About
The Center of Addiction & Faith is a God-inspired movement to open the hearts and minds of faith communities everywhere to better understand the spread of addiction, its consequences and how to respond.
Addiction is the Number One health crisis facing our society today, and it is continually growing worse. There exists a distinct spiritual facet of addiction recovery that is not fully understood but is much needed for healing. We call that faith. We believe that faith communities, geographically and philosophically well positioned everywhere, can help bring about the kind of transformation we are in dire need of.
The Center of Addiction & Faith is committed to bringing spiritual leaders together, to learn about addiction and how to better address the spiritual needs of those affected. There are so many who need spiritual care, and faith communities can do so much more to help.
The centerpiece of The Center of Addiction & Faith is our annual, national gathering of ecumenical and interfaith spiritual leaders and many others who are interested in being part of the solution to addiction. Visit the Addiction & Faith Conference. We hope you will attend.
Along with the annual conference, The Center of Addiction & Faith provides extensive resources for leaders seeking to learn about this life-saving ministry and support those who are living in the solution. Please use this Web site as a resource and guide.
Our Mission - Our Vision
MISSION STATEMENT
Awakening Faith Communities to Address Addiction
Offering the hope of recovery to the addicted, and to those who love them.
Our Mission
The Center of Addiction & Faith works to awaken faith communities to be more fully places of welcome and healing for persons with addiction and those who love them.
The Center of Addiction & Faith is a cross-cultural, inter-faith network sought out and supported by faith communities, mental health and addiction experts, religiously-inclined people who seek recovery from addiction, and change agents, including legislators and philanthropists.
Our vision is a world of human and institutional flourishing that inches closer toward grace and community, away from the brokenness and isolation imposed by addiction and exacerbated by uninformed theology and scapegoat politics. The building blocks of that household are: Faith, Science, Justice and Compassion.
Our Vision
Our vision is a world of human and institutional flourishing that inches closer toward grace and community, away from the brokenness and isolation imposed by addiction and exacerbated by uninformed theology and scapegoat politics. The building blocks of that household are: Faith, Science, Justice and Compassion.
Our Goals and Objectives
We aim to do our work with the support of a few principles. We do not live out these principles perfectly. We simply strive to do the best we can in all that we undertake.
- Theological Humility
- Addiction as Science, Not Morality
- Authenticity, Vulnerability and Transformation
- Treatment Not Punishment
- Destigmatizing Our Language
- Theological Humility
Theological humility begins with acknowledgement of our brokenness and limitations and is open to new ideas and new ways to think about God. Ultimately, humility is understanding that our sole purpose and calling in life is to use ourselves and all that God has given us. As the language of the 12 steps puts it: being of maximum service to God and to our fellows. This is achieved by elevating others, by encouraging them, lifting them up. We accept that nobody fully understands God, and our theologies can only scratch the surface of comprehension.
- Addiction as Science, Not Morality
Despite all we have learned, society and faith communities continue to treat the issue of addiction with unfair stigma – addiction is bad – and judgement – you brought this on yourself; and thus shame – you are bad. We do not do this in our culture if someone has cancer or a brain tumor or requires insulin for diabetes. When in fact, addiction is also disease with a physiological pathology, the nature of which is to demand more of what actually causes trouble for or in the body.
The beginning of the healing process begins with this understanding. Until we accept the science of addiction, we will continue to treat the various symptoms instead of the underlying problem, which is often an unresolved traumatic wound to the psyche. The Center of Addiction and Faith is committed to promoting the facts about addiction through the best and most current research in addiction studies. To this end, we believe that many modalities contribute to healing and that there is no one “right” way to recover.
We also believe that every single living soul is a child of God, regardless of race, color, creed, belief and illness. A loving creator known by many names and understandings has made us beings to “be” the best we can be in this lifetime and throughout eternity. God mourns when that which God has created mourns; God rejoices when creation rejoices.
- Authenticity, Vulnerability and Transformation
“I am not being flippant when I say that all of us suffer from addiction. Nor am I reducing the meaning of addiction. I mean in all truth that the psychological, neurological, and spiritual dynamics of full-fledged addiction are actively at work within every human being.”
— the late Dr. Gerald May, psychiatrist and theologian
We are all weak. We all struggle. It is human nature to be flawed and to break. It is also human nature to hide our brokenness! It is God’s nature to shine light on brokenness and enact healing. There is no need to hide from something normal. We are free to emerge, transformed by grace. Only with God’s help (however we understand God), is our strength made perfect in weakness. We see it throughout scripture, and we see it today in our modern stories. And we carry hope with us to God’s other children when we describe what it was like, what happened and what it’s like now.
We realize that by being open and authentic—and inviting others to be the same—that there is no more pretending or hypocrisy, which are forms of dishonesty and manipulation.
- Treatment Not Punishment
Compassion is the natural response and state of those living in the grace of God’s unconditional love. When we are authentic and vulnerable, we are more able to show compassion and understanding. From this love comes great levels of compassion and understanding, which is a true gift to those who live in shame and fear, for whatever reason.
We would never punish our loved ones for getting cancer or diabetes. Yet our nation’s War on Drugs pursues punishment rather than treatment as a response to addiction and drug use. It is the responsibility of advocates, especially people of faith, to promote a different approach.
The single most prominent national response to drug use and addiction has been a failed War on Drugs, implemented in 1971, to combat illegal drug use by greatly increasing penalties, enforcement, and incarceration for drug offenders. This tragic effort has been based on premises that have no discernible relation to addiction and its causes. It has destroyed countless lives for no recognizable purpose, at a cost of over $1 trillion since 2001.
Simultaneously, the War on Drugs has led to the mass incarceration of African-American and Latino individuals, and has militarized police departments in cities and towns across the country. It has also failed to reduce drug use.
Meanwhile, treatment for addiction remains a luxury for the rich. State hospitals are egregiously underfunded and beds are limited for people with mental-health emergencies. Those with ongoing mental-health difficulty requiring psychiatric treatment often also have problems with addiction, and they have few places to turn.
- Destigmatizing Our Language
Little progress has been made in removing the stigma around substance use disorders. People with addiction continue to be blamed for their disease. Even though medicine long ago reached a consensus that addiction is a complex brain disorder with behavioral components, the public, including the Church, and even many in healthcare and the justice system often continue to view it as a result of moral weakness and flawed character.
Stigma on the part of healthcare providers who tacitly see a patient’s drug or alcohol problem as their own fault leads to substandard care or even to rejecting individuals seeking treatment. People showing signs of acute intoxication or withdrawal symptoms are sometimes expelled from emergency rooms by staff fearful of their behavior or assuming they are only seeking drugs. People with addiction internalize this stigma, feeling shame, and refuse to seek treatment as a result.
To do our part in reducing stigma, we need language that’s unified. The Recovery Research Institute has published an A to Z list of terms, their level of provoking stigma and preferable terms to use. It will take time for us to incorporate these terms into our vocabulary, but we must be part of the change we seek. https://www.recoveryanswers.org/addiction-ary/
History
The Fellowship of Recovering Lutheran Clergy (FRLC) is a national fellowship with the mission to support clergy in recovery and in need of support. It also advocates for good health policies around addiction.
As clergy we believe faith communities are in an ideal position to make a significant difference in healing addiction, and yet they do very little to address it. For way too long, religions of every kind have avoided this issue, and it’s time to stepped up. We want to help teach them what they can do.
In 2018, in response to the opioid epidemic (the biggest health crisis facing our country at the time), the FRLC held a conference to teach faith leaders more about addiction, and how their communities can better respond. We pulled together the best scientists and theologians on the topic, and prayed we would get at least 50 local leaders to attend. We were pleasantly surprised when we had to cut off the registration at 200, and had leaders from 22 states and 7 denominations (including a Pastor from Canada) attend the conference. Our second conference in 2019 was even a greater success! We had an significant increase in attendees, with 34 states represented (and another Canadian Pastor) and 12 denominations.
Spring-boarding from highly successful annual Conferences, and continuous interest in healing addiction, The Center of Addiction & Faith was born. The Center of Addiction & Faith provides a desperately needed resource for faith communities, healthcare professionals, and those struggling with, or in recovery. The Center of Addiction & Faith plans to continue to feature an annual conference. The Center offers a robust website that is evolving with up-to-date education, guidance, tools, best practices, and wisdom from industry leaders on addiction.
We believe the time is now! We imagine a whole army of caregivers out there waiting to be shown what to do. We believe The Center of Addiction & Faith has been called to lead this movement.
Addiction is the number one preventable killer of people of every age, race, and nation. We can never stop it, but we can reduce it, and mitigate the terrible impacts on families and communities. We ask that you will share this opportunity with some who might be interested. We can save lives, with the faith communities help.
Leadership
Executive Staff
Pastor Ed Treat
Executive Director & Founder
I’ve been many places in life. Spiritually I’ve been all over the map – my faith is being transformed continuously. I was a full-blown drug addict the first third of my life, then an ordained pastor for the second third, and now God is calling me to be an addiction crusader.” Learn more about Pastor Ed.
Louise Olson
Secretary & Treasurer
A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Minnesota with degree in mathematics, Louise worked as a Computer Systems Analyst for Control Data Corp. She has spent lifetime volunteering at schools, church and camps and in the community. She serves enthusiastically at Transfiguration Lutheran Church in Bloomington, Minn., where she is also a Stephen Minister. She has accompanied Pastor Ed through the transition of his church ministry into building the Center of Addiction & Faith, where she is secretary and treasurer. She is happily married, the mother of two sons and grandmother of four boys.
Leadership
Board of Directors
Pastor Greg Delaney
Board of Directors
Greg Delaney is a Senior Community Engagement Specialist for Statewide Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center, Woodhaven, and a member of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s Recovery Ohio Advisory Council. He advocates for faith-based recovery efforts and educates communities about substance use disorder's community impact and how to respond with evidence-based solutions. Greg serves as a National Trainer for the ENCOMPASS OHIO ‘Navigating Addiction’ program and assists in the development and distribution of the GOODLIFE SEL Program in Ohio and abroad. He engages and consults on several boards, including the Women’s Recovery Center, Safe Harbor House Ohio, Foundations for Recovery in Las Vegas Nevada, and the Faith Leadership Academy in Atlanta Georgia. Greg is a Wright State University graduate and is married with three children.
Rev. Alexander E. Sharp
Board of Directors
Rev. Rev. A.E. Sharp is the executive director of Clergy for a New Drug Policy, which mobilizes clergy nationally to end the war on drugs. Sharp is executive director of Clergy for a New Drug Policy, which mobilizes clergy nationally to end the war on drugs. With a wide-ranging background in different fields, Sharp served for 15 years as the founding executive director of Protestants for the Common Good, an Illinois-based faith advocacy organization. He served for 15 years as the founding executive director of Protestants for the Common Good, an Illinois-based faith advocacy organization. Prior to that, he also served as vice president for business and finance at the University of Chicago from 1980-1993. He was also vice president for business and finance at the University of Chicago 1980-1993. Aside from his work in advocacy and education, Sharp's expertise also extends to finance and management. Rev. Sharp's education background includes graduating from the University of Chicago Divinity School in 1996. Sharp graduated from the University of Chicago Divinity School in 1996. His theological education eventually led him to become an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ in 2007. He became an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ in 2007. Sharp continues to use his diverse background and experience to advocate for social justice and policy reform. [email protected] . To learn more about Clergy for a New Drug Policy or to get involved, you can reach Rev. Sharp at [email protected].
Keaton Douglas
Board of directors
Keaton Douglas, the Executive Director of the I THIRST Initiative, a Mission of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, is a consultant, educator, counselor, and frequent guest speaker in the field of addiction and recovery, particularly as it pertains to the interface of spirituality and recovery. She is the creator of the I THIRST Initiative - a comprehensive program which focuses on spirituality in the prevention, treatment, and aftercare of those suffering from substance use disorders and their families. She is the creator of the iTHIRST Spiritual Companionship (ITSC) Training, faith -based formation which instructs lay leaders and clergy on the spiritual dimension of addiction/recovery. The I THIRST curriculum is academically certified through Seton Hall University and is taught there on a continual basis through their Continuing Education and Professional Studies Department, attracting students from all over the Unites States and abroad. Today, certified iTHIRST Spiritual Companions number more than two hundred, and are bringing spiritual consolation and recovery resource information to individuals in Ireland, in 23 States, and as far as Pago Pago, American Samoa. iTHIRST Spiritual Companions serve the needs of those on six Native American Reservations. iTHIRST Spiritual Companions are working in faith communities, schools and hospitals, treatment facilities, correctional facilities, and re-entry programs from coast to coast and beyond! Her book, The Road to Hope: Responding to the Crisis of Addiction, published by Our Sunday Visitor, will be available now wherever you purchase your books. Keaton is the mother of one grown son, Michael, and she and her husband, Tom, live on a horse farm in rural northern New Jersey.
Drew Brooks
Board of directors
Drew Brooks is currently the Executive Director of Faith Partners, a non-profit organization providing leadership, administration, and training for a congregational addiction team ministry model. He has worked with Faith Partners since 2000 in the roles of Program Manager and Minnesota Area Coordinator. He has facilitated two Faith Partners teams in his home congregations as well as providing leadership in music, youth, caring, small group, and addiction ministries. Drew has worked in the prevention, treatment, and public health fields for over thirty-four years with Hazelden, Johnson Institute and other organizations providing training and consultation to faith communities, schools, and community organizations across the country. He has worked with community groups to focus on developmental asset-building and environmental prevention strategies for underage drinking and marijuana use. He has co-authored four curricula on topics, such as; stress management, raising resilient children, group facilitation skills, and addiction team ministry. He has recently served as co-chair of the Austin Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care (ROSC) Initiative, a member of the Texas Recovery Initiative (TRI), and a member of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Bringing Recovery Supports to Scale Technical Assistance Center Strategy (BRSS TACS) twelve person team to assist the State of Texas in designing and implementing recovery-oriented supports, services, and systems.
Pastor george Wood
board of directors
Stephanie Shareck Werner does her best to be a spiritual being in a deeply human world. A retired marketing communications professional, Stephanie shares her gifts of creativity with people and organizations that value transformation. Whether doing strategic planning, writing, speaking, mentoring, learning or serving, she filters her worlds through the Gospels and the 12 steps. In 2022, Stephanie is celebrating the 50th anniversary of her Baptism, which took place at the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation in Penfield, New York, by seeking postulancy as a vocational deacon in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. With her husband of two decades, she lives just far enough outside the quaint train town of Ashland, Virginia, that she gets to drive by cows on her way home. Her biggest accomplishment, however, is that three grandchildren call her “Phannie.”
Rev. Martha Postlethwaite
Board of Directors
Martha Postlethwaite is an ordained minister with experience in chaplaincy, counseling, teaching, spiritual direction, and parish ministry. She led a 300-member church in St. Paul, MN, focused on bringing healing to those struggling with addiction. Martha also served as a chaplain and professor at United Theological Seminary, providing pastoral care and supervision to students training for religious leadership. She created a "Caring Ministry" program at Hennepin Ave. United Methodist Church and volunteered at St. Paul Ramsey Hospital's burn unit. Martha has a certificate in spiritual direction from the Shalem Institute of Spiritual Formation, a master's degree in counseling psychology from Alfred Adler Institute, and a master of divinity from Union Theological Seminary. She is a deep listener with a contemplative Christian spirituality and a love for creating everyday life rituals.
The Center of Addiction & Faith
is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.
All donations to this mission are tax deductible
The Center of Addiction & Faith is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. All donations to this ministry are tax deductible.
The Founding Board for the Center of Addiction & Faith