Author Archives: Dr. G

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About Dr. G

Dr. Stephen Grcevich serves as President and Founder of Key Ministry, a non-profit organization providing free training, consultation, resources and support to help churches serve families of children with disabilities. Dr. Grcevich is a graduate of Northeastern Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), trained in General Psychiatry at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at University Hospitals of Cleveland/Case Western Reserve University. He is a faculty member in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at two medical schools, leads a group practice in suburban Cleveland (Family Center by the Falls), and continues to be involved in research evaluating the safety and effectiveness of medications prescribed to children for ADHD, anxiety and depression. He is a past recipient of the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Dr. Grcevich was recently recognized by Sharecare as one of the top ten online influencers in children’s mental health. His blog for Key Ministry, www.church4everychild.org was ranked fourth among the top 100 children's ministry blogs in 2015 by Ministry to Children.

We do disruptive kids

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Dr. G

At Key Ministry, we do “disruptive kids.” How do we let the church world know? Continue reading →

Posted in Hidden Disabilities, Key Ministry, Stories | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

What Do We Know About Kids at Risk of Behaving Aggressively?

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Dr. G

The most important take home point is that there’s a pretty good chance kids who struggle with aggressive behavior at church have some condition that predisposes them to act that way or have been victims of such behavior themselves.
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Posted in Hidden Disabilities, Key Ministry | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Beyond Zero Tolerance: When Kids Behave Aggressively at Church

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Dr. G

Our blog series for Fall will take an in-depth look at issues and challenges that arise in ministry with kids who demonstrate aggressive behavior at church. We’ll kick off the series by examining why this topic is so vexing for church staff, volunteers and parents.
Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Announcing our Keynote Speaker for Inclusion Fusion 2011…Chuck Swindoll

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Dr. G

Our entire staff and volunteer team at Key Ministry is thrilled to announce that Chuck Swindoll has graciously accepted our invitation to serve as the Keynote speaker for Inclusion Fusion, our inaugural Special Needs Ministry Web Summit, to be held on November 3rd-5th. Continue reading →

Posted in Inclusion Fusion | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Fruit…Chapter One

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Dr. G

If you build it, they will come. Amanda Mooney from St. Gabriel’s Church in Concord, Ohio sent the following e-mail out to elementary school families registered at the church last week: Within the first 24 hours of sending the message, … Continue reading →

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Building from a pretty good first year

Posted on September 4, 2011 by Dr. G

When we conceptualized this blog, our intent was to help folks in the church understand common emotional and behavioral conditions that hinder kids and their families from connecting in a local church where they can come to faith or grow in faith in Christ. We wanted to develop a resource to help the church understand the “what” and the “why” of hidden disabilities, with Katie’s complimentary blog addressing the practical “how” of including kids with hidden disabilities into ministry environments. As our first year of the blogs draws to a close, we’re pondering ways to improve upon the foundation we’ve established. Continue reading →

Posted in Hidden Disabilities, Key Ministry, Resources, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Importance of the Next Generation

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Dr. G

It’s hard for me to imagine any service we can provide more important or more impactful to the Kingdom than addressing the spiritual development of our kids. And not just our biological or adopted children…all of the children in our sphere of influence.
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Posted in Parents | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Stuff worth checking out at the Through The Roof Summit

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Dr. G

The complete schedule for the breakout sessions for the upcoming Bioethics Conference and Through The Roof Summit is now available here. In addition to the presentations being offered by Katie and Annie Wetherbee, Rebecca and Abby Hamilton, Dr. Cara Daily and myself described here, allow me to suggest several other folks you want to check out if you’re planning to attend the conference at Cedarville University on September 15-17.
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Hidden Disabilities and Promotion Sunday

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Dr. G

Kids with hidden disabilities and their families may not look forward to these transitions with the same anticipation as their peers at church. Transition times all too often result in kids and families falling away from church programming. With a little understanding of the ways in which transitions may impact kids with specific disabilities and some advance planning, church staff, volunteers and parents can help most have positive experiences as they progress into their age-appropriate ministry environments with the onset of the new program year.
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Posted in Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Key Ministry, Strategies | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Collaboration in the Special Needs/Disability Ministry Movement

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Dr. G

From my read of the Bible, we were designed by God to collaborate with one another in our worship and service. No one has all the gifts. Everyone has some gifts. The gifts and talents of God’s people were designed to work in concert with one another. It never made sense to anyone at Key Ministry to build our organization around a single leader or personality because such approaches seemed to run counter to God’s design.
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Posted in Leadership, Strategies | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment