Tag Archives: inclusion ministry

But what if we don’t have any children with disabilities in our church?

Do you want to share the Gospel with everyone in your community, or do you want to limit who has access to your body of believers?
Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, Inclusion, Key Ministry | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Holistically Serving the Adopted/Foster Child…Inclusion Fusion Library

In the video, she shares some of her experiences dealing with the emotional struggles of adopted and foster children as they adjust to the reality of becoming part of a new family. She did a great job of describing how the adverse childhood experiences of kids available for adoption and foster care contribute to difficulties “doing church” and shares helpful strategies for church staff and volunteers who interact with them at church. Continue reading

Posted in Adoption, Advocacy, Families, Foster Care, Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Inclusion Fusion, Key Ministry, PTSD, Training Events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Partying With a Purpose

Today, we’ll look at “Party With a Purpose,” a complete guide for churches seeking to develop outwardly-focused inclusion events. We’ll also share our Special Events toolbox, including resources for doing an inclusive Vacation Bible School, hosting neighborhood parties and doing inclusion ministry outside the walls of the church.
Continue reading

Posted in Key Ministry, Resources, Strategies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

To My Child’s Teacher…Guest Blog from Brenda and Dan Maas

Brenda and I were talking about how difficult it is for a teacher to stretch beyond their “success” style and the challenge that the special needs student offers. She asked me to help her with encouraging her teachers on why its important to keep the big picture in mind when working with special needs students. The ideas turned into a letter from a parent to his child’s teachers. Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, Families, Spiritual Development | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Family Ministry “FAMMIN” Blog Tour

I’m confident that church staff and volunteers who apply the principles and strategies central to the family ministry movement will be better prepared to support parents as they share their faith with their children with emotional, behavioral and developmental disorders. Continue reading

Posted in Families, Resources, Spiritual Development, Strategies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Is it OK for churches to NOT have an identified disability ministry?

Your church doesn’t have to have a disability ministry to “do” disability ministry. Continue reading

Posted in Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Key Ministry, Strategies | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

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

Posted in Advocacy, Controversies, Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Key Ministry, Strategies | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

New resource on including kids with aggressive behavior at church

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.
Continue reading

Posted in Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Key Ministry, Resources | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Helping Kids With Asperger’s Disorder Grow Spiritually…2012 Children’s Ministry Websummit

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

Posted in Autism, Key Ministry, Training Events | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Extra Day, Extra Dollar

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

Posted in Key Ministry | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment