I talk with churches all the time about what it means to welcome people with disabilities, and I believe that conversation is incredibly important. We want our churches to be places where every person and every family knows they are wanted, valued, and loved.But I also believe we have to ask a deeper question.What happens after someone gets through the door?
Discipleship helps them run the race. That changes the way I think about disability ministry. I want to ask, "How can we help this person know Jesus, grow in faith, discover their gifts, and serve others?"
Start With the Person, Not the Checklist
It is easy to approach disability ministry with a checklist.
Do we have a sensory room?
Do we have a buddy system?
Do we have a quiet space?
Do we have visual schedules?
Do we have trained volunteers?
Those are important questions, but they cannot be the only questions we ask. I want to start with the person.
Who are they?
How do they communicate?
What do they enjoy?
What motivates them?
What are they good at?
What do they already understand about God?
What questions do they have about faith?
What helps them learn?
When I start with the person rather than the diagnosis, everything changes. I also have to be careful not to lower the goal simply because the pathway may look different. I don't want to create a "special version" of Christianity for people with disabilities. I want the same gospel. I want the same opportunity to know Jesus. I want the same opportunity to grow in faith. I want the same opportunity to worship, belong, and serve. The goal isn't different. The pathway may be.
What Do We Want Them to Know, Believe, and Do?
One of the simplest frameworks I use when thinking about discipleship is this:
What do I want this person to know?
What do I want them to believe?
What do I want them to do because of what they have learned?
That framework can transform the way we approach a Sunday lesson. Instead of simply asking, "How can I make this Bible lesson easier?" I can ask, "What is the truth I want them to understand, and how can I help them connect that truth to their life?" Maybe the lesson is about prayer. I don't just want someone to hear that prayer is talking to God. I want them to learn how to pray. Maybe the lesson is about serving others. I don't just want them to know that Jesus calls us to serve. I want to give them an opportunity to serve. Maybe the lesson is about God's love. I want them to understand that God loves them. And then experience that love through relationships within the church. That is discipleship. It moves us from information to transformation.
We Don't All Learn the Same Way
A one-size-fits-all teaching rarely works well. We all learn differently, and that is especially important to remember when serving people with disabilities. I want to make Bible teaching multi-sensory and repeatable. I can use pictures, objects, visual schedules, videos, and other visual supports. I can use storytelling, music, Scripture songs, and spoken repetition. I can use movement, role-play, games, and hands-on activities. I can provide opportunities to practice what we are learning in real life. If I am teaching about serving, let's serve. If I am teaching about prayer, let's pray. If I am teaching about kindness, let's find someone who needs encouragement. And I never want to underestimate the power of repetition. Repetition isn't babying someone. Repetition builds understanding. I can keep the truth deep while making the language clear. Sometimes theological vocabulary creates unnecessary barriers. I don't have to water down Scripture to communicate it clearly. I can use simple words without changing the truth. And I have to remember that speech is not the same thing as comprehension. Someone may not communicate through spoken words and still understand far more. AAC, visual supports, sign language, communication devices, and other tools can reveal incredible understanding, insight, and faith. I don't want to measure someone's spiritual capacity by their ability to speak.
Discipleship Happens Through Relationships
Programs are important, but discipleship is ultimately relational. People need people. Consistent friendships, mentors, small groups, volunteers, and church family members create the relationships where trust can grow. This is especially important for people who struggle with change. When I know the people around me, I feel safer. When I feel safe, I am more willing to participate. And when I participate, I have opportunities to grow. The same is true with prayer. I don't want to assume there is only one right way to teach someone to pray. We can pray out loud. We can write prayers. We can use pictures. We can pray through music. We can use sign language. We can take a prayer walk. We can use a communication device. We can sit quietly in God's presence. The method may change, but the relationship with God remains the same.
Worship Should Be About Participation
One of the biggest shifts I want to see in disability ministry is moving from behavior management to meaningful participation. Instead of asking only, "How can we help this person sit through the service?" I want to ask, "How can this person participate in the service?" Maybe they can greet people at the door.
Maybe they can help with technology.
Maybe they can carry something during worship.
Maybe they can read Scripture.
Maybe they can play an instrument.
Maybe they can help collect an offering.
Maybe they can serve in children's ministry.
Maybe they can help prepare communion.
Maybe they have a gift for encouraging people.
So many possibilities open up when I stop asking, "Can they do it like everyone else?" and start asking, "How can we help them use their gifts?"
From Receiving to Serving
This is where I believe disability ministry becomes truly transformational. I don't want someone to spend their entire life receiving ministry. I want them to discover that they can give ministry, too. That might begin with a very simple spiritual goal: Learning a Scripture verse. Learning how to pray. Participating in communion. Inviting a friend to church. Sharing something God has been teaching them. Serving once a month. Helping someone else. Praying for another person. Encouraging someone who is having a difficult day. These may seem like small things, but they are not small. They are steps toward spiritual maturity. They are opportunities for someone to discover: "God can use me."
What Does a Discipling Church Look Like?
For me, the goal is not simply a church that is accessible. I want to see churches become places where people with disabilities are known, discipled, equipped, and sent. I want us to partner with families instead of making families carry the entire responsibility for discipleship. I want us to give parents tools and simple conversation starters they can use throughout the week. I want volunteers to know that their role is bigger than providing childcare. They have an opportunity to build relationships and participate in someone's spiritual formation. And I want the person with a disability to increasingly become an active participant in their own faith journey. That means our support may change over time. A child may need significant support today. A teenager may need different support tomorrow. An adult may need communication assistance while also leading, serving, and discipling others. Support doesn't have to mean dependence. Sometimes the right support is exactly what allows someone to discover their independence, their gifts, and their purpose. Ultimately, I believe the church should be asking three simple questions about every person:
Do they belong?
Are they becoming?
Are they serving?
Because inclusion is not the finish line. Accessibility is not the finish line. Getting someone through the door is not the finish line. It is the starting line. I want every person to have the opportunity to know Jesus, grow in their faith, discover their God-given gifts, and use those gifts to serve others. Because every person has a place in the body of Christ. Not just a place to sit.
A place to belong.
A place to become.
And a place to serve.
That is the kind of church I want to help build.
