Tag Archives: Special Needs Ministry

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

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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Asperger’s Disorder, Social Disabilities and Church

If we don’t look beyond our narrow definition of “special needs” we’ll miss serving a lot of kids and adults who desperately need to experience the love of Jesus but flounder in church environments that put a huge premium upon social intelligence.
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Some weekend reading…and a request for input

We’ve put together a summary page with links to all of our blog posts from our most popular series… The Impact of ADHD on Spiritual Development. We now have a summary page with links to every post from our most popular series of 2011… Thinking “Orange”…Family Ministry Strategies When Families Have Special Needs. Continue reading

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Kids With Aggressive Behavior…Is it Ever OK for a Church to Say No?

So when should kids at risk for severe aggression be asked to stay home? Schools have guidelines for parents about when they should keep children home to prevent other kids from getting sick. When are other kids, church staff and volunteers at risk of being harmed by kids prone to aggression?

If the parent(s) can’t manage the child’s behavior safely at home
When a foreseeable event has transpired at home (changes/lapses in medication used to control aggressive behavior, marked escalation of behavior while transitioning/preparing to leave for church) or at church (changes from the norm in environment/availability of appropriately trained staff or volunteers familiar to the child) increasing the child’s risk of aggressive behavior.
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Posted in Controversies, Spiritual Development | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Key Ministry Presentations on Slideshare

I’ve established a page on Slideshare to house Power Point presentations I’ve done for Key Ministry, and eventually, presentations for professional conferences. You can access the presentations I’ve posted by clicking here. Continue reading

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Building the Foundation for a Very Big House

Looking ahead to 2012, our team’s primary strategic initiative the systems and people and funding in place to allow us to offer training, consultation, resources and support to churches throughout the U.S. and beyond with a relational presence. Christianity is about relationships as opposed to religion…and ultimately about our relationship with our Heavenly Father through His Son, Jesus Christ. We want churches undertaking ministry to families of kids with disabilities to have a person (or people) in their area who they can turn to for help and support…someone they can build a relationship with as they connect with and build relationships with families attracted by their ministry.
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Guest Post: Barb Dittrich Hosting Inclusion Fusion Tweetchat

Barb Dittrich has graciously agreed to serve as hostess for this year’s Inclusion Fusion Tweetchat, scheduled for Thursday, November 3 at 8:30 PM Eastern Time. You’ll have the opportunity to connect and share ideas with many of our Special Needs Ministry Web Summit speakers. Continue reading

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Kids With Aggressive Behavior…What’s it Like For Their Parents?

Bottom line…families of kids with maladaptive aggression have lots of needs. They need a welcoming church where they can grow spiritually so that they can fulfill their responsibilities as the primary faith trainers to their other children. They have relational needs. They need Christian community, but they also need time to build their relationships with one another. They also need a place where they feel accepted. Continue reading

Posted in Families, Hidden Disabilities, Key Ministry, Strategies, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Inclusion Fusion Speakers: Bob West

We’re pleased to announce the addition of Bob West to the speaker lineup for Inclusion Fusion. Bob will be speaking on the topic “What’s in our Heart?” In Bob’s presentation, he’ll address the question of why should we care about people with special needs when there are so many things we can do with our time. Why should volunteering for a church program serving people with special needs be at the top?
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Church…A Hostile Environment? Harmony Hensley

For families and children impacted by disability church is all too often viewed as a “hostile” environment in which they feel judged or unwelcome. Sadly, I’ve met a number of families who would summarize their church experience this way.
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