Date

4-2019

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Chair

Steve Vandegriff

Keywords

Addiction, Alcoholism, Counseling, Intervention, Referral, Christianity

Disciplines

Christianity | Counseling | Religion | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Abstract

Alcohol addiction is a pervasive ill within our society with detrimental bio-psycho-social outcomes. Unfortunately, the Baptist churches or more specifically those churches who are members of the Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGVA) are not immune to seeing the devastation of this disease, including the spiritual impact. Pastors may find themselves in the role of “first responder” unprepared to fully address this issue. This study explored, through a web-based questionnaire, how those churches associated with the BGVA are currently addressing alcoholism and if pastors would find a referral tool helpful to connect members with professional therapists. It is widely accepted that clinical therapy, along with spiritual guidance, can be effective in altering the course of one’s addiction to alcohol. This study examined how some BGVA Baptist pastors, when confronted with members using alcohol, are prepared to assess and willing to provide appropriate guidance for clinical intervention. The results showed that while some referrals are being made to therapists, the Baptist pastors who are in this study would find a referral tool helpful when members present with alcohol misuse.

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