So you’ve felt the call to pursue starting a disability ministry – that’s great! It’s a wonderful place to be in ministry and you will not regret following through on this call that God has placed on your life. There are many families who are affected by disability that are underserved in the church, which is unfortunate. The church is one place any family should feel comfortable coming to.
If you’re here, you’re wondering what steps need to be taken to make a disability ministry happen at your church. Here is a list of 8 steps to take to get a disability ministry going in your church, starting from prayer and getting to know the families in your church, all the way up to getting that ministry going!
Pray!
This may seem obvious, and it’s likely something you’ve already done if you’re at the point of exploring steps to take, but its importance should not be diminished in the excitement of a new venture. You can be praying that the people you have conversations with in your church would be receptive to this new ministry, pray for the pastor/leaders of your church to be understanding and willing to learn, for the families that will be served by this ministry, and for volunteers’ hearts to be open and willing to serve this population that desperately needs it.
Get to Know the Families in Your Church
Are there any families in your church who are affected by disability? It’s extremely unlikely that once you start talking to people in your church that you will find someone who is affected by disability in some way. It is estimated that 1 in 4 adults are affected by disability, and up to 5 percent of children under age 18 are affected.
Those statistics are staggering, and it goes to show how many families are probably in need of assistance and are currently not getting it from the one place they should be getting it-church! Not only will talking with families help you gather information as you seek to determine what type of ministry is best for your church, but it will also help you to have deeper compassion and relationship with those families.
They will likely appreciate it more than they can express. Many families who have a loved one affected by disability feel lonely in the unique struggles and dynamics they face. Getting to know about those struggles and what they might benefit from will be helpful for you and helpful for them to process as well. Trust me, it’s worth your time.
Identify the Type of Ministry Needed
Based on the conversations you have with families and individuals in the church, you will need to identify what kind of ministry would be most beneficial in your church. Would it be a respite ministry? An inclusion program within your children’s program? A separate classroom option? A sensory room? A support group for parents/caregivers? Of course, there is always room for growth in these types of ministries and things can be added on as the ministry and awareness grows, but choosing one to start with is helpful for you as you take on this challenge, as well as for leadership as you have conversations with them.
Start to think about the things that are needed to make this ministry happen. For example, if you would like to start out with having a sensory room available in your church, look up what types of things are typical to have in sensory rooms such as swing, some mats, fidgets, etc. Looking at places such as a teacher’s store or even posting on local mom’s groups and Facebook pages can be helpful in finding some of these materials for a cheaper price so that you can gauge how much needs to be spent. Also consider the amount of space you might need. This will greatly depend on how many kids in your church you think will benefit from having access to this.
Knowing what type of ministry you feel would be best to start in your church will also help you prepare for your next step, having a conversation with leaderhsip
Get Buy-In From Leadership
I will briefly touch on this in this post, but for more information on the process of getting buy-in, please see this post. Getting buy-in from leadership is an extremely important step to starting a disability ministry in your church. This means having conversations with the leadership at your church and helping them to understand not only the importance of a disability ministry but the need in the community in which the church is situated. These can be challenging conversations to have if your leadership is unaware of the need, but it is a critical step in getting a disability ministry going.
Incorporate into Existing Ministries
Now that you’ve had time to talk with families in your church and have gotten buy-in from leadership, you can see what steps might be taken to incorporate disability ministry into existing ministries within the church.
For example, you may have talked to a mom with a high school student who has Autism when you were getting to know families in your church. How can you work with the youth minister to make youth group a place where he/she can connect with their peers? You may consider having a one-on-one buddy who can accompany the student to youth group. You might simply just need to make leaders aware of this particular student’s needs so they can support them during youth group. These are just a few ideas to get you started. The same can apply to any adult ministries or children’s ministries. No need to re-invent the wheel when you have children with disabilities already involved or ready to be involved in existing ministries!
Awareness
Once you have gotten buy-in from leadership and have a good idea of how the church can be serving the disabled community, it’s time to make the church aware of the need that you have identified in your church for a disability ministry. One way to do this is to be able to get stage time and explain what you’re hoping to start and why you have a heart for this ministry. If your church is too big and that isn’t a possibility, try setting up an informational meeting so that potential volunteers and families can be a part of a conversation.
This is a wonderful step to take after having stage time as well. It gives people a chance to respond and to give their input/thoughts on how the church may best incorporate this ministry. Not only that, but it gives you a chance to see what the initial interest looks like from the congregation so that you can properly scale your ministry to how many volunteers are readily available.
Find Volunteers
You’ve taken so many necessary steps to get this ministry going at this point. Great job! Now, you’ll need to find volunteers to make the ministry happen and function well. Oftentimes, churches are desperate to find volunteers and they’ll take anyone who will say hello and sign off on a background check. While a willing heart is certainly a great prerequisite to volunteering, I would caution against jumping at anyone who says hello.
The reason I say this is because many times children/teens/adults who are affected by disability rely heavily on routine, as do the parents. Parents and caregivers spend a lot of time getting their loved one with a disability to church on time. They need a volunteer who is consistent, reliable and communicative. Of course sickness and pertinent issues can come up. However, the last thing you want to give a family who is spending a lot of time working toward inclusion for their loved on is a guessing game on whether or not the volunteer is going to show up.
Lastly, make sure the volunteer feels comfortable in their role and allow them to learn from the parent/caregiver. They are the best teachers. Have them spend time all together in whatever setting they are volunteering in so that they can see how certain behaviors/situations are handled. This will not only equip the volunteers, but will make everyone involved feel comfortable with each other.
Get going!
You’ve done all the necessary steps to get this ministry going-now go! Don’t wait. The families who have been waiting to be served are ready and you have done a great thing getting this ministry going in your church. Continue in prayer over this ministry and the families who will be a part of it, stay in consistent contact with your volunteers/families, and keep the congregation aware of what amazing things are happening within the disability ministry you have initiated. Also, have fun!