My google reader pointed me to the national gathering of denomination with ‘Reformed’ in its name that is meeting this week. Part of the national gathering included a report of their disability ministry council and its strategies and desired outcomes by 2013.
It was boring.
I don’t mean that as an indictment on their work at all. I’ve done it myself; I’ve fallen into that same trap of feeling like the group I’m involved in needs to produce outcomes of significance, with time lines and measurements of progress.
And most of the time, when I visit denominational websites or read their papers on disability ministry, I end up with very little I can actually sink my teeth into with regards to the real issues in our church.
Let me repeat – I’m glad people care about this issue and are willing to put the time in. Without meeting any of those volunteers who served on that disability ministry council, I know they deeply desire something better for the churches in their denomination with regards to people with disabilities.
But the end result is pronouncements about numbers and activities that have almost nothing to do with the life of a particular church, and even less so to do with individual people in those churches.
There was one interesting thing embedded in the council’s report: a story about a church plant specifically for people with disabilities in an area that included a number of group homes serving adults with disabilities.
Not to read too much into it, but I think they did two things right in creating that church: 1) They had a real need in front of them; they listened to the passion of a mother with an adult son with disabilities who had never had a good church experience, and 2) they went ahead and did something about it, without waiting for the denomination’s disability ministry council to lead the way.
I’m probably biased because that is how things have gone at Bethlehem with our little ministry. A family shows up, and we try to figure out how to serve them. Sometimes it goes really well from the beginning. Sometimes the road is very difficult, and nothing seems to work. God is continually humbling and holding us up at the same time.
In the end, I don’t want to be too hard on that denomination because at least they have a disability ministry council, which shows their concern for the issue. The denomination that Bethlehem belongs to has exactly zero documents on this subject at the moment, and certainly no councils, task forces or committees. At this moment, I must admit almost no desire to encourage them to do otherwise or get involved even if they called for the formation of their own council. Which again speaks to my own biases about how I think things get accomplished!
If Converge/BGC were to call for such a council, would you serve on it?
The Works of God 
This is exactly what I have been thinking about with regards to the Evangelical Free Church of America. The way that I see it working is to have a series of services at various locations where people with disabilities would likely attend (schools for the deaf/blind, group home living rooms, the common area at section 8 apartment complexes, work and activity centers, etc.). Then we are actually meeting them in places where they already congregate… instead of trying to fit them into the mold of sitting in a pew, standing/sitting at certain parts of the service, staying quiet during sermons and prayers, etc. The way I see this working is more like the role of a chaplain… as compared to that of an actual pastor (with a salary and an office, etc.). If something like this started in the Evangelical Free Church of America would it gain the needed support from anyone else reading this blogpost?
Pastor John frequently says, run to need and not to comfort. It sounds like you’ve seen a need, Chad, and God has given you an idea.
Why not take some first steps and see what happens? My 80-year-old father was looking around his EFCA church a few months ago and wanted more families to experience what my family has experienced at Bethlehem. Today there is a working committee (he’s pretty persistent) and things are happening.
This fall, in response to some parents of adults with significant cognitive disabilities, we’re initiating an additional way for them (and anyone else interested) to experience church at Bethlehem. In that case, Brenda, our disability coordinator, listened hard to what these families wanted, and the site pastors have been very supportive. We’ve been blessed to have pastoral support and encouragement, and then God has provided volunteers and other resources.
My point is just this – I love what you’re saying, Chad! A call to serve can take you anywhere – and in your case, it might be out into the community to spread the gospel!