Address Special Needs In Your Church

All people are special to the Lord. However, it’s a good thing in our culture that we are increasingly recognizing that some among us have special needs that go beyond those of the mainstream population. These needs can vary across a broad spectrum and may include both children and adults. People with special needs may include those with obvious physical challenges and those with sensitivity issues that may look perfectly “normal” otherwise. These beautiful people and the families and caregivers who minister to them need to be considered as churches develop plans to reach people of all kinds. These articles are intended to help you address special needs in your church in order to be more inclusive.

Dealing With Speech and Language Disorders

Speech and language disorders are disabilities that we often forget to address in special-needs ministry. We can look at a child entering in a wheelchair and know that physical support is needed. A child coming in with a feeding tube will have us quickly asking caregivers questions to keep the child safe. A language disorder,…

Read More ⇨

Are Our Needs So “Special” that We Can’t Participate in Corporate Worship?

For years our family merely watched church online thanks to the wonder of live streaming. We were unable to join in a corporate worship setting due to the sensory difficulties in worship we typically experienced. I, in my early thirties, suffered with chronic Lyme disease which has affected my entire nervous system, vestibular system and…

Read More ⇨

What Children with ADD/ADHD Wish Their Teachers Knew

It was Sunday Night, and my daughter’s teacher from church sent home a note for the children’s parents. “Help, or else.” When nobody else volunteered, I said I’d do it. I had no idea what I was in for. There were 25 children ages 3 and 4 in there (two children with ADD/ADHD) with one…

Read More ⇨

Dealing With Disabilities in Sunday School Part 2

This is the second of a two part article on addressing the needs of kids with disabilities at church. You can read the first part here. No matter how often I read the story of the Good Samaritan, it is hard to imagine someone turning away from an individual that needs help. But, we all…

Read More ⇨

Dealing With Disabilities in Sunday School Part 1

Twenty three years ago, my world was rocked when we were told that our middle son had Down Syndrome. Looking back the diagnosis itself was probably the most painful experience of my life, but the task itself of raising a child with disabilities seemed doable. Thanks to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act we learned…

Read More ⇨

Grabbing Attention In An Age of Distraction

In our media-saturated world, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to hold the attention of our kids long enough to impart knowledge to them, whether at church or school. Video games, sound bites, flash-ads, and 30-second commercials have worked together to shorten the expected attention span of children and adults, too! This isn’t news to those who…

Read More ⇨

Special Needs Ministry – Who Me?

I began my journey, of initiating a special needs ministry, 23 years ago when my son was born with Down syndrome. As active members of a church and because he was a tiny infant, most of our church members were supportive and rallied around our family. But although he had certain special needs at that…

Read More ⇨

FOLLOW US