Category Archives: Key Ministry

The evangelical understanding of mental illness…How Freud, Skinner, Rogers and Ellis led to Jay Adams

We’re beginning a series today on the theme Sin, Mental Illness and the Church. This study will be accompanied by a more in-depth, optional online study group (you may register here) including Bible reading/study and supplemental media to enlighten participants as … Continue reading

Posted in Controversies, Key Ministry, Mental Health | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Mental Illness: Too Scared to Share – why most Christians won’t talk About “IT”…Mitzi Van Cleve

I sat completely mute and stunned when mental illness was included in a list of “sins” for which restoration through repentance were possible. Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, Anxiety Disorders, Hidden Disabilities, Key Ministry, Mental Health, Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The “missing” Inclusion Fusion presentation…and more!

Our friends at Insight for Living put together a fabulous discussion between Chuck Swindoll, his daughter Colleen Swindoll-Thompson and Steve Fischer entitled Transforming the Soul-What We Didn’t Learn in Seminary. Continue reading

Posted in Families, Inclusion Fusion, Key Ministry, Resources, Spiritual Development, Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Steve AND Shannon will be presenting at #GlobalAccess2015

Shannon will be leading a workshop on The Special Needs of Foster and Adoptive Families and leading a roundtable discussion on What are some practical implications of the verse “Blessed are the nations whose God is the Lord?”
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Posted in Adoption, Families, Foster Care, Inclusion, Key Ministry, Training Events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Please don’t say “all kids do that” to adoptive and foster families…

But when foster or adoptive parents like me hear that, it feels dismissive to the real grief, pain, and trauma our kids have experienced and how that history still influences their actions today. Usually when someone tells another parent “all kids do that,” the words are meant to be helpful, to soothe our nerves or encourage us in the midst of a hard parenting moment. But that’s not what your words do. Instead those words invalidate what we know to be true and minimize the extra layer of thinking that parenting kids from hard places requires. Continue reading

Posted in Adoption, Families, Foster Care, Key Ministry, Strategies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 75 Comments

The elephant in the living room…Sin, mental illness and the church

We appear to be far more interested in (and comfortable with) outreach to kids, teens and adults who we view as having little or no moral culpability for their disabilities. Continue reading

Posted in Controversies, Families, Inclusion, Key Ministry, Mental Health, Strategies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

HIV and other blood-borne pathogens in children’s ministry…Shannon Dingle

So what should you do if there’s a child with HIV in your church? The same thing you should do otherwise: use best practices for first aid and show love to the child and parents. Continue reading

Posted in Adoption, Controversies, Families, Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Key Ministry | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

We’re looking to fill a “Key” leadership position…

We’ve grown to the point that we’re now seeking an Executive Director to assume oversight of the day-to-day activities of the ministry. Continue reading

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

Join us at keyministry.tv in January!

Invite friends to check out some highlights from last November’s Inclusion Fusion Disability Ministry Web Summit and experience the first installment of our “Key Talks” disability ministry training curriculum in January!
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Posted in Anxiety Disorders, Key Ministry, PTSD, Resources, Strategies, Training Events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The myth that love is always enough…

Sadly, love isn’t always enough, and the implication that it is (or should be) with kids exposed to trauma or neglect is as destructive as the myth that mental illness is caused by a problem with sin or inadequate faith.
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Posted in Adoption, Advocacy, Controversies, Families, Foster Care, Key Ministry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments