Finding the Sweet Spot for Service in Diverse Congregations
Jun 21, 2024
Tracie Corll
Imagine a church where every person, regardless of their abilities, can serve and be served, growing in faith together. That's the vision discussed in our latest episode, drawing from my expertise in family ministry with a focus on disability ministry. We're navigating away from isolated disability programs towards a future where inclusivity is woven into the very fabric of church life. Discover the innovative buddy system and why shifting from a mindset of pity to one of compassion is crucial for finding everyone's 'sweet spot' for service within the community.
With powerful stories like Noah's, which showcases his problem-solving prowess, we illustrate the profound impact that inclusive service can have on both individuals and the church at large. We also reflect on the beautiful ways God's work is accomplished through the lives of all His followers, including those with disabilities, such as a quadriplegic author and a child whose brief life left a lasting legacy. Join us for an inspiring conversation that promises not just to challenge your perceptions, but also to equip you with practical knowledge for empowering every member of your church to live out their calling.
Imagine a church where every person, regardless of their abilities, can serve and be served, growing in faith together. That's the vision discussed in our latest episode, drawing from my expertise in family ministry with a focus on disability ministry. We're navigating away from isolated disability programs towards a future where inclusivity is woven into the very fabric of church life. Discover the innovative buddy system and why shifting from a mindset of pity to one of compassion is crucial for finding everyone's 'sweet spot' for service within the community.
With powerful stories like Noah's, which showcases his problem-solving prowess, we illustrate the profound impact that inclusive service can have on both individuals and the church at large. We also reflect on the beautiful ways God's work is accomplished through the lives of all His followers, including those with disabilities, such as a quadriplegic author and a child whose brief life left a lasting legacy. Join us for an inspiring conversation that promises not just to challenge your perceptions, but also to equip you with practical knowledge for empowering every member of your church to live out their calling.
Speaker 1:
Hi, my name is Tracy Corral and welcome to Indispensable People. I'm a wife, mom, teacher, pastor and missionary, and I believe that every person should have the opportunity to know Christ, grow in Him and serve Him with the gifts that he has given, no matter their ability. Over 65 million Americans have a disability. That's 25% of the population. However, over 80% of them are not inside the walls of our church. Let's dive into those hard topics biblical foundations, perceptions and world-changing ideas. Hey, hey, welcome to this episode of Indispensable People. Thank you for joining me and I am ready to talk about some disability ministry models. And you might be thinking maybe this is a podcast I don't want to listen to, but I'm going to guarantee you it's going to have some good stuff. It's not just going to be structurally bound or just stuck into what it should or should not be. This is a place where ideas can be shared, thoughts can be made out. I think if you think about an individual with autism, their comment is made this way If you know one person with autism, you know one person with autism. And I'm going to say if you know one church, you know one church, because every church is different, our structures are different, our setup is different. Our goals, our visions, although ultimately are the same, our goals, our visions, although ultimately are the same, have some difference. Some churches are very outreach oriented. Some churches are very discipleship oriented all different kinds of things. So we're going to kind of talk about how does that work within disability ministry.
Speaker 1:
Now I can tell you, when I was taking my master's classes I have a master's degree in family ministry with a concentration in disability ministry One of my absolute most favorite classes was a family ministry and it talked about the different types of family ministry models. And I was never so excited to have Dr Hunter as my professor. He is the CEO of Randall House Publishing. He also if you have ever heard of the D6 Conference, which is a family ministry model conference company. They're absolutely incredible, love lots of their stuff and learning about family ministry was so exciting to me because so many of our ministries within our church run in silos men's and they're separated and they don't necessarily overlap or touch in the basis of what they're teaching, learning goals and what they're doing in a sense.
Speaker 1:
And the family ministry model says we do this like a family, everything that we do is interconnected and I absolutely believe the disability ministry has its place, that there is a silo for disability ministry, and it should exist. However, it should never exist on its own. It should always be connected to kids ministry, youth ministry, women's ministry, men's ministry, the adult ministry, whatever else is going on in the church, because disability is so vast, whatever else is going on in the church, because disability is so vast, it is so large that it really impacts all those different pieces and part to the church, and it is absolutely incredible and important that we make those silos come together, that they are not separate and on their own, because a kids ministry is tied to the big church, right, and so is youth ministry, and if we don't ever connect them, we don't know how to include others to be a part of the church outside of those ministries. Also, those ministries are very accommodating. Okay, kids ministry runs a certain way and looks a certain way because kids have different needs than adults, and youth ministry looks very different than adult ministry because they have different needs. However, we become so specific in providing that whenever we transition back into those other ministries, we actually lose quite a bit, and so what we want to do is we want to, yes, provide a peace and a place for different types of ministries to exist within the church.
Speaker 1:
Because, just like women's ministry exists, because women live a different life than men, and so there's ministry that serves specifically to their needs, they still have to cooperate and function and be a part of. Women are married and they have homes with children and they have grown, jobs and different things like that that impact their lives that aren't just specifically directed or impacted by being a woman or specifically their impact of being a woman impacts all those other pieces and parts of life that they will be a part of or included with, and so it is really really important to not only serve in just one way or only be able to participate in ministry in just one way. And we can look at ministry models of disability ministry long ago, and we can look at historical models which really, let's be honest, were either non-existent or secluded. There are disability ministry models that are historical, that have hidden people, that have kept them behind, that have only focused on healing and maybe have not given them a place to serve within the church. Now you have probably, if you've listened to my podcast, you have heard me in the past talk about the vision and mission of the church that I serve at, the Disabilding Ministry, and it is so that every person has the opportunity to know Christ, grow in Him and serve Him. And I would say our historical model has moved from being a hidden, separated thing to OK, we're going to start including and we're going to start discipling.
Speaker 1:
That has been an easy piece in part for people to be considered and used on and I would say that is probably the most functional newest model that exists and I'm going to share some information with you. That talks about a person named Julie Bone. It's B-O-H-N so I may not be pronouncing that correctly, but she talks about Sunday school classes and Bible classes and worship services that can be opportunities for individuals with disabilities to be a part of the church. They may have something called a worship buddy and helps them to memorize Bible verses or aid in understanding the meaning behind the words or scripture or those kind of things. And she advocates for training what she calls personal shepherd who can aid an individual with a disability through an entire church service. When I train churches, I talk about a buddy who can come alongside an individual with a disability to help them navigate the services and events that the church has to offer. Now, those are not necessarily super new approaches, right, they have been in existence for quite a while. However, the frequency or the normality of them being used would be a little bit more questionable. So they have been in use and the practices have been suggested. However, they may not be normalized.
Speaker 1:
But also, there's a very, very, very important piece missing from that strategy or that ministry model, and the piece that is missing is so, if you remember, I said that our vision or our mission for our disability ministry in my home church is so that everyone can know God, they can grow in Him and they can serve Him with the gifts that he has given. So know and grow are actually the easier portions, because that's something that we have. If the church is serving individuals with disabilities and they have any type of discipleship opportunities, that's happening. Right. The gospel is accessible if you can get inside the church and be a part of their programs in some sort or another, and so that is actually more normalized. I'm not saying it is as normal as it should be. It's definitely got a way to go.
Speaker 1:
But the biggest piece that most churches are missing is the serving. Now, every single person is created with a plan and a purpose. They're here because God had something for them to do. We also know that the Great Commission is so that all may know, right, go and spread the gospel. And it didn't say except for there is no asterisk that says that a certain people group doesn't have that responsibility. So that can look very, very different depending upon the person. Right, not every person is called to stand on stage and use a microphone. Not every single person is called to lead a group of people. Not everyone has a gift of organization.
Speaker 1:
But there are so many pieces and parts to serving in the church that make the church the church that there is really an opportunity for people to serve in different capacities, no matter what their abilities are. And again, each person was created on purpose, given gifts and talents that God has ordained for them, and so we just need to figure out what those gifts and talents are, and if we are not utilizing those in the body of Christ, then our church is missing out, our community is missing out, unbelievers are missing out on what people with disabilities have to offer through the church, through serving, through spreading of the gospel. Chris Hulshoff says this. It says this type of ministry must be flexible so that it can best work for the various disability needs represented by the community of faith. However, the end result of disability ministry is more than just a feeling of belonging to a community. Instead, disability ministry should pave the road for the gospel to be demonstrated and presented to those who participate. If we don't have individuals with disabilities serving within our church, then we are not being as effective as the church.
Speaker 1:
Now here's where we come back to another term that I have shared and used with many different podcasts, and a friend of mine said if you don't get it on a shirt soon, I'm making it myself, soon I'm making it myself is that I always say that pity blocks purpose, but compassion leads to understanding and gives way to purpose, and so what we need to understand is that we need, when we consider the serving portion of a ministry model, and make sure that, no matter what our initial models look like whether they're siloed, connected, joined, you know whatever we need to know that the serving portion doesn't come out of pity. Okay, many times I've told people listen, I absolutely love to sing. Okay, I have lots of fun singing. I love to do it in the car with my windows rolled up and I can sing as loud as I want, but listen, nobody wants to listen to me, I'll hurt their ears. Okay, if you want to clear out your church on a Sunday morning, invite me in. I'll sing a couple tunes and we'll scare everybody away.
Speaker 1:
Just because I love to sing doesn't mean I should lead worship, okay, um, this goes for all the different facets of disability ministry and serving people of all abilities within your church. Just because they enjoy something or something is fun for them, doesn't mean that that is their gift and talent that God has given them to serve him and to make him known and to spread the gospel. So we need to be cautious in the way that we serve people. Okay, I always say, in the different aspects of things that I serve in, everybody has a sweet spot. Okay, some people are like, listen, little kids are not my sweet spot, but I love working with youth or you know, whatever it may be.
Speaker 1:
Organization, maybe for one person, organization is not it. But if you need an event set up for somebody else, they're there, they're doing it. Maybe setting up tables and chairs and cleaning up, or being part of the teardown team or whatever it is. There's so many opportunities within a church to serve that. We need to capitalize on that.
Speaker 1:
A lot of times I'll talk to my son about setup for something and he'll say, well, what about this? Did you think about that? And some people may discount him in that area because he has a disability, but he loves to problem solve. So whenever I have a problem in setup and considerations of things that I'm doing, I'm going to Noah, because Noah's going to say what about this? What about that? What about this? Now, I don't always take his ideas. I don't always utilize everything he says. Sometimes his suggestion brings about a conversation that brings us to the conclusion.
Speaker 1:
However, it is so very important that we remember that people with disabilities have something to offer in the body of Christ and that we open up the opportunities not just for knowing God and serving and growing in him, but also serving, and those are all components that are a part of God's plan for each person's life, and we can do something incredible with each life that God has brought to this world so that we can make him known. And listen. You may be thinking okay, so what about individuals who are nonverbal? What about individuals who are quadriplegic? There are so many different things to consider.
Speaker 1:
I know well, I don't know him personally, but I know his wife and I know that he was quadriplegic. He was in an accident and he may not have been able to pick up a pen or a pencil to write, but he does have a book that is authored by him. He had words and things to offer the world that makes a difference and has been incredible in serving and spreading the gospel. Now also, I know of a little kiddo who I know the story of a little kiddo who was born. They did not have much time to live and spend in this world, but the story of that child's life and the way that their parents and that child lived it out was a testimony to their church and their community and it changed the lives of people that were surrounded by that child. That child was not shunned away. That child was not hidden but greeted at the door with his parents.
Speaker 1:
And there's so much more to serving God than being on a stage holding a microphone.
Speaker 1:
And I would like to say probably the majority of what happens inside the walls of a church and in outreach happen for things that we don't know or see about, and that's the group of people that are needed. You need different types of contributors to the body of Christ, of contributors to the body of Christ, and God knew that, which is why he created people with gifts and talents that could help the body of Christ. So let's be influencers in that way, let's be conductors in that way. Let's look for the sweet spots for people that, as they know God and they grow in Him, that they can then serve Him with the gifts and talents that he has given them to advance His kingdom. Do I know everything about disability ministry? Do I have all the answers? Have I done everything perfectly? I have absolutely not, but we are going to continue this conversation so that people of all abilities can have the opportunity to know Christ, grow in Him and serve Him with the gifts that he has given them. Thank you, you.
