Introduction Let me be the first to say that I don’t get excited about musicals. In fact, when my family saw The Greatest Showman in the theaters they went and saw it without me. I didn’t end up catching the film until I was stuck on a 10-hour long flight from Chicago to Poland with […]
I live in North Canton, OH. My hometown is best known for being the home of the NFL Hall of Fame. Each summer the new NFL season starts in Canton, OH with the Hall of Fame weekend. Thursday Night Football gets everything kicked off and the weekend-long celebration wraps up with the Concert for Legends […]
We came to your prom and we loved it! We loved it so much that we decided to give going to church a second chance. We came to your church the next Sunday, but we were surprised that there was nothing for us. We were not welcomed. While we love the prom, we need more […]
Ability Ministry Summer 2018 Series: Part 7 of 7 The difference between a good student ministry and a great student ministry isn’t what happens during student ministry programming. What makes a great student ministry is all about what happens outside of programming. It is all about relationship building. Show them they belong by showing them […]
Statistics tell us that somewhere around 90% of churches have no intentional outreach to their disability communities. That means that only 10% of churches in America have some formal disability ministry programming. Within this 10% of churches, it may be that the church has a Jesus Prom, or a Buddy System, or an Adult Class, […]
Ability Ministry Summer 2018 Series: Part 6 of 7 You have heard the old saying “actions speak louder than words.” This is true in so many ways. Bottom line… behavior is a form of a communication. This is true for all teens, not just teens affected by disability. Any good Youth Leader will pay special […]
Ability Ministry Summer 2018 Series: Part 5 of 7 Remember that old saying from the 1980’s cartoon G.I. Joe… “knowing is half the battle”? Let us take this concept one step further when it comes to trouble shooting. Inevitably as you work towards inclusion and transitioning teens from children’s ministry into student ministry you will […]
Ability Ministry Summer 2018 Series: Part 4 of 7 It’s hard to argue the importance of volunteering. You already know that disability ministry doesn’t work without a small army of volunteers. Studies from the Coporation for National and Community Service concluded that “Youth who volunteer are more likely to feel connected to their communities and, […]
Ability Ministry Summer 2018 Series: Part 3 of 7 As a teen ages out of children’s ministry and into a traditional student ministry environment consider the established environment. Most student ministry environments pride themselves on looking, feeling, and sounding different than the children’s ministry environments that came before them. Typical children’s ministry environments are structured, […]
Ability Ministry Summer 2018 Series: Part 2 of 7 To create successful transitions and environments for teens as they age out of children’s ministry there are several things to consider. One key thing to avoid is “mental age” pigeonholing. Pigeonholing is a curious word. Consider how it has come a part of our language. Pigeons […]
Because Jesus' table is accessible for everyone...
We desire to see the Church make room for all people affected by disability. To fully participate. To fully partner. To fully lead.
We exist to equip and empower the 25% of the population with a disability, their families, and their churches to become who God has created them to be.
