Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Christian Book and fine booksellers everywhere
Thanks to Ministry-To-Children!
“The most complete special needs ministry resource I’ve ever come across.”
Honored to be in Sharecare Now’s Top Ten online influencers in children’s mental health!
Tag Archives: Disability Ministry
If Not Special Needs Ministry, What Should We Call It?
All things considered, I would favor the terms disability ministry or disability inclusion to describe the ministry our team resources and supports in churches. My hope in initiating this discussion is to spark leaders in the church to see a bigger game. The population of families who have children with what we’ve traditionally referred to as “hidden disabilities” is enormously larger than the population who have children with the physical or intellectual disabilities that come to mind in association with the term special needs. Most children’s pastors have all they can handle to serve families of kids with special needs and our team makes a practice of meeting churches wherever they’re at. But I’ll continue to communicate in a manner that constantly reminds us of the need to address the obstacles that prevent kids with less visible disabilities and their families from fully participating in the life of the church.
Continue reading
What’s the Definition of “Special Needs?”
When we use the term “special needs” to refer to a population of underserved children, who exactly are we referring to?
Continue reading
Should We Abandon Use of the Term “Special Needs Ministry?”
I’d argue that our use of the term “special needs” narrows our focus in such a way as to exclude large numbers of kids and families who require some intentional effort and support to be successfully included at church, but fall somewhere outside our existing ministry paradigm. Continue reading
Summer Series: Difficult Questions
This summer, I’m going to ask…and offer my best answers for some difficult questions about disability ministry, and inviting some colleagues with differing opinions the opportunity to respond. Continue reading
Square Pegs and Round Holes…The Bottom Line on Helping Kids With Asperger’s Disorder Grow Spiritually
Today’s post concludes our series on helping kids with Asperger’s Disorder and other social disabilities to grow spiritually. We’ll finish by looking at some general principles to help church staff, parents and volunteers to minister more effectively to very unique kids made in the image of God who tend to defy categorization.
Continue reading
Ministry Resources From Mike Woods for Kids With Autism
We’ve been fortunate to enjoy the benefits of Mike Woods’ wisdom and experience during his recent guest blog series for Autism Awareness Month. Mike’s truly a thought leader in the field of disability ministry, but a humble thought leader. When we first discussed his guest blog series, I’d asked him to put together a post with links to many of the excellent web-based resources he’s developed for church staff, volunteers and parents for serving kids with special needs. Mike seemed a little reluctant to blow his own horn, so I thought I’d share links to some resources Mike has developed that church staff and volunteers might find especially valuable in ministering to kids with autism spectrum disorders and their families…
Continue reading
Mike Woods: Giving Unconditional Worth to Children on the Autism Spectrum
In my previous post I discussed the important of human engagement with children and adults with autism in an effort to develop relationships. Our goal is to bring a nurturing spirit into the special needs volunteer/child relationship…one that is characterized by genuine warmth, mutual respect, and unconditional worth. In order to facilitate these relational characteristics it is essential to maximize the use of giving unconditional worth.
Unconditional worth refers to any action on the part of the special needs staff/volunteer that recognizes and expresses the dignity, worth, and value of the child.
Continue reading
Church4EveryChild 