The pandemic has magnified the need to address addiction and related mental health issues in our congregations and surrounding communities. One family in three has direct experience with someone suffering from addiction and often more with related mental health (MH) issues. The faith community can play a vital role in prevention and recovery; yet are sometimes reluctant or uncomfortable talking about these issues. An informed clergy, supported by committed, trained congregational members has a tremendous opportunity to serve.

Faith Partners has responded since 1995 offering clergy and lay-leadership useful tools and strategies, educational materials, and training for a team ministry that can serve the needs of the whole congregation. This team approach cultivates an informed, compassionate response to addiction through awareness, education, and recovery support activities right in your congregation! These important responses help create a safe, hospitable place that allows for hope, help, and healing. 

Faith Partners congregational team efforts often grow in relationship to the team’s capacity, the congregation’s needs and receptivity, and the congregation’s missional focus. Teams often broaden their focus from substance use disorders to other addictions to mental health issues as the need presents itself, creating an educational platform for understanding these issues. 

This one-day training after team training brings together team facilitators and members as well as interested congregational members for the purposes of connecting to community resources for continuing education and collaborative efforts, renewing their commitment, additional learning about ministry areas, networking and program-sharing with others for support.

Goal: To equip teams with the information, skills and resources they need to sustain, strengthen and expand their addiction team ministry/service.

Objectives:

As a result of this training participants will be able to:

• Implement educational sessions within the team and congregational community; 

• Demonstrate effective leadership within their congregation and community;

• Develop networking opportunities for program sharing and support; 

• Identify community and other congregations’ resources; and,

• Strengthen their efforts in the areas of prevention, early intervention, referral assistance, recovery support and advocacy.

Please join us in this important work to address addiction and related mental health issues in our midst.