September is National Recovery Month, and this year’s theme — “Recovery is REAL (Restoring Every Aspect of Life)” — emphasizes something recovery ministries have long confronted: stopping substance use is only part of rebuilding a life.
Housing, employment, relationships, faith, community and a sense of purpose can all affect what happens when someone returns to ordinary life. This year’s campaign from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, specifically points to recovery housing, peer support, employment services and faith communities as parts of a network that can support lasting recovery.
This week’s Ministries Making a Difference looks at five Christian ministries working beyond sobriety toward longer-term restoration.
At MinistryWatch, we spend much of our time reporting on questions of transparency, accountability and stewardship — including stories of waste, fraud and abuse. Ministries Making a Difference highlights another part of the picture: ministries doing notable work in their communities and around the world.
photo, zeracoffee.com
Denton Freedom House
Scott Henderson arrived at Denton Freedom House in Denton, Texas, in 2017 as a broken man. Today, he manages Zera Coffee, a ministry-owned coffee shop where current residents gain work experience in a sober environment. Henderson married in 2021 and is now raising three children while working alongside men and women navigating the same transition he once made.
Zera Coffee is part of Denton Freedom House, which structures recovery in stages. After an initial six-month residential discipleship program, participants can move into a second phase focused on employment, savings and stability. The ministry says all men in that phase are employed. A third-phase house provides continued accountability without a set end date.
Denton Freedom House has a 3-Star Financial Efficiency Rating, a C Transparency Grade and a Donor Confidence Score of 96 (Give with Confidence) in the MinistryWatch database.
Home of Grace
After leaving Home of Grace, Greg Bufkin wrote that recovery required confronting more than his addiction to pain pills. He had lost jobs, marriages and family relationships. As he approached a year of sobriety, he was working through making amends for the damage addiction had caused. Sobriety was not having “arrived,” he said, but continuing to make the next right decision.
Home of Grace has operated on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast since 1965. Its residential programs include individual and group counseling, family and marriage counseling, life-skills workshops and extended stays of up to 12 months. The ministry also connects graduates with church, family and alumni support after they leave residential care.
Home of Grace has a 1-Star Financial Efficiency Rating, a C Transparency Grade and a Donor Confidence Score of 58 (Exercise Caution) in the MinistryWatch database.
teenchallengeusa.org
Adult & Teen Challenge USA
Aaron had already completed another recovery program when he returned almost immediately to drugs. After another overdose required two doses of naloxone to revive him, friends from church brought him to an Adult & Teen Challenge center.
Adult & Teen Challenge USA operates through affiliated centers offering Christ-centered recovery and discipleship. Typical residential programs last 12 to 18 months and combine biblical study, mentoring, structured routines and life-skills development. The organization also provides graduates with resources addressing employment, relapse, continued recovery support and finding purpose after leaving a program.
Adult & Teen Challenge USA has a 1-Star Financial Efficiency Rating, a C Transparency Grade, and a Donor Confidence Score of 69 (Give with Confidence) in the MinistryWatch database.
photo, westminsterrescuemission.org
Westminster Rescue Mission
For mothers in early recovery, stable housing can also mean keeping their children close. Westminster Rescue Mission is developing a recovery residence where pregnant women and mothers can live with their children while preparing for independence. The small home combines recovery support with parenting help, case management, employment and education assistance, budgeting and preparation for permanent housing.
The ministry’s broader Addiction Healing Center also offers residential and outpatient treatment, as well as transitional housing. Participants who have begun recovery and secured income may live in transitional housing for up to 18 months while continuing to work toward independent living.
Westminster Rescue Mission has a 5-Star Financial Efficiency Rating, a C Transparency Grade and a Donor Confidence Score of 75 (Give with Confidence) in the MinistryWatch database.
photo, hopecm.com
Hope Center Ministries
Daniel Williamson says a lack of community contributed to a previous relapse. At Hope Center Ministries, he found the relationships he believed had been missing — and eventually became the person providing them to others. Williamson served as a community leader and recovery pastor intern before becoming a full-time recovery pastor in Missouri.
Hope Center Ministries uses a three-phase, year-long model. Residents move from structured recovery and family support into 40-hour-per-week vocational training, then into a final phase that includes earning income, financial stewardship and increasing independence before graduation.
Hope Center Ministries does not currently have a Financial Efficiency Rating. It has a D Transparency Grade and a Donor Confidence Score of 48 (Withhold Giving) in the MinistryWatch database.
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