All good questions! It would have been much easier to churn out six separate blogs and float them out into the digital stratosphere. Writing a book, no matter the size, is a huge undertaking.
Our mission at Ability Ministry is to equip and empower Disability Ministry for churches, families and individuals affected by disabilities to help them become who God created them to be. Easier said then done. We know that only about 10% of churches in America have any form of outreach to their disability community. For most the thought of Disability Ministry is not even on the radar.
There are many reasons why churches shy away from reaching out to their disability communities. For some it is budgetary, for others it is church size, for others fear, for others lack of staffing, and some it is just simply lack of awareness. You don’t know what you don’t know.
No matter the reason we wanted to give churches a resource that makes Disability Ministry possible. That is why we wrote My Friends, My Teachers. Disability Ministry doesn’t have to be difficult or overwhelming. You see we believe that this book will overcome any of the perceived barriers, or reasons why not, to start a Disability Ministry.
How can a book do that?
This book is not like any other book on the market. This book makes Disability Ministry possible for a congregation of any size because it starts disability ministry outreach on the organic grass roots level. This is not an exhaustive how to guide for a Disability Ministry Pastor or Leader. It is a six-week devotional study designed to be used by groups or classes.
Each week chronicles a life changing story where someone encountered the world of disability and was forever changed. Each story is related back to Scripture and a study guide follows. Each chapter challenges its readers to put their faith into action. If participants in this study engage in the challenges, we believe that God will organically grow true disability ministry outreach within churches. Churches and communities will be forever changed.
Every church needs material for their small groups and classes. Why not give our book a shot for a six-week study? Six weeks is a small investment for the potential eternal Kingdom impact that it could have.