Fuller Institute for Recovery Ministry

I am happy to announce that Dr. Matt Russell has recently been appointed as a half-time Assistant Professor of Recovery Ministry and as Associate Director of the Fuller Institute for Recovery Ministry! After graduating with an M.Div. from Fuller, Matt was instrumental in founding “Mercy Street”, a vibrant recovery-oriented congregation in Houston, TX. In 2010 he earned a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies at Texas Tech University and subsequently spent two years as a Visiting Scholar at Cambridge University in their Psychology and Religion Research Group. Currently he is a Senior Associate Pastor at Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church in Houston. Matt has taught a variety of courses for Fuller both as an Adjunct and an Affiliate Professor, and we are delighted that this transition to Assistant Professor status has been made possible. Matt will be teaching both on-line and on Fuller’s campus in Houston. For an introduction to Matt’s story and teaching see: Matt Russell Videos

You are invited to attend NACR’s second annual Summer Institute of Recovery Studies. Our emphasis this year will be on the complicated task of doing recovery ministry in the local church. You can expect thoughtful, realistic input from experienced practitioners. Join us!

Details are HERE

Topics/Presenters:

Theology of Addiction in the Church
Dr. Johnny Ramierz Johnson, Professor of Intercultural Studies, Fuller

Importance of Story in Addiction
Sharon Hargrave, Executive Director, Boone Center for the Family, Pepperdine

Parenting Addicts
Dr. Laura Harbert, Dean of Chapel and Spiritual Formation

Addiction and Marriage
Catherine Kelley, Fuller Staff

VIDEO

You can watch these presentations HERE

I don’t typically make book recommendations here. Today is an exception. If you are interested in the scientific research about the effectiveness of 12 step recovery, I highly recommend If you work it. It Works!: The Science Behind 12 Step Recovery by Joseph Nowinski [Hazelden, 2015]. Nowinski was one of the primary designers of the TSF (Twelve Step Facilitation) track in Project Match — a very large study of the effectiveness of different interventions with alcoholics. The book is intended for readers who are unfamiliar with research methods or statistics so it is quite readable. It provides an overview of the current state of scientific research about program effectiveness. [Read more…]