In this story from David’s life, I see the same steps our church took: realization, restoration, and invitation. Churches can follow that same pattern. It starts with our theology and then changes our practices.
My friend Julie (who serves as the inclusion coordinator for special-needs families at our church) and I recorded a video for all the VBS teachers and helpers to get an overview of how to best include kids with invisible disabilities! I edited the one for our church down to a shorter version that anyone could…
In a breakout I did on invisible disabilities, I got a question about how you can tell the difference between disobedience and disability. Are they choosing to disobey or are they unable to obey? That’s a tough one, isn’t it? And one we may get a lot from children’s ministry leaders, especially those who have…
I remember the day my older sister, who has Down syndrome, went down front at church and told the preacher she had accepted Jesus as her Savior. After a few more conversations, she was baptized. Faith, even childlike faith according to Matthew 18, is necessary, and she had that faith. But my son James won’t…
Training buddies to serve in your children’s and youth ministries is an important part of helping your church be welcoming and inclusive! I’ve written before on Recruiting, Training and Supporting Buddies in Your Children’s and Youth Ministries, but I often get asked how to do the buddy training. I recorded these buddy training sessions to use with…
At our church, our special needs ministry’s goal is to communicate the gospel to every child in a way they understand and in an environment where they feel comfortable. Because every child is unique, we have developed ISPs for each one—individualized spiritual plans! Similar to what the students have at school under their IEPs, our…