Forty-three people showed up to the first Celebrate Recovery meeting at Saddleback Church in 1991. John Baker had shared his vision with Senior Pastor Rick Warren: a Christ-centered ministry where people could find freedom from their "hurts, hang-ups, and habits." He and his wife Cheryl launched it, and that first night it ran just four share groups: men's and women's chemical dependency, and men's and women's codependency [1].
Today, according to Celebrate Recovery, thousands of churches around the world run the program [1]. Our directory alone lists five Celebrate Recovery podcast feeds.
That's the useful part for anyone who can't get to a meeting, or isn't ready to walk into one yet. You can hear the testimonies, the step studies and the lessons first, in your car, on your own terms. Celebrate Recovery isn't the only door, either. The Christian shows we list run from church step studies all the way to one that throws out the 12 steps entirely.
We pulled 12 from the SobrietyTalk directory and sorted them by who they're for.
Celebrate Recovery podcasts
Celebrate Recovery Official is the program's own show. It shares life change stories and leadership wisdom built on CR's principles, and it's past 200 episodes. Recent titles include "I'm not OK, and I need someone," which is about as honest as a podcast title gets.
Celebrate Recovery at Peters Creek Baptist Church is one local ministry's feed, and it's busy. It has posted more than 280 episodes since January 2025, including a long step study series that works through hope, sanity and grace one lesson at a time.
Free Indeed Celebrate Recovery is a weekly broadcast where CR group leaders in the Four Corners region discuss the 12 steps alongside eight recovery principles that the show says are based on the Beatitudes. Two recent lessons are titled "Sponsor" and "Moral."
Celebrate Recovery Podcast from Big Valley Grace Community Church in Modesto, California, stopped posting in 2024. Still, eleven years of testimonies are sitting there (more than 500 episodes, going back to 2013), and every one is still free to play.
Christ-centered recovery shows
Day One of Sobriety had more community votes than any other show in this group when we checked in October 2026. Brenda Kennison keeps the episodes short. She pairs Scripture with brain science and aims to leave you with something you can use right away.
Jesus Loves Addicts started in August 2024 and already has over 100 episodes: people telling their own recovery stories, folks who work in the field, and advice aimed at families too.
Recovery Through Christ runs weekly teaching. In September 2026 alone it covered "Replacing the Lies of Addiction with Biblical Truth" and a three-part series called "Finding Freedom in the 12 Steps."
PARCAST: Christian Addiction Recovery Radio goes the other direction. The hosts describe their approach as Christ-centered with no 12 steps and no higher powers, using Scripture as their only big book. If the steps never sat right with you, this is the contrast.
For women who drink more than they want to
Set Free Sisterhood is hosted by Michelle Porterfield, a stop overdrinking coach, for Christian women stuck in a drink, regret, repeat cycle. With more than 400 episodes, it's one of the deepest faith-based alcohol shows we list.
Sober Curious Christian Women with Susan Larkin is brand new (its first episode came out in September 2026). Susan talks with women who are questioning alcohol (gray-area drinking, stress, anxiety) from a faith angle. An early episode called "Drawn by Grace, Not Rock Bottom" gives you the tone in one line.
For families
Faith Over Addiction is for Christian women who love someone struggling with addiction. As the full title says, the focus is biblical identity and boundaries while you love someone through it.
Wife On The Rocks comes from a homeschooling mom of faith writing to women whose husbands drink. Recent episodes deal with the lying, money red flags and what she wishes she'd known before he was ready for help.
A couple of honest notes
Faith-based shows vary a lot in how they talk about medicine and treatment. Some hosts are coaches, others are pastors or church volunteers. If a show ever tells you to stop a medication or skip care your doctor recommends, take that to your doctor first.
If you or someone you love needs help finding treatment, SAMHSA's National Helpline is free, confidential and open around the clock at 1-800-662-4357, for individuals and family members [2]. In a crisis, call or text 988.
Where to go from here
The faith and religion category ranks more than 200 faith-based shows by community votes, and our AA and 12-step podcast list is a good companion if you want the steps outside a church setting. Weighing a secular option too? Our piece on AA vs SMART Recovery lays out the differences.
One meeting in 1991 started with 43 people who decided to show up. Showing up for a podcast is smaller than that, but a vote helps the next person find the show that got you through a hard week.
Sources
- Celebrate Recovery, About Celebrate Recovery (history: founded 1991 at Saddleback Church by John and Cheryl Baker).
- SAMHSA, National Helpline.