Christ-Centered Recovery Principles

Course Syllabus

Course Description

This course lays the biblical foundation for Christ-centered recovery ministry. You will study what Scripture says about brokenness, grace, and redemption, and you will learn The Restoration Path, an original seven-stage framework used throughout the Recovery Ministry Leadership Certificate: Honest Awakening, Hopeful Surrender, Truthful Confession, Freedom Through Forgiveness, Making Things Right, Daily Renewal, and Sharing the Comfort. You will explore the wide range of struggles people bring to recovery, from addiction to unhealthy patterns such as people-pleasing, rage, or chronic worry, and you will learn the safety facts every recovery leader must know about withdrawal, overdose, medical treatment, and crisis. The course gives special attention to recovery during and after re-entry. You will finish with a recovery journal excerpt, a testimony outline, and a principles-to-practice plan. This is a lay ministry credential, not a clinical license. Every activity can be completed on paper.

Faith Integration

Second Corinthians 1:4 says God comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble. Christ-centered recovery begins with grace, not shame: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). In this course we hold together three truths: no one is beyond the reach of God's mercy, real change is the work of the Holy Spirit over time, and God also works through doctors, treatment programs, and medication. Faith and medical care are not opposed. A wise recovery leader points to Christ, walks alongside with patience, and knows when to bring in more help.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

1. Explain a biblical theology of brokenness, grace, and redemption, and why recovery begins with grace rather than shame (Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:8–9).
2. Describe the seven stages of The Restoration Path and the Scripture that grounds each stage.
3. Describe wounds, habits, and strongholds broadly, including addiction and unhealthy patterns, without labeling or diagnosing anyone.
4. State the safety facts every recovery leader must know: withdrawal can be medically dangerous, medication for addiction treatment is legitimate medical care, overdose requires 911 and naloxone, and suicide or crisis requires immediate help.
5. Explain biblical confession, forgiveness, and amends, including the difference between forgiveness, reconciliation, and trust.
6. Practice renewing the mind with Scripture and build a simple, realistic plan for daily recovery.
7. Apply recovery principles to the re-entry season, including the higher risk of overdose after release.
8. Outline a personal testimony that glorifies God, protects others, and does not glamorize past harm.

Course Materials

• This student workbook
• A Bible (King James Version)
• A notebook or lined paper and a folder for your recovery journal
• Pen or pencil (no devices are required; every activity has a paper version)
• A printed Restoration Path card and When to Get Help card (provided in Module 1)

Weekly Schedule

How You Will Be Graded

To pass this course: earn 70% or higher overall and attend at least 80% of sessions.

Classroom Covenant

• We begin and end each session in prayer. Participation in prayer is always welcome, never required.
• What is shared in class stays in class. We protect one another's stories.
• We speak with respect, listen without interrupting, and disagree with grace.
• We come prepared, do our own work, and ask for help when we need it.
• We follow all facility rules. Safety and security come first.
• We believe the best about one another and about what God can do.

Support & Accommodations

If reading, writing, vision, hearing, or any other need makes a part of this course harder, tell your instructor privately. Materials can be read aloud, enlarged, or completed orally. Missed sessions can be made up using the module pages. If you are transferred or released, your completed work stays on record and you can finish online.

Welcome

Welcome to the first course of the Recovery Ministry Leadership Certificate. This companion walks beside you with a weekly reading, five devotions for the days between sessions, and a Quick Guide to The Restoration Path you can keep long after the course ends. Read it with grace. You may be walking your own recovery, supporting someone you love, or preparing to serve others. Wherever you are, remember: recovery begins with God's love, not with shame, and a recovery leader is a lay minister, not a clinician. You are learning to walk alongside others, point to Christ, and know when to bring in more help.

How to Use This Companion

• Read the weekly reading after each class session. It takes about 10 minutes.
• Reflect on the questions. These are for you; you do not have to turn them in.
• Meet with God through the five daily devotions between sessions.
• Keep the Quick Guide at the end to carry home after release.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.— Psalm 119:105 (KJV)