Spirituality of the Twelve Steps
According to well-known authors Richard Rohr and Thomas Keating, Alcoholic Anonymous’ Twelve Step program will go down in history as “America’s greatest contribution to practical spirituality in the 20th century!” AA and its related programs have only expanded their reach as the addiction crisis has grown.
On May 29, 2024, Highlands Presbytery and its partners were invited to learn from the Rev. Tom Scornavacchi, mission developer and pastor of the Common Ground Recovery Community, with two sites and multiple ministry opportunities centered around Reading, Pennsylvania.
Steve Shussett, the Presbytery’s Resource Staff/Stated Clerk, introduced Tom, observing that “everyone is addicted to something; it’s just that some things are more dangerous than others.” The opening prayer, an adaptation of the Knots Prayer, came from a collection of recovery prayers found on the Royal Life Centers Website. In the spirit of the Twelve Steps, participants were invited to close their video and delete their names if that was more comfortable. Steve explained that the invitation was extended by the Highlands Presbytery’s Church Development Team not only because of the country’s addiction crisis, but because of churches that host or are interested hosting in Twelve Step groups, and perhaps on expanding beyond offering meeting space.
A pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a partner denomination with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Tom is described on the Common Ground website as “a person in long-term recovery, who works with individuals and families affected by addiction and mental health. In his work he combines the wisdom and practice of the Twelve Steps with the forgiveness and grace that comes from his Lutheran faith.” Not only does Tom have the standard Master of Divinity held by mainline pastors, but also a Bachelor of Arts degree in Behavioral Health and Addiction.
Tom shared the hard realities of the addiction crisis in the United Stated, with 23 million persons currently addicted, a number that is only growing, accompanied by a growing number of overdoses. Moreover, an increasing number of older adults are becoming addicted, with significant side effects. He went on to explain the affect of addiction on the brain, and ways that medicine and neuroscience is identifying potential treatments.
He opened his presentation by interweaving the Twelve Steps with biblical passages, with particular attention to Romans 7:14-25 as found in The Message translation, and replacing the word “sin” with “addiction,” emphasizing that addiction is not sin, but a disease. Regarding Step Two, “Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity,” accentuating the word “that”; not only is it believing in a Higher Power’s existence, but that the Higher Power can help.
One image that ran throughout the presentation was a school bus, indicating that with the change effected by recovery, a person is no longer self-centered and “leaving from” something, as much as “heading toward, to be God- and other-centered.” Looking beyond the self, toward community, is, in Tom’s opinion, essential to becoming a recovering addict, someone who will always be on that journey.
To his theological question, “What if addiction is a search for God gone awry? What if addiction is a matter of ‘looking for love in all the wrong places?’” comes an answer: Common Ground. Initially, those with addiction were invited simply to learn what could be most useful, what was most desired. Surprisingly, those present asked for a worship setting, and in 2010 Common Ground was born; Tom became its pastor in 2013.
Though grounded in traditional Lutheran theology and liturgy, any and all persons are welcome to attend. That said, Tom shared instances of evangelism, and even conversion. Based on several visits he has made to Common Ground, Steve shared his own powerful memories of the time of confession in that congregation. Unlike the thirty seconds of silent confession so common on Sunday mornings, at Common Ground it may go on longer than the sermon, with a depth and rawness that has participants speaking the truth of their lives without sugarcoating it.
In closing, Tom spoke to how churches can do more than offer a space for Twelve Steps group to meet. As important as that is, there are ways to develop more of a relationship between group and church, for the benefit of all involved.
If you have questions about Common Ground and its ministry, including interest in the Recovery Lectionary that they have developed, you are invited to contact the Rev. Tom Scornavacchi at 610-375-3512 or pastortom@cgrcommunity.org, or go to Common Ground Recovery Community. Videos from Tom’s presentation will be posted on the Presbytery Video Page as soon as they are available.
