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Category Archives: Hidden Disabilities
A disability is still a disability for kids who aren’t disabled all the time
Many kids and adults experience mental health conditions that substantially limits their ability to participate in church as a major life activity while maintaining reasonably high levels of functioning at school, at work or at home. Continue reading
Posted in Anxiety Disorders, Autism, Families, Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Key Ministry, Mental Health
Tagged adults, children, church, Disability, Disability Ministry, Inclusion, Key Ministry, mental health, teens
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Need Project podcast spotlights Key Ministry, hidden disabilities
In my conversation with Bob, we discussed the state of mental health care in the U.S., explored the reasons why kids with mental illness aren’t typically served in the context of existing disability ministries, examined some of the struggles churches experience in serving those with hidden disabilities and shared strategies some churches are utilizing to reach families impacted by disabilities lacking meaningful involvement with a local church. Continue reading
Posted in Advocacy, Controversies, Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Key Ministry, Resources, Training Events
Tagged Bob West, church, Disability Ministry, fathers, Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Key Ministry, mental illness, podcast, special needs, Stephen Grcevich MD, The Need Project
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Ed Stetzer is dead-on about mental illness and Christians…now what?
Sadly, I can’t help but conclude that in our desire as church to avoid the influence of anti-Biblical worldviews foundational to some treatment orientations employed in the mental health community and worldviews held by the vast preponderance of mental health practitioners…we’ve forgotten to love the people experiencing mental illness and contributed to needless suffering by millions of Christ followers and their families.
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If churches knew how many people mental illness impacts, they’d be more interested in reaching them
The segment of the population impacted by disability, especially families impacted by mental illness, trauma and developmental disabilities, would in my mind represent the ultimate “low-hanging fruit” for local churches Continue reading
Thinking differently about kids and mental illness…
One of the challenges in understanding the epidemic of mental illness in kids is that conditions such as anxiety disorders and ADHD may be disabling in some environments, but not others. Continue reading
Common mental health conditions can be MAJOR barriers to church involvement
It’s particularly difficult to understand why parents who might be able to maintain a job and a household or kids who are able to school without one-on-one aides or lots of support services aren’t able to attend church. I’ll try to explain why in today’s post…and give churches a conceptual framework for anticipating the obstacles kids and adults might experience in attending church and addressing them so they no longer remain obstacles.
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Posted in Anxiety Disorders, Autism, Families, Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Key Ministry, Mental Health, Ministry Environments, Strategies
Tagged Asperger's Disorder, children's ministry, church, Disability Ministry, Family Ministry, Inclusion, Key Ministry, Mental Health Month, mental illness, youth ministry
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Thinking “Orange”: Things every kids need…with or without disabilities
All of the needs listed above tend to be more acute for kids with disabilities and their siblings, and parents of kids with disabilities have fewer places to go outside of the church where they can receive help in meeting those needs. Continue reading
Thinking Orange…Partnering with parents when kids have disabilities
More so than with parents in the general population, church leaders may need to do more to earn the right to partner with parents from families affected by disabilities. Continue reading
Thinking Orange: Supporting the family’s role in spiritual development when kids have disabilities…
How are the kids in the family supposed to come to know and love Jesus if we’re not prepared to welcome the parents to church…and all the other activities at church we’ve found to be helpful in facilitating spiritual growth?
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