workbook effectively create an environment of one on one counseling and mentorship in the setting of the local church. Chad will deal with the reality and the rewards of reaching out to those who are enslaved by addiction and explain how the ADO program can be used in any church setting.

Consider Celebrate Recovery... Keep it Simple
Johnny Baker
Those unfamiliar with the Celebrate Recovery model will learn about its influence in recovery and consider how the use of the CR model might assist churches interested in starting a recovery ministry. This particular model for the road to recovery originated from one man's vision for a Christ-centered, 12-step recovery ministry. In just 18 short years, thousands have come to the reality of the hope for healing through our One True Higher Power, Jesus Christ. This ministry continues to transform lives in over 12,000 churches throughout 38 countries around the world. This session will provide an over-view for the model and offer practical suggestions for how to apply it in a variety of ministry contexts.

A Hands on Conversation with Practitioners from a Diverse Spectrum of Recovery Ministries
Jorge Acevedo, Matt Russell, Dale Ryan, Gregg Taylor and Teresa McBean
Join us for a conversation that will touch on issues such as: is integration within the church possible? Why do Recovery Ministry in the church? Listen as practitioners talk about what they would do differently if they were starting over today, their joys and frustrations and a peek into their diverse ways of approaching the ministry of recovery.

(For pastors, recovery ministry leaders and volunteers, and counselors, interested in developing skills that will assist in combating compassion fatigue, negative counter-transference issues, and nurturing your soul.)

Exposing and Treating the Lack of Sexual Integrity
Dr. Stephen Arterburn
Politicians, celebrities, ministers, professional athletes, adults – married or single, young adults, CEOs, Sunday School teachers, folks of rich and low socioeconomic backgrounds, folks of all racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds all have one thing in common. There is a public epidemic which has implicated and embarrassed them all for lapses of sexual self control. Sexual practices that lack integrity are ruining lives. What can be done to provide healing for those that face embarrassment as well as loss of jobs, family, good health, money and reputation – even criminal prosecution? This workshop will discuss the sexual addiction model and provide helpful insights in treating individuals in our communities across the nation.

Why Emotional Health is Essential for Spiritual Maturing: What is at Risk if We Fail to Process Emotions?
Rod Casey, Th.M., D.Min.
Some evangelical church leaders think of emotions as accoutrements necessary only for the “spiritually weak.”  In this session, a case is made for the theological connection between emotional maturity and Christian formation. For the “recovery” unconvinced or those who work with skeptic leaders, this presentation will attempt to encourage “feelings talk” as a staple in the DNA of every local church.

Help! My Kid Has a Problem
Richard Grosse, Teresa McBean
Therapist, Youth ministry and Recovery pastor join together to tackle the tough topic of kids and chemical dependency. They will share information about: current trends in teen substance abuse, offer practical tips for guiding parents who have discovered their child is using and discuss how youth ministries are impacted by this problem, and offer suggestions for how churches can more effectively respond to this issue.

Finding and Maintaining Personal Balance While Helping Others
Susan Leonard
Establishing personal boundaries and holding them is essential to preventing ministry burnout in helping ministries. Learn how to establish and know what healthy boundaries are and how to make and keep your priorities in order. Maintaining and pursuing our own recovery is foundational in being able to be an effective people helper. Learn practical tools and principles for staying strong in your own recovery and how to be transparent and honest while guiding others through the maze of recovery.

Where is God in Your Recovery?
Dr. John Townsend
The recovery process, by definition, is a deeply spiritual process. The individual in recovery is in need of all of God’s resources, grace and guidance in order to resolve the bondage he is in. Central to this process is being able to understand God’s hand in their situation and know how to follow his path. Dr. Townsend’s lecture will provide the essential principles and steps necessary to equip the leader to help those in need of God during recovery.

The Darkside of Leadership
Pieter Van Waarde
Why do we do what we do? What is it about ministry that draws us in? We typically talk about the calling of God and the desire to help people. But given our fallen nature, we do well to acknowledge that there are “other motivating” influences that are also part of the picture for all of us. How can we become more aware of these issues? What do we do to mitigate (even redeem) these darker side influences? This session will endeavor to unpack some of that in a way that is both sobering and helpful.

The Father Wound
Dr. Kathy Rodriquez
Interested in becoming part of the solution and stopping the passing down of the “sins of the fathers to the third and fourth generations”? Kathy believes that we are living the legacy of a fatherless generation. She brings us a challenge – repair the impact of fractured families by learning how to address the of our father wounds. She will address this difficult subject as she reveals the nature of inadequate fathering, its consequences, and equips us to build better relationships through healing this wound.

Falling from the Pulpit! How to get back up!
Scott Stubbert
Statistics say that over 50% of Christian men in the church struggle with a sexual addiction. My struggle as a pastor was with pornography and after being found out I was removed from my position. Come hear how I was restored through 12 step recovery and eventually back into full time ministry. Let me share with you some of the secrets that helped me get back in the pulpit.

The Role of the Holy Spirit in a Recovery Small Group
Rod and Julie Casey
In this session, Rod and Julie will facilitate a discussion on a topic that is, for many of us, a skeleton rattling around in our closet – leading on “auto-pilot” or burned out. When this happens, we struggle to serve from a spiritually-rich place. Take time in this safe environment to reflect on the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Learn practical “tools” for paying attention to spiritual promptings in the recovery context.

How to Minister to those who Deal with Same Sex Attraction
Ann Markovich
How does your community approach the issue of faith and same sex attraction? Is your congregation divided over this topic? Are you conflicted about how to approach this subject within your sphere of influence? Ann will not only teach from her own experience in the ministry to those with same sex attractions, but she also will share how her pastor and their church have learned to minister to the gay community.

(For counselors, pastors, recovery ministry leaders and volunteers interested in gaining new insights into how professional skills can be used to support recovery ministries in the local church.)

Healing the Addicted Brain
Dr. Hal Urschel
Dr. Urschel's book, Healing the Addicted Brain, is a top seller because the problem of addiction is epidemic. The primary goal of Dr. Urschel's Recovery Science Institute is to combine the best behavioral treatment methods with the latest scientifically proven medications to maximize his patients' chances of a successful recovery from the life threatening, chronic medical disease of addiction. Dr. Urschel will share his findings and help us understand how we can better minister to those who struggle with alcohol and drug addictions.

Psychobabble and the Church
Roy Ronveaux & Ron Hall
Passionate about bringing Christ to those who hurt the most, Christ’s Church of the Valley (San Dimas, CA) and The Grove Community Church (Riverside, CA) have designed and run integrative mental health counseling departments to assist them in reaching out to those who are suffering. How can Christian Mental Health assist a church? Are there integrative resources from mental health that fit my theology? Can collaboration make us more effective in reaching others for the Kingdom of God? How can we access community resources to offer to our church? How does mental health fit into recovery ministry? Roy and Ron will address these questions and more.

Codependents in Your Church? Yes Indeed!
Jim Cosby
As treatment professionals observed the impact of addiction on the family system, they coined a term to describe the symptoms that inevitably pop up in families struggling with substance abuse. They called it codependency. Today we know that codependency is not limited to addicted families and that any of us can fall into the codependency trap – even churches! Jim will help us sort out the implications of unchecked codependency in ministry and help us learn how to deal with it effectively.

A Beautiful Mess: The Problem of Perfection in Churches
Kristin Ritzau
Perfectionism is a rampant problem in our culture and an epidemic in our churches as well. There is a generation of young people entering adulthood who think that acceptance comes through performance and doing more. Come find out how spiritual direction and contemplative prayer exercises can create safe places for 20 and 30 something’s in your church or ministry setting.

Running in Circles
Kim Engelmann
Have you ever noticed that some suffering seems both cyclical and unproductive? In Kim’s book, Running in Circles she covers topics such as: how the wrong kind of spiritual language keeps us stuck, how to change your thinking from blame and judgment to forgiveness and grace, how to allow God to mold you into his image, and suggestions for prayer that can transform. Kim’s personal experiences with suffering make her a compelling guide for those interested in learning how to do likewise.

A Peek Inside: How One Church Collaborates with Mental Health and Community Resources Through Its Recovery Ministry
Richard Grosse, Dr. Travis Collins and  Teresa McBean
A common complaint families in crisis sometimes express is the seemingly conflicting advice they receive from the different resources that they turn to in their time of need. Come dialogue with representatives from Bon Air Baptist Church, its recovery ministry and one of their partners within the mental health community as they share candidly about the blessings, frustrations and funny moments that each member of this team experiences as they work collaboratively with families in search of support and healing.

Relapse Prevention
Dr. Ian Chand
Learn practical ways for relapse prevention including discussion on: the root of the addictive behavior, unlearning past hurtful information, and learning relevant exercises clients can use to develop new knowledge and skills to overcome their addiction and feel confident about their ability to control impulsive behavior.

Cycle of Addition Model
Dr. Gary Collins
This workshop will assist therapists and others interested in identifying what stage/cycle of recovery their client is involved in. Pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance will be discussed from a strong integrative theoretical approach. Stages of change and treatment tasks will be elaborated upon. Integrative models of change will be addressed in this highly relevant and engaging workshop.

Dual Diagnosis -- What to Do? “Challenge, Cope, Change, Create”
Roy Ronveaux
Does your client or church member suffer from depression, anger, anxiety, or fear? Are they going through a divorce or dealing with the loss of a loved one? Are they struggling with chemical dependency, sexual integrity issues, codependency, or an eating disorder? Is your client dealing with a potential dual diagnosis? We will provide perspective, tools, and an innovative approach for group therapy in a workshop setting.

We'll be meeting at The Grove in Riverside, CA.