"But what if I don't know where to start?"
/
I had a great conversation with a pastor in Kentucky earlier this week. They have one family with special needs in their congregation, they don't think special needs ministry exists at any other local churches, and they feel like God is leading them to do something more than they already are doing.
And after they got to that point, they felt stuck. They know that it would be worthwhile to do something; they just don't know where to start.
This isn't a perfect list (and please chime in with a comment if you would add, reword, or delete anything here!), but here are my recommended step for starting a special needs ministry. They are mostly catered to children's ministry - not because you shouldn't aim for special needs ministry to other age groups but because most churches with special needs ministry started with kids first.
Tomorrow I'll be posting about the qualities you want to have in a person leading special needs ministry {it's now posted and can be found by clicking the linked text!}. Two hints: (1) it doesn't have to be a staff member (I'm not!) and (2) while background in special education is helpful, it isn't necessary.
And after they got to that point, they felt stuck. They know that it would be worthwhile to do something; they just don't know where to start.
This isn't a perfect list (and please chime in with a comment if you would add, reword, or delete anything here!), but here are my recommended step for starting a special needs ministry. They are mostly catered to children's ministry - not because you shouldn't aim for special needs ministry to other age groups but because most churches with special needs ministry started with kids first.
- PRAY!!! This should be a part of every step, but it's also a vital first step. You don't want to be the guiding force in this; that's God's job, and He's better at it than you'll ever be!
- Define what your primary goal(s) is for ministry to/with people without disabilities. If, for example, your goal in children's ministry is to make Christ known so that the next generation treasures Christ, then that would be your same goal for special needs children's ministry. The goal doesn't change, even if the way you get there might.
- Find allies within your church and beyond (potential volunteers, parents, community organizations and non-profits, other churches already doing special needs ministry). Keep your main goal(s) in mind, though, because you might not want to partner with secular groups for certain activities and you might want to exercise caution while working with churches that don't share the same goals or theological perspective with your church. Among these allies, find someone who can spearhead your special needs ministry (and, of course, that person might be you!).
- Aim to meet the needs that are already present in your church before you make plans to reach out to community. (Don't let this be a stopping point, though! I'm just suggesting that you don't neglect the needs already in your body of believers as you're considering outreach beyond the walls of your church.)
- Let parents train you - they are, after all, usually the ones who know their child and his/her special needs better than anyone else! If they agree to it, observe the child in his/her school setting, which will allow you to get a good idea of what the child's needs are and what strategies are already working in an educational setting. (And, if you can't observe the child at school, ask the parents about the school setting and goals.)
- In most cases, start with inclusion. This means including the child with special needs in a typical Sunday school class, ideally with kids who are the same age. If necessary, pair that child with a volunteer who works with him/her one-on-one to support that inclusion.
- Find ways to demonstrate the value of people with disabilities to the rest of your congregation. For example, at our last leadership team meeting for youth ministry, our pastor invited a student with special needs to lead our opening prayer time. This student is non-verbal, so Pastor Steve introduced him, explained that the student would be leading us in a time of silent prayer, and told the student to squeeze him on the shoulder when he was done praying so that Steve could end with "amen." Pastor Steve could have just prayed and then told the leaders that we value people with disabilities in our ministry, but that wouldn't have been as convincing.
- Communicate with the community that your church is one that welcomes people with special needs. This could be scary, because you are opening your doors wide open. However, if you are a welcoming church that is committed to special needs ministry, then why wouldn't you want your community to know that?
Tomorrow I'll be posting about the qualities you want to have in a person leading special needs ministry {it's now posted and can be found by clicking the linked text!}. Two hints: (1) it doesn't have to be a staff member (I'm not!) and (2) while background in special education is helpful, it isn't necessary.