A Practical Toolkit for Inclusive Ministry
The Church and Disability toolkit offers churches and Christian communities a rich collection of materials to deepen their understanding of disability and to grow towards genuine inclusion.
Church and Disability
Many people with a disability experience barriers in daily life and in the church. At the same time, the Bible shows that every person is willed by God and has an indispensable place in the body of Christ. This toolkit helps churches, from that conviction, to look after one another more consciously and to grow in true community.
In the document you will find an extensive set of materials to support leaders, youth workers, church members and diaconal teams. It not only offers background information on different forms of disability, but especially helps to see how we as a church can live together as one body – with attention to vulnerability, dignity and each person’s gifts.
The toolkit includes, among other things:
-
Biblical reflections on humanity, care, healing and inclusion
-
Practical scans to map how accessible and inclusive your church currently is
-
Case studies that help address concrete situations from church life
-
Work forms and games that create awareness within groups or training sessions
-
Sermon outlines, Bible studies and Sunday school material to involve the whole congregation in the topic
-
Guidelines on attitude and language use, with respect and dignity as the starting point
The toolkit has been developed from international experience in church and mission, with contributions from various contexts. The material emphasizes that inclusion goes further than only “accessibility”: it is about genuine connectedness, in which people with and without disabilities are a blessing to one another.
Let yourself be inspired and equipped. May this material contribute to a church that – in the footsteps of Christ – welcomes, hears, sees and gives a place to everyone in the community.
