AA as Gospel Community?

When things get stressful do you think to yourself, "I really need to double up on church services!"?  That's what I heard from this girl who became a drug addict and is now going to Alcoholics Anonymous.  In fact, she says that AA changed her life.  Many have commented that AA provides the best community experience in America, where as churches provide one of the worst.

In AA, everyone openly admits that they are seriously in trouble, and in need.  They gather together as "sinners," who will have to continue to seek help for the rest of their lives.  They freely confess to one another, graciously accept each other, and humbly seek God (Higher Power in AA lingo) together.

In most churches (of course, there are many gospel churches out there) you are considered "a saint" presently.  Maybe you've struggle with sin in the past, but transformed by the power of God, you are now in a position to minister to others, not seek help yourself.  Unlike Paul, who thought of himself as a great sinner to his last days, modern churches thinks of sinners as people "out there" or people that we once were.  Many simply become very good at hiding their sin.  Therefore, when an occurence of real and present sin is revealed in the church, everyone is shocked. 

If the church desires to grow as a Gospel community, it would benefit from AA's lessons:  We gather as sinners in need, not as saints who are beyond that.  We never outgrow the basic Gospel message of sin, Christ and forgiveness, even in "maturity."  We are real sinners with real sins.  Of course, God transforms, but we are still always and ever in desperate need of Christ.  This was the great insight of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Life Together, when he talked about the Cross and confession being a breakthrough to Gospel community.  Unlike AA, however, the church should be Sinners Onymous because we are not afraid to be sinners and public witnesses to the grace that we receive.