For Churches

Our church sees special-needs families as an unreached people group we plan to target. And like missionaries, we are taking the “go and engage” approach instead of just “come and see.” Here are eight outreach events we’ve come up with to target (and bless) special-needs families:     What outreach events have worked for your church? Or,…

In the late 1990s, my big sister walked the aisle at First Baptist Church in Duncan, Oklahoma and told Brother Brad that she had accepted Jesus as her Savior and wanted to be baptized. Even though she was the oldest sibling in our family, she was the last one to make this decision, and we…

Disability ministry in the preschool years has unique challenges and opportunities. As ministry leaders, we can be prepared to support children and encourage their parents during this important (and often stressful) time in their lives. Early childhood diagnoses can fall into three categories: disabilities that are known in early childhood, emerging in early childhood, and…

My son James was diagnosed with autism in 2010. ​​At the time, my husband pastored a small church in Pennsylvania. ​​In the five years following James’s diagnosis, our church of about 150 people added new special-needs families, baptizing four adults from those families. We included children with disabilities in every activity: Sunday school, worship time, Vacation…

Adding buddies to your typical children’s ministry classes is a great way to support kids with disabilities and special needs. But adding more volunteers when we’re already struggling to get enough each Sunday is a big challenge. Here are four ideas for supporting kids in your children’s ministry so you don’t have to turn away…