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Editor’s note: Each year on the second Sunday in July, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention churches celebrate Disability Ministry Sunday as a reminder of our calling to make the gospel accessible to all people. Disability Ministry Sunday this year is July 12.
In 2020, Lifeway Research shared the results of a study on church accessibility. They found that 99% of Protestant pastors and 97% of Protestant churchgoers believed that people with disabilities would feel welcome at their churches.
When families like mine read these results, we were astounded. Based on our experiences, we knew the percentage of churches that are accessible and welcoming to our families was nowhere near 99%. There was clearly a gap between what pastors and churchgoers believed and what people with disabilities and their families experienced.
Part of that gap comes down to two words in the question: “disabilities” and “welcome.” “Disabilities” is one word that describes thousands of experiences. It describes a senior adult using a wheelchair for mobility and a 10-year-old who has an autism diagnosis. There’s a big difference in what they need from a church to participate.
The word “welcome” is also broad. Does it mean a person in a wheelchair can get in the building because there’s a ramp? Or does it mean there are opportunities for the 10-year-old to be discipled at his level of cognitive understanding in a sensory environment where he feels safe and calm?
When families hear that churches believe they are welcoming, they are still left wondering exactly what that means for their loved one with a disability. What steps of accessibility and inclusion is the church taking?
These families make up a considerable percentage of the population across Texas. For many of them, Sunday morning is not a time of rest and spiritual renewal. Think about the experience of that family that has a 10-year-old with autism. Church can be a logistical challenge filled with uncertainty about whether their child will be accepted, whether staff will know how to respond if he has a meltdown, and whether they will be able to sit in the service or spend the entire hour in the hallway.
I reached out to my local school district to ask how many students are in the special education program, either under an individualized education program or 504 support, which provides accommodations to students with disabilities. They said it’s close to 25%. That means 25% of the kids and teens in my Houston suburb need accommodations to learn at school. These same students may need accommodations at church to learn, participate, and respond to the gospel as well. But do our children’s and youth ministry volunteers feel equipped to meet these needs? Are our worship services accessible to those with physical and sensory needs? Do people with disabilities have opportunities to serve their churches with the gifts God has given them?
It’s also worth remembering that disability touches nearly every family at some point. A car accident, a diagnosis, the natural aging process—any of these can bring disability into a household that never anticipated it. When that moment comes, the church has a profound opportunity to be a source of comfort, community, and hope—but only if it has already done the work of becoming a place where people with disabilities are genuinely known and included, not just tolerated. For many churches, there are still steps they can take, but they may not be aware of the resources available to help.
"If you want to reach people with disabilities, share the gospel with them, and include them in your church’s opportunities for discipleship, worship, fellowship, and service."
Church accessibility for people with disabilities will be a big topic at this year’s Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Orlando. The Disability Ministry Task Force, appointed last year by the Executive Committee, will present its findings and recommendations. They will include recommendations for state conventions, and I’m happy to report the SBTC is already leading the way in meeting these recommendations. We have a disability ministry consultant available to talk about the steps your church can take. We have six regional specialists who can evaluate your church’s current level of accessibility and lead trainings for volunteers and church leaders. Our team includes a specialist who can equip our Spanish-speaking churches.
Another way we support churches seeking to be more accessible is through our Disability Ministry Network, which includes a newsletter and a Facebook group. These opportunities are available to any church leader or volunteer who wants to keep up with trainings and conference sessions, learn more about resources, and ask questions that other ministry leaders can respond to with their experience and expertise.
Lifeway Research recently did a follow-up study to the one released in 2020. Those results have not yet been released, but I anticipate a decline in the number of pastors and churchgoers who say people with disabilities would feel welcome at their churches. But that will be good news! It will show that more churches are aware of the needs they aren’t currently meeting for people with disabilities in their communities. That realization is the first step in reaching out for help and getting training so your children’s ministry, youth ministry, and every ministry in your church will feel equipped and ready to include the people with disabilities and their families God will bring to your church.
The mission field is ripe with opportunity. If you want to reach people with disabilities, share the gospel with them, and include them in your church’s opportunities for discipleship, worship, fellowship, and service—then reach out for help. Start by joining our Disability Ministry Network and let us know what steps you want to take from there. Let’s make every SBTC church a place where every special-needs family is welcome and included.
