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Tag Archives: church
What Keeps Kids With ADHD Out of Church? Part Two
Kids with ADHD don’t do well in situations when they perceive the activity or the topic as boring or irrelevant, and unfortunately that’s the case in too many churches Continue reading
What Keeps Kids With ADHD Out of Church? Part One
In all probability, the kids aren’t coming to church if the parent doesn’t bring them to church. Continue reading
How the Church Can Help Families of Kids With Bipolar Disorder
Not every kid has to come to church to be ministered to by the church. Parents have far more time and opportunity to influence their children than the church does. Parents of a child with bipolar disorder are more likely to know the best strategies for communicating with them in different mood states. Continue reading
Posted in Bipolar Disorder, Inclusion, Key Ministry, Mental Health, Ministry Environments, Strategies
Tagged Bipolar Disorder, children's ministry, church, Disability Ministry, inclusion ministry, mental health ministry, pediatric bipolar disorder, Special Needs Ministry, spiritual development, student ministry, youth ministry
3 Comments
How might bipolar disorder affect church participation and spiritual development?
It’s more likely in our practice that a family of a child with an autism spectrum disorder will be involved with church than a family of a child with bipolar disorder. Continue reading
Posted in Bipolar Disorder, Families, Hidden Disabilities, Key Ministry, Mental Health, Spiritual Development
Tagged children's mental health, children's ministry, church, Gary Sweeten, Key Ministry, mental health ministry, pediatric bipolar disorder, spiritual development, student ministry
2 Comments
Pediatric Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for Children’s and Youth Pastors and Volunteers
I’m going to present a six-part series to help children’s pastors, youth pastors and ministry volunteers better understand and serve kids with bipolar disorder and their families. Continue reading
A Parent’s Greatest Fear
I suspect the fear of being told that their parenting strategies, family values or choices are the cause of their child’s emotional or behavioral problems poses a major obstacle to families becoming actively involved with a local church. Continue reading
Posted in ADHD, Adoption, Anxiety Disorders, Bipolar Disorder, Parents
Tagged church, Disability Ministry, Inclusion, Key Ministry, Parents, Special Needs Ministry, student ministry
6 Comments
The Words We Use Matter
Most parents of a child with a mental health condition wouldn’t conclude a church had anything to offer their family if they were to see a wheelchair symbol on a church website or find a link offering “special needs ministry.” In my experience, the kids who come to a practice like ours desperately want to be seen as normal. Continue reading
Church, We’ve Got a Problem
How will the church serve a generation of families with kids who have issues with emotions or behavior that interfere with their ability to function on a day to day basis?
Kids with “hidden disabilities” like these are gradually becoming the new normal. Check out this study in the current issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. To summarize:
22 % of U.S. children entering first grade met criteria for at least one mental disorder. Continue reading
Never the twain shall meet
Once my church friends get a handle on the families in their communities who come to practices like mine, we can problem-solve together just how to welcome them into our environments, include them in the stuff we do so they can come to know Jesus, accept him as Lord, and grow to be more like him. Just like we do. Continue reading
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