It Isn't a Lack of Resources That's Stopping Churches from Being Accessible

At the root of all our concerns was fear, but the way forward was love.

There was lots of discussion around the SBC annual meeting this year about disability ministry, and most of it centered on resources. More specifically, a lack of resources. When I saw the Twitter/X and Facebook questions asking for help, I would send them links: “Here are Lifeway, SBC, and SBTC resources.” They would hit the like button and move on. But the questions and discussions continued. “We need more help! There isn’t enough being done!”

As someone who is creating resources, I was interested in what exactly these pastors needed that they didn’t have or couldn’t find. Books? Podcasts? Videos? Curriculum? We’ve got them. One pastor in a Facebook group specifically said, “I don’t want a book, I want to send my children’s ministry leader to a training.” Ok. Great! There are disability ministry focused conferences, breakouts in disability-related topics at every children’s ministry conference I know of, courses you can take, classes you can register for, and organizations that will do trainings for the volunteers at your church (many of them for free).

You can get resources specifically for smaller churches, for adult disability ministry, and for kids with mental health and behavioral diagnoses. You want a sample registration form? You want outreach ideas? You want parent support group material? VBS help? Equipment for your sensory room? It all exists. There’s no question I’ve been asked by the hundreds of churches I’ve helped that I haven’t been able to answer by sharing a resources and sending a link.

This week I was at the Southern Baptist Historical Library & Archives in Nashville. Dr. Hall helped me pull decades worth of resources from the SBC on disability ministry. I took 300+ pictures of these resources, and I could have taken more. My time there solidified what I already suspected. It isn’t a lack of resources that’s holding pastors and ministry leaders back.

It isn’t about resources in your hands. It’s about revival in your hearts.

Pastors, children’s ministry leaders, youth & next gen ministry leaders, family ministry leaders: you have the tools you need. The training you want is available for you. What is holding you back isn’t a lack of resources. It’s routines you don’t want to disrupt. It’s requests you’re afraid you can’t meet. It’s risk-taking that feels too big. But God has set an example and made a way forward.

It starts with seeing each child, teen, and adult with a disability as one worth perusing with the hope of the gospel. They are image bearers—people with the potential to have a relationship with him. They were created on purpose and with a purpose.

Luke 15:3-7 is helpful as we talk about each image-bearer God wants to bring into our churches:

Jesus told them this parable: “What man among you, who has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open field and go after the lost one until he finds it? When he has found it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders, and coming home, he calls his friends and neighbors together, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!’ I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who don’t need repentance.

This parable is one of three parables that show us God's heart for those who are apart from him. We have the Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Parable of the Lost Coin that tells of a woman who loses one of her ten coins and doesn't give up until she finds it, and the Parable of the Prodigal Son that tells us how the father welcomes back his children who rebel and then return. In each parable, the focus is on the one. They tell of the lengths God will go to save each one and keep them close.

Ministry leader, I’ve been where you are. When our son was diagnosed with autism and we looked around our church, we realized we needed to take some steps of accessibility so he would be able to continue to attend and be discipled. At the root of all our concerns was fear, but the way forward was love. Our love for James and our desire to see him be a member of our church family was stronger than our fear. As 1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.”

What do you really need in order to reach “the one” who currently isn’t able to come to your church? God and Google. Pray to God for a heart like his. Google (or ask ChatGPT) for answers to your questions and resources you can use. Then go. Seek out the one, invite their families in, and ask what they need in order to worship with you and be discipled in ways they can understand.

Pastor or ministry leader: is there a resource you need? Leave a comment and let me know. I’ll help you find a solution! My book, Accessible Church, is a great place to start, but there are other types of resources and people with experience who want to help!