Broken Chains JC History

July 2016

At the Celebrate Recovery Summit in Murfreesboro Tennessee, I spoke to Michael Oyer and Billy Isenhour about creating some type of Celebrate Recovery motorcycle group. I didn’t know Ron Nagel at the time, he was a PA CR State Rep and I later found out that they spoke to him about it as well.

About a week after I came home from the Summit, mid July 2016, I was added to a Facebook group that included Michael, Billy, Ron, and me. We began to discuss what this might look like. Initially, we talked about the word “Celebrate” as the top rocker, “Recovery” as the bottom rocker, and the standing man emblem in the center.

Because of my past as a motorcycle club leader and the spiritual gifting of leadership, I took the lead. I had a personal relationship with John Eklund, who was on the CR National Team, and I was a NC State Rep at the time. At first we thought we might just move forward without asking permission; however, it didn’t take long for us to realize that was a bad idea. We decided to ask permission. So I called John Eklund and asked him to share the idea with the CR National Team. I was heartbroken when John called to tell me that CR wasn’t ready for a motorcycle group.

Looking back, that turned out to be a pivotal moment in the beginning of what God was up to with Broken Chains JC. John Eklund then told me something I will always be grateful for and will never forget. He said, “Jeff, just call it something else and you won’t have to ask for anybody’s permission.”

I prayed that night and when I woke up the next morning God had given me the name, “Broken Chains.”

So now we had a name.

We grappled with requirements for membership. By this time, others began we getting involved, including Jamie Rich and Mike Goulet. Some wanted people to have completed a step study in order to be members. But God kept whispering the word “inclusive” to me.

As I prayed, I realized God didn’t want us to make it hard to become members - He wanted us to make it easy. He wanted us to be inclusive like Christianity. So we decided that the only requirement for membership would be a dis played, verified commitment to the Celebrate Recovery process.

We worked on our logo - Jay Woody designed it - and we were off and running.

At first we wanted to be a motorcycle club (MC), but again God reminded me of the word “inclusive”. The word “club” implies exclusivity, and Christianity is not exclusive. Therefore, we came up with the “JC” seen between our rockers.

We weren’t a motorcycle ministry (MM) because we already had a ministry - Celebrate Recovery. We weren’t a riding club (RC), and we weren’t an association. We thought about how NA and AA described them selves and we settled on the word fellowship. We were a “fellowship.”

By this time, we were full steam ahead. I’ll always remember the day, at dinner, that Mike and Billy presented me with a patch that said “President”. Because of my past in the MC world, God had prepared me for a time such as this, and I was happy that my brothers had recognized God’s call on my life as the leader of this organization.

We couldn’t find anyone to make patches right away so we had t-shirts made with our logo on the back. We wanted these quickly so Mike Goulet could wear one to the West Coast Summit in August and begin telling other CR bikers about Broken Chains.

That was fruitful and we had more people join as Mike spread the word at Summit. I also had friends in Nashville, TN, from Celebrate Recovery at Long Hollow Baptist Church, who were bikers and I reached out to them. Of course, they joined as well.

By September 2016, we had patches made. As we put together the application process, we realized that it wasn’t the old days - we couldn’t go and take peoples patches if they relapsed, quit, or walked away from recovery.

We prayed and decided to establish a covenant - not between us and the new member, but between God and the new member. We asked God to oversee the organization and its members, because Broken Chains belongs to Him.

We had an application process, a covenant, shirts, patches - and it was on.

The only thing we lacked was awareness. Because we weren’t an official part of Celebrate Recovery, they weren’t telling people about us. I prayed about it and told Pamela I felt like God was calling me to get on my motorcycle, ride around the country, and tell people about Broken Chains.

Less than one week later, in November 2016, I was sharing my testimony at a small country church in NC. Afterward, the pastor told me I was a motorcycle missionary and that his church wanted to support me in sharing the Gospel. Pamela and I took that as confirmation from God, and I began to make plans to hit the road.

Those early days were difficult. I decided not to take a salary or expense reimbursements from Broken Chains because I wanted the organization to become financially strong. I started the Motorcycle Missionary organization in order to raise money for me to travel.

As a CR State Rep, I knew I could attend One Day Training Conferences for free. I also knew many people wanted me to come to their ministries to share my testimony, something I had been already been doing for at least six years. So I decided to attend every One Day Training Conference, and surround those trips with stops at CR ministries along the way, spreading the word out about Broken Chains.

In 2017, I rode my motorcycle over 50,000 miles.

In those days we didn’t have a resource coordinator, so I bought a small trailer to pull behind my motorcycle. It held the patches, shirts, and welcome packets. When someone joined or placed an order, I would find a post office - no matter where I was - prepare the packages, and mail them.

We were growing and God was showing me something I initially thought was just a byproduct of being on the road. Not only was I sharing my testimony at CR ministries around the country, but I also noticed that whenever people saw my vest or patch, they would ask, “Broken Chains - what’s that all about?”

This happened at gas stations, restaurants, hotels, motorcycle shops - everywhere I went. I was sharing the hope and freedom in Jesus I had found through the recovery process at nearly every stop.

Eventually, I realized this wasn’t a byproduct - it was our purpose.

As God revealed this purpose - reaching people outside the church - He began whispering the word

“inclusive” to me again. He showed me that if we were all about motorcycles, we were missing the point. It was about Jesus and making him known.

I realized we could wear a vest and patch as a tool to start conversations, whether we were riding a motorcycle or not. With much prayer and consultation, we decided to introduce “Associate” members who didn’t ride motorcycles. Their vests and patches spark just as many Gospel conversations as mine!

In April 2017 I was on one of those trips. By this time, Pastor John Baker and Mac Owen had been noticing the growth and excitement that Broken Chains was bringing to CR ministries and conferences.

I was headed to a CR One Day in Des Moines, Iowa and I had vests and patches for John Baker and Mac Owen. We planned to patch them in as honorary members.

The day before I arrived in Des Moines, Mac called and asked if I would like to share my testimony at the conference.

I was overwhelmed with excitement. I had been traveling and sharing my testimony for years, even before Broken Chains, but this was the first time I had been asked to speak at an event of this size or at an official CR gathering.

That Saturday in April 2017 is one I’ll never forget. Mike Goulet and I patched in John Baker and Mac Owen. I shared my testimony and, afterwards, Mac asked me to email him a copy immediately. We had many people join Broken Chains that day, including Tim Long and others.

Within a couple weeks, I was invited to share my testimony at the Celebrate Recovery Summits. It was more than I ever imagined.

At the East Coast Summit that year, Mac told me that he and John Baker wanted to meet with me. A day or two later, we met and John Baker told me he wanted Broken Chains to become an official arm of Celebrate Recovery and that he wanted me to join the CR National Team.

That was announced after I shared my testimony a month later at the CR West Coast Summit.

I will always be grateful for my friendship with Pastor John. Serving on the CR National Team for over six years was one of the greatest honors of my life.

At the time Broken Chains became part of Celebrate Recovery, we had about 400 members. As an official part of CR, our numbers multiplied quickly to around 6,000.

Celebrate Recovery has been a blessing to Broken Chains and we will never forget this relationship - not where we began, but where we experienced exponential growth.

Late in 2022, God began to impress on me the need to step out from under the covering of Celebrate Recovery. Years earlier, when CR wasn’t ready for a motorcycle group, God already knew his plan for us.

We have always remained our own non-profit organization, even during our time aligned with CR.

God showed me CR is an incredible pathway to the hope and freedom found in Jesus Christ - but it is not the only pathway. Jesus is the only way and there are many ways that lead people to Him.

That same word - “inclusive” - began to speak to me again.

God showed me that it was narrow minded to promote only one Christ-centered recovery process. He was working through other ministries and recovery models as well. There was nothing wrong with Celebrate Recovery, but my perspective had become limited. God revealed that Broken Chains needed to embrace a broader, Christ-centered approach.

I brought this to the Broken Chains JC National Team and after many conversations and much prayer, we were unified in agreeement.

In March 2023, I spoke with Mac Owen and Johnny Baker. They expressed that they didn’t want to see us separate from CR, but they would not stand in the way. They asked me to release a video announcing the transition.

In April 2023, I released a video announcing that Broken Chains JC would no longer be an official part of Celebrate Recovery, while continuing to embrace CR alongside other Christ-centered recovery processes.

This was a difficult season - for me personally, and for members across the country. It would have been easier to continue as we were, but we would have missed what God was doing. In the midst of the transition, God continued to confirm that the decision was right - not the easy choice, but the right one.

Since then, we have experienced a season of pruning. While we once celebrated having 6,000 members, the reality is that many were not active. Some joined simply because it was popular at conferences.

Today, we are focused on strengthening engagement, refining our membership, and working closely with leaders across the country and around the world.

What you’ve read so far reflects our history as published in the binder at the 1st Annual HD Training Conference in May 2024. In the time since, we have continued expanding our efforts to reach people outside of the church.

At that first conference, we witnessed a powerful movement of God. It was a time of renewal, connection, and transformation. Many described it as life changing.

Following the conference, we began placing greater emphasis on community engagement - partnering with local organizations to reach individuals the church often doesn’t reach. This led us to recognize the importance of tracking and reporting the work our members are doing nationwide. By measuring impact, we can identify what is effective and expand our reach.

We have also become more open to learning, recognizing that we don’t have all the answers. This had led us to explore areas such as harm reduction, medically-assisted treatment, and suicide prevention, while remaining grounded in Christ-centered recovery.

In September 2024, we launched our first national suicide and overdose prevention ride, “The Ride for Tomorrow,” Members across the country participated - both individually and in groups - to honor those lost to suicide or overdose.

These rides not only honor those who have passed, but also bring comfort to the loved ones left behind. We are also able to raise funds for local prevention organizations.

In February 2025, we held our first National Tatanka Ride to honor Broken Chains members who have passed away. The ride was named after “Big Roy” Rivera, who often joked that he was so big they had use two buffalo hides to make his vest - hence the name “Tatanka.”

This ride honors our fallen members and supports their families by funding custom-made memorial arrangements.

Our organization continues to grow into what God has called it to be. While the journey has included challenges and uncertainty, we have remained committed to our purpose: letting others know that change is possible.

As I write this, I am filled with gratitude for what God has done and anticipation for what lies ahead.

I am com mitted to the principle Paul shares in 1 Corinthians 9:22: becoming all things to all people so that, by all possible means, some might be saved.

This does not mean becoming what others are - it means being willing to step beyond familiar spaces, engage different communities, and meet people where they are.

We are committed to doing anything short of sin to reach people with the Good News - that change is possible, healing is available, hope is real, and his name is JESUS!

We are a Service Department and we will continue to fulfill that great call.

Jeff Stultz

Founder / National Director Broken Chains JC