AA Archives - Rebekah Simon-Peter Coaching and Consulting Inc.

15 Things AA Can Teach the Church about Renewal

by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Feb 24, 2026

Alcoholics Anonymous may be one of the most effective church renewal models of the last century — and most congregations have hosted it without fully recognizing what it gets right.

Founded in 1935, AA has helped millions experience lasting spiritual transformation through small groups, shared stories, disciplined practice, and radical humility. It has built one of the most successful self-duplicating spiritual movements in modern history — largely in church basements.

AA did not set out to renew the church.

But it reveals powerful principles of church renewal that congregations today cannot afford to ignore.

Here are 15 things AA can teach the Church about renewal.

1) Stick to Your Primary Purpose

AA has one clear purpose:

To help alcoholics achieve sobriety.

That clarity fuels effectiveness.

Churches often diffuse energy across competing priorities — programs, property, politics, preferences. Renewal begins when a congregation reclaims its primary purpose and aligns everything around it.

For United Methodists, that means remembering why we exist in the first place — to have open hearts, open minds, and open doors

Church renewal always starts with focus.

2) You Can’t Keep It Unless You Give It Away

In AA, recovery is sustained by helping others recover.

Bill W. and Dr. Bob, the two co-founders of AA, stayed sober by sharing the message. That principle remains unchanged.

Discipleship is built into the structure.

Healthy church renewal works the same way. Faith deepens when it is shared. Spiritual maturity grows through multiplication, not maintenance.

3) Everyone Needs a Sponsor

No one works the Twelve Steps alone.

Each member has a sponsor — someone further along who walks beside them. Then they become a sponsor to someone else.

This is discipleship in motion.

Church renewal accelerates when every member is both being formed and forming someone else.

4) Insist on Experiencing God

AA speaks of a “Higher Power” and invites members to grow in lived spiritual experience. The emphasis is not doctrinal precision but transformation.

Churches sometimes focus more energy on defining belief than facilitating encounter.

Renewal movements insist that spiritual awakening is real, personal, and possible.

5) Promise a Spiritual Awakening

The Twelve Steps culminate in a spiritual awakening.

It is expected.

Many churches promise belonging or participation. Fewer clearly promise transformation. Church renewal requires the courage to say: changed lives are not optional — they are the goal.

6) Measure Spiritual Growth, Not Just Attendance

In AA, growth is measured by sobriety, amends made, humility practiced, and lives restored.

Numbers are secondary.

If church renewal is reduced to attendance or budget metrics, depth is lost. Vital congregations measure maturity, courage, generosity, and justice.

Renewal shifts what success looks like.

7) Buildings Are Tools, Not the Mission

Most AA groups meet in borrowed space.

This frees energy for purpose instead of maintenance.

The early church grew without property. AA thrives without owning space.

Church renewal happens when buildings serve mission — not when mission serves buildings.

8) Be Self-Supporting

AA is self-supporting through member contributions.

This builds ownership

Renewal movements cultivate shared responsibility rather than dependence on outside rescue. When members invest personally, transformation deepens.

9) There Are No Stars

Anonymity ensures humility.

No celebrities. No platform culture. Just shared commitment to transformation.

Church renewal requires humility. Personality-driven leadership may attract attention, but humility sustains movements.

10) Don’t Shoot Your Wounded

Relapse does not equal rejection.

Those who fall are welcomed back.

Grace is practiced, not preached.

Congregations committed to renewal cultivate mercy. Judgment — even subtle judgment — erodes trust and stalls transformation.

11) Have Joy

AA meetings are often filled with laughter.

Honesty and joy coexist.

Spiritual depth and delight are not opposites. Renewal restores joy alongside accountability.

12) Let Structure Serve the Local Community

AA’s General Service Office exists to support local groups.

Authority flows toward service.

Church renewal requires denominational and leadership structures that empower local congregations rather than control them.

Healthy systems serve mission.

13) Share Your Story

Storytelling is central to AA.

Transformation spreads through testimony.

The early church grew through shared witness.

Church renewal accelerates when people tell the truth about what God is doing in their lives.

14) Focus on the Newcomer

In AA, the newcomer is the most important person in the room.

They are welcomed immediately.

Renewal movements prioritize those just arriving, not only those who have always been there.

Church renewal requires courage to make space — even when it disrupts comfort.

15) Expect Resurrection

People come back from the dead in AA rooms every day.

Lives are rebuilt.

New life is not merely hoped for. It is expected.

Christian faith centers on resurrection. Church renewal requires that we expect it — not nostalgically recall it.

Why This Matters for Church Renewal

AA demonstrates that spiritual renewal thrives when it is:

Focused on mission
Relational and accountable
Humble in leadership
Self-replicating
Experience-driven
Rooted in transformation

In many ways, AA models principles of church renewal more consistently than many congregations.

That should not discourage us. It should clarify what works.

If we long for renewal in our churches, we do not need novelty. We need clarity, courage, spiritual depth — and structures that support transformation.

This is precisely the work of building a culture of renewal.

The question is not whether AA can teach the church something.

The question is whether we are willing to align our life together around transformation.

Adapted and edited from June 2015 article.

The 3 S’s of Re-Building Community

by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Mar 6, 2024

Welcome to the next normal in which people are more disconnected and more polarized than in previous generations. And more lonely. Yet the need for belonging is at an all-time high. That’s why I have been exploring what I call the 3 S’s of Re-Building Community: being social, being spiritual, and being of service.

The Problem of Institution

You may have heard that the church as an institution is over. After all, the nones and dones are increasing while the number of religiously affiliated are decreasing. Generally, giving, worship attendance, and missional engagement have dipped post pandemic. Pundits tell us that the church as we know it is over. Maybe. Maybe not.

The Myth You Don’t Have What it Takes

You may believe there is nothing you can do to attract and serve people. But, don’t believe the myth that the church doesn’t have what it takes to reach people. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I Have Seen Vitality Surge

For the last 13 years I have been empowering church leaders to create cultures of renewal. In their ministry settings, I have seen leaders create supportive and social spiritual communities. These communities are combating the loneliness pandemic. Happiness is expanding and stronger social bonds are being built. I have also seen vitality surge when churches move from talking about God to incorporating direct experiences with the divine.

Finally, we see giving, worship attendance, and missional engagement all go up when you engage with your community. It creates a culture of renewal.

Why the 3 S’s of Re-Building Community

It’s Biblical:

Our call to build community is woven into the very fabric of our faith. The Great Commandment calls us to love God with all our being and to love our neighbors as ourselves. This love, by its nature, compels us to connect with others, and to support one another.

Additionally, the Great Commission instructs us to “go and make disciples… teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” Building communities allows us to fulfill this commission more effectively, offering a space for learning, growth, and spiritual guidance.

It’s Cultural:

This model of rebuilding community resonates deeply with today’s culture, especially millennials. Millennials sometimes get labeled as disinterested in traditional institutions like the church. The reality is more nuanced. They may not seek out spirituality in the same way as previous generations, yet millennials crave meaningful connections, personal growth, and a sense of purpose. Millennials are also passionate about making a positive impact on the world. They also often face social isolation despite being actively connected online.

Invite millennials into your spiritual community to build genuine in-person relationships with like-minded individuals. This counteracts the loneliness and isolation commonly reported by this generation.

It’s Workable:

Alcoholics Anonymous has been incredibly successful in building strong communities of support for its members using the 3 S’s of Re-Building Community. Churches can learn a lot from AA about how to build communities that are welcoming, supportive, and life-changing.

Shared social time: AA groups provide opportunities for members to socialize and build relationships outside of structured meetings. This could involve attending picnics, going bowling, or simply grabbing coffee after a meeting.
Deep focus on a spiritual path: While AA is not affiliated with any particular religion, it does emphasize the importance of a spiritual path. This shared focus on spirituality provides a sense of purpose and direction for members.
Helping newcomers and serving the community: AA places a strong emphasis on helping newcomers and giving back to the community. Newcomers are warmly welcomed and sponsored by experienced members who provide guidance and support. This focus on service to others fosters a sense of shared responsibility and strengthens the sense of belonging.

Next Steps

This simplified approach to rebuilding community is easy to implement. Find the ways you are already being social, being spiritual, and being of service. And imbue them with extra intentionality.

The more you increase engagement in the 3 S’s of Re-Building Community, the stronger your community will be. But there is more to leadership than doing. These times call for Conscious Leadership. Come to Elevate Your Ministry: An Introduction to Conscious Leadership to learn about the importance of mastering your mindset, awakening your spirituality, and becoming an intentional visionary.

If you want input on your ministry, click here for a free one-on-one 45-minute Discovery Session with me.

An AA Christmas

by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Dec 23, 2018

This Christmas, my husband I will celebrate the holiday surrounded by a variety of family and friends. Most of these folks have an unusual characteristic in common: they are recovering addicts and alcoholics. Their length of sobriety ranges from 10 days to 30 years. We have found real community with this circle of folks who are members of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Transparency and honesty, joy and laughter, friendship and service are their hallmarks.
As I consider our upcoming holiday celebrations, I want to bring to light three ways that AA recovery reflects and enhances the Christmas story.
BEFORE AND AFTER During Advent, we Christians are encouraged to open our hearts anew to Jesus. At Christmas, we rejoice that the birth of Jesus somehow births new life in us. While there may not be dramatic differences year to year, many of us can name what life was like before Jesus was part of our story and how things shifted when—in the words of Eugene Peterson—Jesus “moved into the neighborhood” of our lives. We can even name how this ongoing relationship has positively impacted us and the people around us.
In AA, recovering alcoholics and addicts have a story too: what it used to be like in active addiction, what happened that they chose to get clean and sober, and what life is like now in recovery. Share on X This story continuously evolves as people recover from the devastating physical, emotional and spiritual effects of active addiction. Once people open themselves to a new life, dramatic before and after stories are the name of the game. They are inspiring and faith-building.
GOD AS YOU UNDERSTAND GOD From the time Jesus was conceived and born, no one knew exactly what to make of him. The Magnificat records how Mary supposes a political and societal revolution. Joseph dreams that this surprise baby will save people from sin. The shepherds get an angelic message that a savior has been born. Simeon perceives that Jesus is a messianic figure; he foresees division, pain and suffering. Anna beholds the child and prophesies that the city of Jerusalem will be redeemed.
No one gets the same message. While we have strung these stories together into an overarching narrative, the elements of the story remind us that Jesus is more about possibility than dogma. All we really know is that Jesus is going to make a difference in the world.
In AA, recovery from addiction requires God. But AA’s understand that God is different for each person. In fact, there’s an insistence in the rooms of recovery that no one can define God for anyone else. No limits, definitions or dogma allowed. While this seems unnatural for the Christian, it’s strangely freeing for people in recovery. Here faith is not about orthodoxy or right belief. It’s about orthopraxy or right practice. The proof is in the pudding. Has your life transformed? Are you happy, joyous and free? Are you serving others? If so, nobody cares exactly how or what your Higher Power may be. Only that the fruits of this Power are evident in your life.
UNLIKELY CAST OF CHARACTERS The Christmas narratives place a diverse group of people together: families from the priestly line, shepherds and people of the field, Simeon a devout old man, Anna a prophetess who never leaves the Temple, a rather poor young woman, her older husband, and a surprise baby of divine origin. Let’s not forget angels and heavenly hosts. Later on, foreign dignitaries make an appearance. Oh yeah, and one crazed ruler. It’s a wild story. Who but God could have brought together this unlikely cast of characters?
Similarly, our addict and alcoholic friends form an unlikely assemblage. They include convicted felons, once-respected academics and clergy, school and healthcare administrators, construction workers, carpenters, painters, bikers, oilfield workers, psychologists, former menaces to society, and garden variety down-on-their-luck-just-lost-everything people who are scraping by. These are folks who would not ordinarily know each other, let alone mix. Who but God would but able to put together this unlikely cast of characters?
Wherever you may be this Christmas, and whoever you are with, I invite you to relive your own before and after story, to lay claim to God as you understand God, and above all to appreciate whatever crazy cast of characters you are with. It’ll be a sign that Jesus has been born among us.

Do You Need a 12 Step Program to Follow Jesus?

by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Jun 27, 2018

I spend a lot of time, intentionally, with the spiritual but not religious folks in my community. I’m always amazed at the refreshing honesty and humor in our conversations. There’s a real willingness to laugh at former misfortunes, to give credit to a higher power, to talk of miracles and to be of service to others. I’ve often wondered how to bring those qualities to the congregations I once served or now coach. Turns out there’s a 12 step program for that! It’s outlined in an intriguing new book, Recovering from Church and Discovering Jesus: A 12 Step Program. It made me wonder: Do you need a 12 Step program to follow Jesus?
Retired pastors and authors Gerri Harvill and Stan Norman wondered the same thing. They shared their thoughts and ideas with me. Check it out; you’ll be inspired by the conversation.
Gerri and Stan, you have written a book about spirituality apart from the institutional church and organized religion. Isn’t that an oxymoron for a Christian?
Well Rebekah, as pastors of a church we became aware that our own spirituality was gradually being taken away from us by the demands of the institution. We were told to pay attention to our spiritual health and then allowed no time or energy to do so. There was always one more report to fill out, one more person to visit, one more meeting to attend. We were stuck in upholding the institution at the expense of our spirituality.
I can relate. I’ve been there too! How did you respond?
We were very frustrated with the unwillingness of the institution, and of many in the congregation of the church where we served, to try anything new or change from getting together with friends for worship on Sunday, to following Jesus as a way of life. Since we had reached retirement age, we decided to step away from the institution and pursue spirituality with a few like-minded individuals. We gathered as a small community for 8 months before we realized that we were addicted to the rules and rituals of the church ourselves. Our friends in the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) communities seemed to have a better, more authentic, handle on spirituality than we did as professional clergy.
What do you mean by that? Give me an example.
A few months into our gatherings we realized that we were becoming another church. We had only moved from the sanctuary to our living rooms and from Sunday morning to Saturday night. Our gathering time was scripted, we had liturgy and music and we were doing most of the talking. We had envisioned a community of equals gathering to help each other follow Jesus on a daily basis. But as leaders, we realized that we were still caught up in the rules and rituals of organized religion. We realized we were addicted.
What’s wrong with being addicted to the institutional church and organized religion?
The rules, rituals, and traditions of the church itself become our “golden calf.” Church and religion become the idol that replaces God in our lives. It was a humbling experience to realize that we had become the very thing we had preached against for years.
So, is your book anti-church?
No! But Rebekah, our book does call for the institution of the church to change and become more like the movement that Jesus intended his church to be. The institution needs to die to some things so that God can resurrect it to new life.
How did you make the connection between substance addiction and spirituality?
Well Rebekah, we were exposed to the 12 step programs of AA and NA through groups that met at the church where we served. Our reading and research lead us to writers and teachers like Richard Rohr, Frederick Buechner, Gerald May, and you yourself who had already recognized the intrinsic value of the 12 step programs for spiritual formation and growth.
What can 12 step groups teach the church about spiritual formation and growth?

Spiritual formation has to take place in community. It’s hard work; we shy away from it because we are scared and lazy. The authentic sharing and caring that takes place in AA and NA meetings is largely missing from the institutional church, replaced by judgment and hypocrisy.

I came away from my conversation with Gerry Harvill and Stan Norman energized and inspired by the bold steps they’d taken in reinventing the idea of church using the 12 step process. In my 2015 article “15 Things AA Can Teach the Church”, I share their concerns about outdated rules and rituals impeding the process of spiritual awakening. I think Stan and Gerri are on to something; read their book and join them in discovering new ways to follow Jesus.
If you are looking for a way to connect up with the larger dreams of Jesus, contact me at re*****@***************er.com to join my free one-hour webinar, Dream Like Jesus® on July 27 at 1:30pm Mountain Time.