from One Body, One Spirit: Disability and Community in the Church
by Paul Pettit & B. Jason Epps
When people with disabilities (PWDs) ask to serve in ministry, there are typically three general responses expressed; two negative and one positive. One, there is a pay-your-dues approach many churches employ. To be considered for volunteering or service, a person has to demonstrate they are dedicated, which would then lead to more opportunities. For example, assisting the praise band or serving with the audio-visual team often leads to being given higher responsibilities like teaching or leading a small group. However, often these entry-level ministry positions are out of reach for many with disabilities. They cannot physically perform on stage or operate much of the sophisticated audio-visual equipment.
In some senses, even serving on the greeting team might be out of reach because the main purpose of the greeter is to bridge the gap between someone who is new and those in the established community. But if someone is already feeling isolated, the best that person can do as a greeter is say, “I am glad you are here! I do not know anyone, so let us be lonely together!” This is not a good situation for greeting. This creates a self-perpetuating spiral where the assets are not able to prove themselves in the entry-level positions and therefore do not receive any higher-level serving or volunteer opportunities, rendering service in this system a near impossibility.
Another possibility is that a service opportunity is given, but is primarily offered out of pity, not necessarily out of need. One time when I (Jason) went on a service trip with my church, one of the jobs I was given was to help paint a post. I spent the better part of an hour and a half expending all my energy trying to effectively paint the post. The moment I finished, someone came along behind me and in a matter of thirty seconds went over the entire post and the sections I missed. This made me feel I was only given this opportunity out of pity because I asked, not because they wanted me to help or that I possessed expertise in this area. In fact, it felt like they did not want me to do the task anyway.
The third possibility is the one positive response, which admittedly takes a considerable amount of work. Essentially, it is a dialogue between the leadership and the asset. Oftentimes in this situation the handler might perform the role of advocate for the asset. But regardless of how the conversation is initiated, it centers around realistically discussing the asset’s limitations, abilities, and giftedness. Coming alongside this important step should be a plan or at least an observation of the asset being faithful in the opportunities provided. The asset should be given responsibility within the field of what they can realistically undertake. As they are successful, they should be given more responsibility. For example, if their spiritual gift is in the area of teaching, have them begin by mentoring someone one-on-one under observation, then perhaps teaching to a small group of three or five, and finally teaching to a classroom filled with learners. This way, they can demonstrate they are both faithful and equipped for the work.
Related to this, it is also helpful to have a clear track for someone to follow (or shadow) if they desire to do a particular type of ministry. Often in our churches, particularly with teaching, there exists a philosophy of “you will randomly fall into it” or getting the position if you schmooze enough with the current teacher (which is a subset of the first negative reality we observed). This is especially frustrating for people who are physically disabled but not necessarily mentally disabled.
This reality creates a feeling that even if the person with disabilities is continually present and faithfully doing the tasks they are able to perform, they still can be stuck in a rut without any opportunities to exercise their spiritual gifts. Sometimes when I (Jason) have raised this issue with people and mention the vicious cycle of not being able to serve because I am unnoticed, they simply respond, “Well, you have to gain the church’s trust before they give you any high-caliber opportunities.” While I do not deny this fact, the people I talked to view this barrier as necessary to preserve the church’s integrity, instead of thinking of alternative ways to establish trust. In fact, this sentiment was echoed by the head of the disability department at one of my schools—the person who arranged my accommodations and was supposed to be my advocate!
I have observed this reality in some churches who assert they want everyone to serve, stating, “There is a place of service for everyone here!” But if I ask if there is anything I can do or help with, the only response I receive is blank stares or the repeated phrase, “Something will come up,” but with no concrete plan of action. This response could be influenced by a desire for efficiency. More likely, it indicates a lack of a desire for thinking freely or putting in the necessary work. Churches are sometimes insurance risk-assessors who reason, “It is not worth it to put in the additional effort and thought process for the asset to serve in our community.” This is completely opposite to Jesus’s approach, since he often went out of his way to minister to those with physical disabilities.
People with disabilities need to know unrealistic optimism often becomes a path to failure. We can help persons with a disability claim ownership of their desire to live out of their giftedness by simply acknowledging potential pitfalls and then exploring strategies to enhance their servant leadership skills. No one who engages in ministry or service to others does so perfectly. But we can undertake service activities in a healthy and effective manner. We can learn best practices from those who are actively engaged in this noble endeavor. All Christians (one body) should be encouraged to serve others in the power of the Holy Spirit (one Spirit) and faithfully use their unique gifts.
Disability researcher Erik Carter has established several of what he labels portraits of community—snapshots into different potential attitudes communities can have toward PWDs. They are exclusion, separation, integration, inclusion, and belonging. In the exclusion stage, people with disabilities are not even considered or known. At the separation stage, which he calls “ministry to,” there are specific ministries designed for PWDs. However, this is purely seen as an outreach and can typically be sporadic, little more than checking off the box. His next portrait is integration or “ministry among,” where PWDs are engaged with the standard experiences, like worship services, of a church or organization. At the integration stage, people with disabilities may be part of some activities but excluded from others. Inclusion is labeled “ministry with,” where the people with intellectual disabilities are encouraged to participate in the activities without any distinction between those with and those without disabilities. Finally, belonging is an optimal state where every person in the community knows they belong and are fully valued.[1]
These five portraits are extremely helpful when determining where a church or organization is currently situated along the continuum of community building. In our opinion, Carter does not clearly communicate specifically how one moves from one stage to the next. It is this element we hope to articulate in the remaining chapters. Our model centers around five steps for disability ministry: notice, engage, research, incorporate, and advocate. We explore these concepts in detail in part 3 of this book. For now, let us offer a brief preview of the way our five steps of building a friendship with a person with a disability in some way mirrors Carter’s.
Our first step is called Notice, where nothing is known about the person and more information needs to be gathered. This falls in between Dr. Carter’s stage 1 and stage 2 of exclusion and separation. Our second step, Engage, falls between his second and third stages, separation and integration, where the handler is learning more about the asset. Our third step, Research, then makes Carter’s fourth step, inclusion, possible. Our fourth step, Incorporate, mirrors Carter’s inclusion very nicely, where the asset is becoming a part of and engaging with the community. Belonging is what occurs at our final step of Advocate, where the person with the disability feels that they can trust the handler and the community.
There is, however, one notable difference between our schema and Carter’s. Ours focuses on a bottom-up approach. This is necessary because people with disabilities have varying needs and concerns and cannot all be quarantined into one section. Because of this, the relationship needs to develop on an individual level and then bloom to the organizational level. This approach also allows the mindset of the handler to be always looking to move the individual asset toward the belonging stage. The process starts over with each new asset. However, the more the process is repeated, the more a culture of belonging, to use Carter’s term, is created. As leadership experts note, culture eats strategy for breakfast! In other words, a church or ministry can say they have a specific strategy to partner with those with disabilities; however, if a welcoming culture of inclusion fails to become part of the very culture of the organization, the strategies are simply words on a plaque.
In short, Dr. Carter shows us where we should go; our Five-Step Plan shows how to get there. While Carter’s focus has mostly centered on those with intellectual disabilities, his system applies to people with physical disabilities as well. With some modifications, the Five-Step Plan we advocate can also be applied to people with intellectual disabilities. It just may take a greater degree of effort and further reliance upon the power of the Holy Spirit. One Body, One Spirit is offered for men and women who advocate incorporating more people with a disability into the life and service of a local church, parish, Christian school, or nonprofit organization. Further, our work encourages those with a disability who desire to serve and lead within the church to be enthusiastically allowed to do so. When our friends with disabilities are educated about the social obstacles they face and are given practical guides—and authentic friends—to steer around those obstacles, their opportunity for faithful success in ministry dramatically increases.
One of the unique purposes of this book is to describe those challenges, explain solutions, and encourage people with disabilities to faithfully minister. We aim to help break down the many social barriers those in the disability community face when they desire to serve God. The church has largely failed to acknowledge not only the unique giftedness of PWDs but also their very humanity. How else can you describe someone meeting a person with a disability and subsequently thinking aloud, “I cannot imagine any place in this church where they could serve”? And yet we continue to overhear this jaded response. A different statement needs to leap out of our mouths: “I cannot imagine a church without their acts of service!”
In fact, one of the effects we hope this book brings about is a broadening of mindset. While preparing this book we held conversations with many people and discovered something interesting. Those expressing the most positive reactions are those who in some way, shape, or form have been affected by PWDs. Maybe they have a brother, sister, family member, or friend with a disability. It is the exposure to this person with a disability that enables them to positively interact with others. We heard this sentiment expressed in many of our interviews.
We hope this book can function as a type of initial point of contact so that when you encounter a person with a disability in your community, you are primed and ready to establish authentic genuine friendships. This book is more for the inexperienced than it is for the veteran. Our hope and prayer is that we answer many of the questions and concerns you might have toward ministering to people with disabilities. We trust that an ever-increasing number of volunteers will embody Christ’s attitude and work through the sometimes fearful or uncomfortable feelings that often accompany creating new friendships.
How are persons with disabilities welcomed into your midst? Are they seen as a blessing or a burden? What social barriers keep people from undertaking service to, with, and by friends with disabilities? Moving forward, we advocate for a practical step anyone can undertake to better welcome a person with a disability into your circle of influence. Let us all become bridge builders, helping those who struggle more than most. God’s heart is for the physical, mental, and social struggler. As we close part 1, we trust you are convinced there are unmet ministry opportunities in and among the disability community. Often those on the “outside” can better see the blind spots in the church. Historical precedents, physical facilities, and social norms have made churches often inaccessible to those with disabilities. What are the viable, achievable solutions?
To read more, pick up a copy of One Body, One Spirit on Amazon, Christian Book, or Bookshop!
[1] Erik Carter, “The Changing Landscape of Disability and Ministry in the Church,” Currents in Theology and Mission 49, no. 3 (2022): 4–9.
This post is adapted from One Body, One Spirit: Disability and Community in the Church by Paul Pettit & B. Jason Epps. This title was released on August 6, 2024. If you are interested in adopting this book for a college or seminary course, please request a faculty examination copy. We will also consider requests for your blog or media outlets.
There is a massive deficit in our churches, parishes, and fellowships; an entire category of people is missing
According to the CDC, one in four people in the United States lives with a disability, yet many of our churches don’t resemble this reality. Attempts to welcome those with a disability are often implemented by well-meaning but ill-informed people. The results can lead to those with disabilities feeling excluded and isolated from the family of God.
One Body, One Spirit gives eyes to the able-bodied to see the challenges experienced by those with disabilities:
- Physical barriers to places of worship, classrooms, and small group settings leave people outside the gathered family of God.
- Emotional barriers, like fear and prejudice, preclude them from using their spiritual gifts.
How can church communities, both on the congregational and individual level, address these issues? Paul Pettit and Jason Epps provide a roadmap by looking at a biblically informed solution. They survey disability in the Old and New Testaments, provide a vision for full integration, outline how to conduct a disability audit, and offer a five-step plan for how to change the culture of your church.
