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Disability
Ministry
 

AIM - Accessible, Inclusive, Missional Churches: This is the goal for all of our churches. To open up our doors so that all people can come, all can be ministered to, and all can serve. This includes people with disabilities who are considered one of the largest groups of people who have not been reached by the gospel.

 

Working with people with disabilities can be very rewarding and challenging at the same time. All people are made in the image of God and so we, as the Church, need to minister to all people to allow all the opportunity to come and know Jesus as Lord and Savior. We need to provide the opportunity for all people to grow in Jesus through making our churches accessible and to open up doors for all people to serve and minister to others. Matt. 25:45 says, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” This page provides a list of resources to help minister to those who dealing with temporary or permanent health issues. We may think that we just need to minister to those who are in wheelchairs, blind, or deaf. However, we need to consider those with chronic health issues such as mental illness, autism, ADD/ADHD and other learning disabilities or temporary health issues such as a broken leg. What are ways we can minister? Where can we begin? First, become aware of opportunities to serve others by taking an opportunity to walk in someone’s shoes while at church. Become deaf for one day by wearing ear plugs. How did people treat you? The same? Different? Why? How did you feel being deaf in your church? Try being blindfolded for a day. Try being in a wheelchair for a day. Did you encounter any obstacles? Chances are that you did encounter some obstacles. What now? Make a list of some easy fixes and then implement them. Many fixes can be done that cost very little money. There will always be some obstacles that are very expensive to implement.

 

Shown below are some "snapshots" of how we can reach out to people with disabilities. On the next page are resources for specific disability types. Check out the information and if you have any additional ideas for inclusion on these pages, please contact Sharon McQueary, Regional Disability Advocate for Classis of the Southwest.

Disability

Ministry

Local Disability Advocates

One of the goals of the RCA/CRC Disability Ministries on the denominational level is to have a local Disability Ministries Advocate for each church. The person needs to have a passion for helping those with disabilities and be willing to volunteer a minimum of 2 hours each month in their local congregation. They can work with Sharon McQueary who is the RCA Regional Disability Ministries Advocate for the Southwest Classis. For information on what is required to be an RCA Disability Advocate in your local church, click here. For information on what is required to be a CRC Disability Advocate in your local church, click here. There is currently not a Regional Advocate for the CRC churches in the Arizona Classis. If you are interested in this position, please contact Mark Stephenson who is the Director of Disability Concerns for the Christian Reformed Church at 888-463-0272 or by email at mstephenson@crcna.org.

 

For valuable information on a denominational level, check out the RCA Disability Ministry website at www.rca.org/disability, the CRC Disability Ministry website at www.crcna.org/disability, and the CRC Network at network.crcna.org/disability. 

Chronic Health Ministry Guidelines

People with chronic illnesses such as mental health illnesses, autism, learning disabilities takes on a different mindset of ministry. As a church, we need to become more real as to how each person is really feeling. We live in an “I’m okay. How are you? I’m fine” environment and can miss opportunities to minister to those who are hurting.

 

Here are some ideas to minister to those with chronic health issues:

 

  • Make sure a family of a person with a chronic health issue is part of a small group or groups.

  • Ask the group to take turns in bringing in a casserole once or twice a month.

  • Ask a person to call the family on a weekly basis to see how the family is really doing. Then the next month, another person can call the family on a weekly basis. Take turns spreading the joy of ministering to the family.

  • Does your church offer free respite care so that parents of children with special needs can get to church? Many families never experience a break in caring for their children. This ministry shows love to the entire family.

  • Set up support groups. Start with one support group and, as needed, go on from there. There are so many types of support groups that it is impossible to list them all. Some suggestions for support groups are (1) grief support, (2) supporting the people dealing with health issues, (3) caregivers, (4) recovery support, and (5) families dealing with autism, etc.

We Can Do That!

Shown below are some ideas to help your church be accessible to everyone in your church.

 

  • Use the overhead and/or the bulletin to provide information on how communion will be done. Why? For those who are hard-of-hearing, deaf, have ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder), Alzheimer’s, or are new visitors this provides a clear explanation on who can take part in communion and how communion is done. If you offer gluten-free elements make cetain that everyone knows how to access them. Doing this allows all people to truly take the time to commune with God. 

  • Don’t dim the lights in the room if people need to walk up or down the aisles to take part in communion or another event for safety reasons.

  • Do you have a bottle of hand lotion and a bottle of liquid soap in your bathrooms? Make sure the bottles are a different shape and color so that people can easily discern which bottle holds the liquid soap or hand lotion. This is helpful for those who are visually impaired.

  • Provide larger print bulletins or programs for everyone. Large type should be 14 point font or larger. Having it in large print for everyone makes it easier for your administrative staff to put together (they don’t need to do two different types of bulletins or programs) and allows everyone to be treated in a similar manner. Besides, if you print your attendance and offering amounts from the previous week, don’t you want everyone to see that?!

  • Do you use videos in your church? Make sure they are closed-captioned or sub-titled so those who are hard of hearing or deaf can be ministered to as well as those who hear.

  • Have special music in church such as solos, choirs, etc.? Make sure the words are printed on overhead and/or in bulletins so everyone can follow.

  • If your church offers a program where all the words to the music are in the bulletin and/or program,  dimming the lights makes it difficult for those with visual impairments to follow along.

  • Provide a large-print copy of the hymns and/or praise songs used in a service for the visually impaired. Sometimes they can read the copy but may not be able to see the words on the overhead.

  • Allow space in the worship center for wheelchairs or walkers.  Sticking wheelchair bound people in the back or in the aisles does not make one feel apart of the congregation.

  • Provide a separate room with the ability to still watch the service for people who are unable to sit for long periods of time.

For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. -- Romans 12:4-5, NIV

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