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Category Archives: Inclusion
The Gifts I’d Like To Give…Opportunity
God never wastes a hurt. I’m sure there’s a reason for my discomfort. I’m pondering the steps I might take personally and the steps our ministry team might take to model the change we desire to see in the year ahead. I thought I’d finish out the year through a series of blog posts touching on gifts that our team can “pay forward” to the churches and leaders we serve, so they in turn can help the families they serve to have an experience of church similar to mine. The first gift I’d like to touch on is the gift of opportunity.
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The Mental Health Needs of Kids in Foster Care
Churches planning ministry initiatives to serve kids in foster care need first to develop competency at serving kids with serious mental health issues and their families.
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Posted in Inclusion, Key Ministry, Strategies
Tagged AACAP, antipsychotic medication, children, church, Disability Ministry, Foster Care, inclusion ministry, Key Ministry, mental health
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Serving the King is the Noblest of Things…Laura Lee Wright
1 Peter 4:10, tells us, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another.” We teach our kids with disabilities from early on that service is a part of having a relationship with King Jesus! Some kids pray, others collect offerings, others attend service days and package food that will be eaten on the African continent! For others, their ministry is to be amongst us. For Kingdom Sake, how are you teaching others to serve? Continue reading
Kids With Aggressive Behavior at Church…How Can Parents Help?
Parents of kids at risk for aggressive behavior have responsibilities they should meet in order for everyone (their child, other children, volunteers and church staff) to have a God-honoring experience that promotes Kingdom building and spiritual growth. Here are four steps parents can take to help improve the likelihood their child will be safely and successfully included in church programming and activities… Continue reading
Church…A Hostile Environment? (Part Two) Harmony Hensley
I would encourage you to take a two pronged approach to making your church a more welcoming environment for families and kids impacted by disability.
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Church…A Hostile Environment? Harmony Hensley
For families and children impacted by disability church is all too often viewed as a “hostile” environment in which they feel judged or unwelcome. Sadly, I’ve met a number of families who would summarize their church experience this way.
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Other Factors Contributing to Aggressive Behavior at Church
In Part Six of our Fall series on including kids with aggressive behavior at church, we’ll examine how sensory issues, anxiety and difficulties processing social cues can increase the risk of aggressive behavior and highlight opportunities for church staff and volunteers to take steps to moderate these risks.
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Posted in Autism, Inclusion, Strategies
Tagged aggression, anxiety, church, Inclusion, Key Ministry, sensory integration
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When Mood Dysregulation Heightens Risk for Aggression at Church
Here’s a general rule of thumb…When a child or teen is demonstrating aggressive behavior that appears to be predominantly impulsive in nature, decreasing the sensory stimulation in the environment is generally helpful. When a child or teen demonstrates aggressive behavior resulting primarily from perseveration on a perceived hurt or frustration, distracting the child as early as possible in the cycle is generally helpful. Continue reading
When are kids most at risk of aggressive behavior at church?
Most kids who display aggressive behavior serious enough in terms of frequency and/or severity to be of concern to church staff and volunteers will meet the criteria for one or more mental health or developmental disorders. Nevertheless, children’s and youth ministry staff and volunteers need to take steps to minimize antecedents to aggressive behavior without specific information about a child’s diagnosis or treatment. Continue reading
Posted in Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Ministry Environments, Strategies
Tagged aggressive behavior at church, children's ministry, Chuck Swindoll, executive functioning, Harmony Hensley, Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Inclusion Fusion, Jeff McNair, Jeremy Collins, Katie Wetherbee, Key Ministry, Marie Kuch, Shannon Dingle, youth ministry
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Hidden Disabilities and Promotion Sunday
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 anxiety, Hidden Disabilities, Key Ministry, student ministry, Transition Sunday
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