Category Archives: Key Ministry

New resource on including kids with aggressive behavior at church

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Dr. G

Here’s a one-stop resource tying together the blog series from last fall, Beyond Zero Tolerance…When Kids Become Aggressive at Church. In addition to an edited version of the entire series in a single article, I included a SlideShare presentation of the lecture I was invited to present on the topic at last Fall’s Bioethics Conference and Through the Roof Summit at Cedarville University.
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New Resource Page on Pediatric Bipolar Disorder

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Dr. G

We now have a new resource page on the blog for church staff, volunteers and parents looking for information about spiritual development and strategies for inclusion at church for kids with bipolar disorder.
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Helping Kids With Asperger’s Disorder Grow Spiritually…2012 Children’s Ministry Websummit

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Dr. G

In this presentation, I’ll review the challenges to church attendance and participation resulting from Asperger’s Disorder, discuss how family ministry approaches can help spur spiritual growth in kids with social disabilities and share tips for children’s pastors, church staff and volunteers for successfully including kids who struggle socially in your ministry environments. Continue reading →

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Resources for Churches on Mental Illness

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Dr. G

Barb invited me to share some resources that might be of help to church staff, pastors and volunteers who desire to minister more effectively to families impacted by mental illness. Here are five organizations worth checking out… Continue reading →

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Rhonda Martin…Nurturing Spiritual Growth in Kids With Anxiety

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Dr. G

Rhett Smith’s outstanding interview on his new book, The Anxious Christian, has generated lots of interest in the topic of anxiety and church. In the process of compiling resources pertaining to spiritual development and anxiety, I came across this interview that Katie Wetherbee conducted with Rhonda Martin for the 2011 Inclusion Fusion Special Needs Ministry Web Summit.
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Posted in Anxiety Disorders, Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Inclusion Fusion, Key Ministry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rhett Smith…Anxiety as a Barrier at Church

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Dr. G

Anxiety is a classic example of a “hidden disability. In the third segment of his current series, Rhett Smith discusses some not so obvious ways in which anxiety presents significant barriers to church attendance and engagement for kids as well as adults. Rhett is the author of the new book, The Anxious Christian: Can God Use Your Anxiety for Good?. Continue reading →

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Special Needs Ministry TweetChat: Families Touched by Mental Illness…The Impact at Church

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Dr. G

Barb Dittrich has graciously invited me as her guest for this week’s Special Needs Ministry TweetChat, scheduled for Thursday, March 8 at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00 PM Central). Our topic will be “Families Touched by Mental Illness…The Impact at Church.”
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Extra Day, Extra Dollar

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Dr. G

We were led to celebrate leap year with our first, one-day microgifting campaign… We’re calling the campaign “Extra Day, Extra Dollar.” We understand money is tight. We also recognize that many of the children and families who benefit from the resources we offer to churches don’t have extra money to contribute. But we want everyone to be able to contribute something to the work of Key Ministry, understanding that giving is an act of worship. Small contributions make a big difference. Continue reading →

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Same Lake, Different Boat: Steph Hubach (Part Two)

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Dr. G

Today, we look at Part Two of Stephanie Hubach’s guest blog. Steph has recently released a DVD series based upon her widely read book, Same Lake, Different Boat: Coming Alongside People Touched by Disability. Click here for Steph’s biography, along with Part One of the series. In this segment, she discusses what churches look like when doing disability ministry well, the benefits to the church from disability ministry, and her perspective on such ministry as a “justice” issue. Continue reading →

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Same Lake, Different Boat: Guest Blogger Steph Hubach

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Dr. G

Steph has recently released a DVD series based upon her widely read book, Same Lake, Different Boat: Coming Alongside People Touched by Disability. In the DVD series, she expands upon the topics addressed in the book with new insights, applications and stories not included in the original publication, accompanied by interviews with ministry leaders, persons with disabilities and family members.

Throughout this week, she’ll share some of her thoughts and experiences that have influenced the development of her current ministry, as well as her purposes in creating her book and DVD series. Continue reading →

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