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.

Are parents of kids with ADHD stigmatized at church?

Would it make more sense to err on the side of grace in how we view families of kids with ADHD, at least until we know them well enough to feel we could walk in their shoes? Continue reading

Posted in ADHD, Controversies, Families, Inclusion, Key Ministry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Inclusion Fusion 2014 Video #KMIF14

Help us get the word out about Inclusion Fusion through sharing with pastors, church staff, parachurch ministry leaders, volunteers and families impacted by disability who would want to be part of this FREE event!
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The four kinds of special needs found in children in adoptive and foster families

Let’s not do that again, church. Let’s say no to any action or lack of action that tells any person, “You’re not welcome here” or “Our church is only for those who look, act, behave, feel, or act like I do.” Continue reading

Posted in Adoption, Advocacy, Families, Inclusion, Key Ministry | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Finding Friendship…Christen Morrow-Ara

Because of the unique emphasis on relationship and the friendships built, our friends struggle to find a similar place for spiritual community or belonging outside of Capernaum. However, our older friends who met Jesus in high school and have been coming for many years need more. They need age appropriate community, friendships, dignity and need to be challenged to the next step in their walk with Christ as a part of the body of Christ. The challenge is finding churches that are prepared to welcome our friends and offer more than a simple program to them-relationships and a place in the life of the church. Continue reading

Posted in Inclusion, Inclusion Fusion, Intellectual Disabilities, Key Ministry, Strategies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hi, I’m Shannon, and this is my family

I see us, as a church, cheering at announcements about pending adoptions and then not knowing what to do when the child arrives and eventually joins in children’s ministry programming. I listen to friends who have had to change churches after the welcome mat was pulled away when it became too hard to include them. And I also hear church leaders saying that they want to help but they just don’t know how. Continue reading

Posted in Adoption, Key Ministry | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

HERE’S JONI! Registration opens for Inclusion Fusion 2014

Our team at Key Ministry is honored and delighted to announce Joni Eareckson Tada as our Keynote Speaker for this year’s Inclusion Fusion Disability Ministry Web Summit, to be available everywhere on November 12th-13th, 2014. Continue reading

Posted in Inclusion Fusion, Key Ministry | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Surrendering to help…Barb Dittrich

A person can take all the drugs they want, and that won’t magically make their problems disappear. But the medication has been like a ladder to help me climb out of a deep, dark, impossible hole.

I had to humble myself before I could be lifted up. I had to admit my inability to solve this problem on my own.
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Posted in Depression, Key Ministry, Spiritual Development, Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What keeps kids with ADHD out of church?

“People in the church believe they can tell when a disability ends and bad parenting begins.” Continue reading

Posted in ADHD, Families, Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Key Ministry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Doing Ministry Like a Missionary…Mike Woods

Whether you want to call it “outeach,” “missional,” or “go and tell,” I think it’s important for church-based special needs ministries (and churches without special needs ministries) to start operating again like missionaries. Continue reading

Posted in Key Ministry, Strategies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The chasm is bigger than I ever imagined…

Parents of kids with mental health conditions are especially prone to be stigmatized at church because of the lingering belief among many in the Christian community that mental illness is a byproduct of sin, kids who struggle with managing emotions and maintaining self-control are the product of parents who are ineffective or indifferent and much of the mental health profession can’t be trusted. Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, Families, Hidden Disabilities, Mental Health, Resources | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments