Bill Gaventa, M.Div., is a leader in the inclusion of people with disabilities in faith communities, and his unique mix of experience makes him a great thought partner for a wide range of issues related to disability and the church. He is an Associate Professor in Pediatrics and the coordinator of Community and Congregational Supports for The Elizabeth M. Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities at the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. I'm thankful that he's allowing me to share his words in today's post as a follow-up to this post last week.
Over the years of my ministry, I have heard stories of people with disabilities and/or their
families being unable to find a welcoming congregation. That also has included staff working in
group homes or providing other forms of support to help assist adults in taking part in community
and congregational life.
But early in November, 2010, at a Saturday conference sponsored by the Lancaster Christian
Council on Disability, I heard two parents, now fully included in congregations, tell their stories
of being asked to leave previous congregations because of their child. One was a parent of a son
with a mental illness; the other’s daughter is on the Autism Spectrum. The first family had been
asked to leave 7 congregations, the latter, 13. I was stunned.
A congregation may not feel that it is equipped to deal with a child with intense behavioral issues
or may think, this is just one family. But it is not just one person or family. When a child is asked
to leave, the family does as well, and word ripples about that congregation to other relatives,
extended families, other families of children with disabilities. When an adult is not welcomed
or asked to leave, word also ripples, not just to families but to young staff in those agencies who
may be struggling with their own faith, and end up being further disillusioned. It is evangelism in
reverse, sending people of all kinds into the ranks of what some Christians call the “unchurched.”
The opposite is also true. When a congregation welcomes a child, their family, or an adult with
support staff (many of whom may not have ever been in a church like yours) and really helps
them feel included, it not only is good for those individuals and your church, but it is also a
witness. The word gets out. Through family networks, to others in a support agency, and to
extended family. That is why some congregations are now citing their development of inclusive
ministries as the primary reason for their church growth, because intentional and radical welcome
and inclusion often extends to many others as well.
If there are issues or problems, then simply deal with them. First, ask the family or staff what
they need, and how you can best support them and their child or person they are accompanying.
Find congregational members who may be professionals to help figure out the supports needed.
Connect with school teachers or agency staff to help you. Figure out ways to address behavioral
or other issues that give the individual a chance to learn your rituals and routines.
After all, those individuals and families are not the only individuals or families that may have
posed challenges for a congregation. If we asked everyone who posed a challenge at some point
in their life to leave, our sanctuaries would be empty and our light dark. The amazing fact about
the two families in Lancaster was the faith of the individuals and families who kept searching and
hoping, in spite of the lack of faith and love demonstrated by the rejecting congregations. Start
with the one. If you have 99 in a congregation to help you figure it out, then the shepherd has lots
of help, and your congregation has the possibility of a journey that will benefit everyone.
