My wife, Jennifer, and I have three children: two daughters and a son. They all have needs, but our son, Micah, has special needs that have made church participation challenging at times.

Micah, 21, has cerebral palsy, autism and epilepsy. Early on, doctors gave us little hope he would ever walk, talk, or do much of anything.

Thankfully, our son did learn to walk and talk. He also learned to follow Jesus and point others to Him.

Among other things, Micah has served as a greeter and prayer team member at our church. His verbal repertoire remains limited, but Micah communicates the love of Christ with a warm smile and an enthusiastic high-five at the doors, and he prays passionately and powerfully in the Spirit around the altars. A number of people have reported experiencing healing after Micah interceded for them.

Above all, Micah loves to worship. After church, he often returns to the recorded service online, joining in again with exuberant praise.

Micah will always need someone to care for him. He will always need some accommodations when he attends church. And his life and example will always inspire us to advocate for Micah and others like him.

Jennifer and I serve as Assemblies of God U.S. missionaries to the disabled. We are also the founders of Ability Tree, a nonprofit organization with a vision of increasing inclusiveness and support for individuals with disabilities and their families.

In every community, there are people with disabilities. Tragically, many of them stay away from church because attending is too difficult.

Jesus wants everyone to have an opportunity to know and serve Him. Therefore, inclusion and accessibility must be priorities for His Church.

Is your congregation ready to welcome someone like Micah? Do you have flexible systems in place to accommodate attendees with special needs? Do you know how to come alongside caregivers, integrating them into the life of your congregation and supporting them beyond the Sunday service?

Here are three things families like mine are looking for in a church:

Welcoming Environment

When people show up at church, every member of your team — from staff pastors to parking attendants — should be ready to make them feel welcome. Otherwise, they may not return.

This is especially true for a visitor navigating the foyer with an oxygen tank or trying to calm a child on the verge of a sensory meltdown.

It can be intimidating approaching someone who has a disability you can see but may not understand. However, you don’t have to be a medical professional or special education teacher to welcome people with disabilities. You just need to love them and get to know them.

When you don’t know what to say to someone with autism, Down syndrome, or mobility issues, it might be tempting to avoid saying anything at all. Nevertheless, your discomfort is no excuse for leaving guests feeling invisible or unwelcome.

Like everyone else,
people with disabilities
need a relationship with
God and community
with others.

Simply approach with a smile and introduce yourself. Learn and remember names, and let everyone know you are glad they came.

If parents share that their child has a disability, connect them with a point person who can talk with them about the child’s needs and how best to include him or her. Be sure everyone on your team knows who the point person is.

Purchase some common sensory tools, such as headphones and fidget toys, and make them available to parents.

Have extra volunteers in the kids’ area who can step in and assist children with special needs.

Jesus welcomed and ministered to all kinds of people, including individuals with disabilities. Shouldn’t His followers do the same?

Willingness to Learn

When Micah was born, we knew little about his particular needs. But we learned. Love compelled us to understand as much as possible about our son so we could care for him and nurture him well.

It is a fitting metaphor for the kind of teachable posture a church family should assume.

Learn about a person’s disability, but also learn about the person. Each individual has a unique story and personality, likes and dislikes, interests and needs. And each one has gifts and talents to offer the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:7).

Like everyone else, people with disabilities need a relationship with God and community with others. While getting to know them, you will learn how best to come alongside them, disciple them, and help them use their gifts.

Start with communication. Ask people how you can serve them. Listen, learn, and grow.

When planning activities or outings, keep in mind that some participants may have sensory or physical needs, and find ways to include them.

Making your church more inclusive is not about launching a new ministry. It’s about changing your culture so people with disabilities can more easily participate in existing ministries of the church — from the nursery to senior adults — with adaptations or modifications as needed.

Inclusion doesn’t mean everyone does the same thing. It means everyone is welcomed and included.

Wraparound Support

Micah is our middle child. Full-time caregiving can take a toll on families like ours. A disabled child’s needs often require extensive time and resources, leaving siblings feeling left out and overlooked.

Further, parents of disabled children often have little opportunity to rest. Over time, this can take a toll on physical, mental, spiritual, and marital health.

Imagine the difference it could make if your church provided a few hours of respite for caregivers of disabled children. One way to do this is by hosting a weekly or monthly parents’ night out event.

Respite care gives parents a chance to catch up on rest, spend time together as a couple, enjoy a special outing with another child, or take care of anything else that needs attention.

Consider providing activities for siblings at the same time. This gives the parents a complete rest. The siblings can interact with kids from other special needs families, developing a support network with peers who can relate to them.

Making respite care available to your community will open relational doors and point people to Jesus.

Start by casting the vision to your congregation. Then recruit volunteers and equip them with specialized training. Finally, get the word out to special needs families in your area.

The needs of the disability community should never keep us from ministering to them. Instead, these needs should motivate us all the more to reach out to the disabled and include them in the life of the church.

This article appears in the Summer 2022 edition of Influence magazine.