Alcoholics in the Church: What One Church Is Doing
When needs surface in a congregation it sometimes takes creative programs to meet them.
Kenneth L. Bemis
April 1, 1981
If real wine were ever used for the Lord's table, it could cause as many as two hundred alcoholics to crash!" These disturbing words were uttered to me recently by a recovered alcoholic in our church. Though perhaps an exaggeration, they came as a solemn reminder that the church is not immune to worldly maladies. My friend's statement also made it clear that the specter of alcoholism is not something that raises its ugly head for a few embarrassing hours and then slips away into the darkness, never to return. Alcoholism is a permanent condition. Recovered alcoholics never refer to themselves as former alcoholics. They might cease to be drunkards, but they will be alcoholics for life.
As a pastor, I know the feelings of frustration and helplessness that surround the counselor who attempts to assist the chemical-dependent person toward sobriety. Counseling the alcoholic is a time-consuming and often discouraging project.
On rare occasions I have witnessed a remarkable transformation of an alcoholic when someone has made a genuine commitment to Christ, resulting in immediate sobriety and restored orderliness in all areas of life. But in most cases, a counselor must work for weeks or months or even years to bring about a total restructuring of an alcoholic's life. Most pastors don't have the time, expertise, or first-hand knowledge to deal effectively with the problem. In counseling the alcoholic, we win some-and lose many.
I groped about for a solution to my dilemma as a busy pastor with an increasing number of alcoholics and their families to counsel. I attended seminars and read books and articles. Whenever a member of our staff came across an article on chemical dependency, a copy would land on my desk. I rapidly became the ...
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