THE EIGHT MARKS OF THE CHRISTIAN CONVERGENCE RECOVERY CHURCHES OF AMERICA

 

As believers in the saving Death and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, coming together to honor the Godhead through the convergence of Bible-based beliefs, Holy Spirit led gifts and Liturgical worship with Orthodox teachings, we state our beliefs as follows:

 

1) We are a "Moonlight Church." 

 

That's a church that operates formally but without a heavily visible presence in the community. Much like the Basement Churches, which are spiritual groups that meet in church basements or coffee houses to deal with 12 Steps Issues, our church operates with a low overhead to impact groups who are victims of moonlight crimes or problems such as mental illness, abuse, molestation, rape, bullying, poverty and dysfunctions that are seldom addressed in the open "sunlight" churches. While we might have centers of service, we never forget our house church roots and continue to hold services there, as well as in town.  Acts 2: 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to thebreaking of bread and to prayer.

 

2) We are a Mission Church

This goes back to a vision I had about being a pastor to those whom everyone else rejects. This outreach is from the Hurting but Healed to the Wounded and Seeking. We reach out from our Faith to give others Faith with Hope in Love.

If you want to attend a Sunlight Church at the same time that you attend our Moonlight Church, that's okay. Our mission is Healing with what God has given us freely. If you stay, great. If you stay for a season and return fully to your church, great. We'll be there for you one way or the other. Membership is not required. Communion is for those who believe the Creeds. So is Baptism, Confession, Confirmation, Marriage, Healing and Holy Orders. This is the "Peoples' Church." If you believe, you can receive. If you can't believe, well, we'll minister to you anyway!

 

As Jesus said, "If I am not doing the works of My Father, then do not believe Me. But if I am doing them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works themselves, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father.” (John 10: 37-38)

 

 3) We are a Recovery Church

 The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12 Steps groups started out in the Anglican Oxford Group and the Welsylen movement. These were accountability groups who met together to stay sober, clean and centered on service to God and each other. Bill W and Sam Shoemaker both saw these steps as a key to spiritual revival. But the Sunlight churches rejected that for anyone other than the "addicted." So, the Oxford Movement became the basis for the 12 Step Movement, confined to the outsider status of AA, NA, etc. Recovery Churches of America is the Oxford Movement and the 12 Steps restored to its roots for the 21st Century.

The key to Recovery is in the ORIGINAL Serenity Prayer:

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