Studio RC - 2026 Rooted Conference: The Aftermath #9 - Ray Ramos
Studio RC - 2026 Rooted Conference: The Aftermath #9 - Ray Ramos

Studio RC

Pastor Max talks with Raymond Ramos about finding Christ through 12-step recovery, staying active in the rooms, and living a lifestyle that is rooted in faith and reproduces disciples. The conversation highlights intentional spiritual growth, ministry within meetings, and God working through personal insecurities around asking for support.

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34:37•16 Jun 2026

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Rooted to Reproduce: Ray Ramos on Recovery, Faith and the Rooms

Episode Overview

Staying in the recovery rooms after meeting Jesus can open unique doors for ministry and connection.
Being rooted in Christ, prayer and Scripture is meant to become a lifestyle, not just a programme or duty.
Ray emphasises “rooted to reproduce” – deep roots in faith should lead to discipling others and spiritual fruit.
Intentionality and prioritising a real relationship with Jesus helps prevent faith from becoming empty routine or religion.
Fears around asking for support, including finances, can limit ministry impact; “you have not because you ask not” challenges that insecurity.

“I have a permit that I paid a lot for… and I have a permit to fish in this pond that whatever famous preacher you know could never get to.”

What drives someone to seek a life rooted in both recovery and faith? Studio RC’s conversation with Brooklyn-based pastor and recovery leader Raymond (Ray) Ramos gives a raw, practical look at that question. Host Pastor Max chats with Ray about three decades in recovery ministry, starting with getting clean just before his 18th birthday, wrestling with mental illness, and coming to the edge of suicide even with several years clean.

Ray explains how the 12 steps pushed him towards God, sharing that he didn’t just leave the rooms once he met Jesus – he stayed: bringing people to church, handing out books like *The Purpose Driven Life*, and starting long-term discipleship groups. You’ll hear how a chance meeting in a restaurant, a T‑shirt with a “recovery cross”, and a changed flight led Ray into the Recovery Church Movement and eventually to speaking at the Rooted Conference.

He talks about travelling the globe, attending meetings from Brooklyn to Pakistan, and using “12‑step evangelism” to reach people who might never walk into a traditional church. Ray’s main theme for his Rooted talk is simple but stretching: “rooted to reproduce, not produce.” He pushes the idea that being rooted in Christ, prayer and the Bible isn’t a programme or duty, but a lifestyle that naturally leads to discipling others and seeing spiritual “fruit” in real people and real stories.

He also tackles some uncomfortable church attitudes towards the rooms, calling out pride and judgment: people in meetings, he says, are “sheep without a shepherd”, not projects to be avoided.

By the end, Ray even shares an insecurity God is working on – fear of rejection around asking for financial support – and connects it with the biblical reminder, “You have not because you ask not.” If you’re in recovery, in ministry, or somewhere in between, this conversation might nudge you to ask: where are your roots, and who are you helping to grow next?

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