Christ-Centered Intervention

By Glen Kerby

Steps to an intervention from a Christian perspective:
1) We get everyone that is involved in this person’s life to agree to meet for prayer in this matter. We need to remember that if it is that person’s time then God is working in his or her life as we prepare to meet them.

2) We get the family to agree to the two choices and the only two choices that this person has to pick from.

3) We do an intervention plan, we pick a safe place for everyone to gather.

4) We place the two options that we have agreed to as a family on the table along with impact letters, letters that are written to the person that express love and concern and an understanding of the problem along with the prayer of that individual for life change. The two choices are treatment and accountability or refusal to move toward life change, both
choices bring with them consequences that the family agreed to support with one another and to stand behind one another in. This is the difficult part in all of this. If there are codependent people and caretakers(there always are), part of their self esteem comes from
enabling the dysfunction and that can be as difficult to give up as any drug.

5) A list of the consequences is presented to the loved one in trouble and reviewed. Stopping would entail seeking treatment, finding a sponsor that they agree to call daily and meet with weekly, they attend a recovery meeting daily for a month minimum, they agree to drug testing if they are a dependent minor, they agree to attend a church that supports recovery, to serve in a ministry and to reading the bible daily and working through a twelve step program with the sponsor that they have identified. They also agree that failure without immediate repentance and return to these guidelines means living with the consequences established for choosing not to pursue life change.

The family needs to agree on what to do if the person will not change, they will not enable the habit financially, physically or emotionally. They will not offer comfort in any way until the choice to change is made and supported by action. They will report any illegal activity, drunk driving, possession of street or illegally obtained prescription drugs. They will not leave dependent children in that persons care. What we want to do is to remove the support for the habit.

6) Find a chemical dependency sponsor or leader from the church to stand beside the family and a co dependency sponsor. These are the best people that you have to ensure that the family has direction and support, this is a family disease and requires family support inside the church and with the individual. People will come to pastors looking for easy answers or someone to take the brunt or to have the courage to face the individual
with the problem. We can only stand in the gap for the family when they are willing to stand for truth.

7) Come together in prayer and be prepared to lead the intervention, I have never been in one that wound up with yelling or throwing things, I always tell everyone that there is nothing to be angry about, just two choices and an agreement that the first chose to heal is always available on the day that the person makes the clear choice to follow.

8) We pray and thank God for the outcome no matter what it is, He will make all things work for His glory if we trust in Him and stand in the truth.

Also see: Intervention Suggestions