Mission Statement
To create a Christ-centered recovery community where individuals find healing, freedom, and transformation through biblical truth, authentic accountability, and complete dependence on Jesus Christ.
We exist to offer a collaborative, Christ-centered ministry of hope, healing, and restoration for individuals and families in recovery.
Vision Statement
To cultivate a unified and thriving community of lasting transformation, where individuals and families find comprehensive healing from addiction and trauma. Rooted deeply in Scripture and empowered by the Holy Spirit, Renewed in Grace will be recognized as a sanctuary where God’s Word provides the sole source of understanding, guidance, and recovery in restoring broken lives to wholeness and equipping them for a life of purpose and freedom in Christ.
Core Values
- Scriptural Authority: Our primary source is the Bible; however, we will also utilize other biblically grounded materials by Jason and Jennifer Friend and other authors, following a determination of their faithfulness to Scripture. 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12
- Transforming Grace: We believe that lasting change is a gift of God and not a result of human effort or self-help principles. Our ministry operates entirely on the truth of the Gospel and that we are renewed and made whole by God's unconditional grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 2:11-14
- Identity in Christ: Through recovery is found in a restored spiritual identity. We focus on establishing the participant's security, worth, and purpose. It is not found in sobriety or their performance in recovery, but complete and total surrender as they are forgiven and adopted, standing in front of the world as a child of God. 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 8:15
- Holistic Restoration: We are committed to fostering comprehensive healing that addresses the physical consequences of living life in the world and the emotional roots of the pain one has through being a part of the world and succumbing to it. Our goal is Biblical Wholeness and Holiness by helping them see that the individual can and will be restored in body, soul, and spirit by the Savior Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 3 John 1:2
- Kingdom Collaboration: We commit to a spirit of unity and mutual respect through the understanding as a community of believers that we are better together using the resources that God has provided, the gifts God has imparted on each of us to maximize the Kingdom impact of recovery in the community, the state, the country, and the world. Philippians 2:2; 1 Corinthians 12:12
- A Safe Place to Recover: We are committed to offering a safe place through genuine hospitality and love instead of being like the world, where hate, gossip, and looking down on those who, according to society, are less than. We will strive to maintain the highest standards of confidentiality and trust. This ministry is a sacred, secure space where participants can be vulnerable and honest without fear of shame or exposure to a world that would use that to continue exacerbating the pain, further hurting, rather than being a place of shelter. Galatians 6:2; Romans 15:7
Scriptural and Theological Basis
I. Introduction and Governing Principle
Renewed in Grace is a ministry where the governing principle is the sufficiency and authority of Holy Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17) as the singular, comprehensive, and supernatural guide for healing. This ministry operates under the conviction that true recovery is not merely cessation of behavior or managing symptoms, but a spiritual transformation initiated, sustained, and completed by the Triune God. Therefore, it distinguishes itself by utilizing a purely biblical counseling and discipleship model, rejecting dependence on human-devised principles (such as the 12 Steps) or secular psychological theories as the foundation for life change.
II. The Doctrine of Man and the Problem of Sin (Anthropology)
Theologically, addiction and trauma responses are understood not as diseases, neurochemical imbalances, or solely environmental problems, but fundamentally as manifestations of the Fall of Man and the resulting brokenness of creation (Romans 5:12).
Addiction as Idolatry: Addiction is identified as a form of idolatry, where the heart transfers ultimate worship, trust, and satisfaction from God to a created thing or experience (Romans 1:25). This manifests in a pursuit of comfort, control, or escape outside of God’s perfect provision.
Trauma as Brokenness: Trauma wounds are viewed as the painful result of living in a fallen world, but the response to trauma (e.g., control, escapism, rage) is often rooted in attempts at self-sufficiency and self-justification rather than reliance on Christ's comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
Theological Difference with Worldly Guidance: Secular and worldly recovery models often fail here because they define the core problem as external (disease, genetics, environment) or psychological. By failing to diagnose the underlying sin nature and idolatry of the heart, they offer solutions that are, at best, temporary behavioral modifications.
III. The Doctrine of Salvation and Transformation (Soteriology)
The Power of Grace for Renewal: The solution to the spiritual problem of addiction and trauma is found exclusively in the Gospel of Jesus Christ—the doctrine of Justification and Sanctification.
Justification (Identity): The recovery process begins with receiving a new, justified identity in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Participants are no longer defined by their past failures (addict, victim) but by their new status as a beloved, forgiven child of God (Romans 8:1). This removes the need for shame and self-hatred.
Sanctification (Transformation): Lasting change is not achieved through human effort ("willpower") but through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit (Philippians 2:13). Recovery is the process of putting off the old self and putting on the new self as we are renewed by the Spirit (Colossians 3:1-10). The focus shifts from human steps to the divine person of Christ.
IV. The Doctrine of Scripture (Bibliology)
Scripture as the Sole Resource for Guidance: The Bible is the ultimate source of knowledge concerning faith and life, and is perfectly sufficient for the work of recovery.
Sufficiency: Scripture is sufficient to address all struggles faced in addiction and trauma, providing the necessary wisdom, instruction, correction, and training (2 Timothy 3:16).
Counseling Model: The ministry utilizes the Bible to provide counsel, comfort, and rebuke. It answers questions about suffering (Job, Psalms), control (Proverbs), fear (Isaiah 41:10), forgiveness (Luke 23:34), and repentance (Psalm 51).
Theological Difference with Worldly Guidance: This ministry avoids the syncretism common in faith-based programs that merge secular principles (e.g., humanistic psychology, pop self-help, or human experience) with biblical truth. Our conviction is that mixing the authority of Scripture with the shifting sand of human opinion diminishes the Gospel’s power and obscures the authority of Christ.
V. The Doctrine of the Church (Ecclesiology)
Recovery in the Covenant Community: Recovery is designed to occur not in isolation, but within the safety and accountability of the covenant community, the Church.
Mutual Accountability: Participants are called to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), confess sins to one another (James 5:16), and encourage one another toward holiness.
Unified Body: The partnership between First Methodist Church of Hartselle and West End Global Methodist Church is a practical demonstration of the Church acting as the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27), pooling distinct gifts and resources to accomplish a shared Kingdom mission. The local church provides the discipleship, fellowship, and long-term structure necessary for sustainable change.