“If I knew what to do, I would start a disability ministry in my church.”

“We do not have anyone in our congregation trained in special education to help us begin a Bible school program for children with disabilities.”

“Is there a training program available that would give me the basics for ministering to people with disabilities and their families through my church?”

Have you made a similar statement? Are you looking for training in disability ministry? If so, help is available!

CCFH Ministries, in conjunction with the Distance Learning Department at Johnson Bible College, has developed an on-line training course in disability ministry. This fully accredited course of study consists of 12-credit hours in four three-hour courses (click to get descriptions).

The instructor, Jim Pierson, has incorporated his years of experience in this training program. The first course introduces the student to the field of disability ministry. The second unit reviews the categories of people with disabilities, while ministry to the family experiencing disability is the focus of the third course. In the final study, the student learns strategies for providing for the spiritual needs of people with disabilities in the church and the community, allowing them to make practical use of the information gained in the study through projects. Past students have completed projects such as labeling their church building to make it more accessible to students with autism, or planning and executing a disability awareness seminar for the church leaders in his community.

When the student completes the course, an attractive, suitable-for-framing certificate will be issued. The information in the four courses will provide the church worker with the information necessary to organize a disability ministry in his/her church.

If you are interested in receiving the Certificate in Disability Ministry, contact the Distance Learning Department at Johnson Bible College (865-251-2254; mketchen@jbc.edu or jfinchum@jbc.edu). She will mail you an application that will give you a student number that allows access to the on-line courses. If you want more information about the content of the courses, contact Sylvia Hemphill at CCFH (865-546-5921; shemphill@ccfh.org). The course work may be completed by mailing the lessons to the Distance Learning Department at JBC. The individual courses may be taken without being enrolled in the certificate program.

The information and training gained from the courses in the certificate program will change the comments of church workers.

“Our Bible school welcomes learners of all abilities.”

“Families with children with disabilities come to our church because we have something to offer them.”

“We feel blessed to teach learners of all abilities about the wonderful love of our Lord.”

Where do you live?

A five year old would respond, “I live with my mommy and daddy in our house.”

A nineteen year old might answer, “I have a job and live in my own apartment.”

Another nineteen year old would answer, “I am in college. I live in the dorm.”

Where we live is a part of the human experience. Generally, most of us live with our parents until we move to a job, go to college, or establish our own family. We really do not spend a lot of time thinking about it. It just happens.

For adults with developmental disabilities, the process just does not happen. A family member or a social worker will help them find a place to live. Special housing arrangements are available through private and public organizations.

The current procedure is to provide independent living in the community. In recent years, group homes have shrunk in size from twenty to four people; nursing homes are not considered appropriate placements unless there is a health problem; and large institutions are being closed. The guiding philosophy is to place the person in the community and provide the support to make him successful. Through special funding programs, some people with developmental disabilities own their own condos.

While the current approach to housing for adults with developmental disabilities has improved, most of them continue to live with their families after public education has ended. There are several reasons this may occur: the cost for residential services can be prohibitive, there may be long waiting lists, the person may not meet entrance criteria, or a family may want to care for their loved one at home as long as they can.

To help families with their need for residential care for their son or daughter, CCFH Ministries provides two kinds of programs: group home living and independent living.

Group Home Living

CCFH Ministries operates two group homes in Louisville, Tennessee. Called Riverwood Christian Community, the facilities are located in a rural setting on the banks of the Tennessee River and have been licensed by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation.

In order to live at Riverwood, the person must be over 18 years of age and have a developmental disability. In addition, the applicant must be capable of self-preservation, meeting basic personal needs, and working or attending a day program.

Each resident has a private room, has a job, helps with household chores, and attends church. The resident is encouraged to be the best he can be.

A trained, Christian staff is on duty around the clock to care for the residents. The staff carries out our purpose to help residents achieve their highest level of independence in a Christ-centered environment. To apply or ask for additional information, click here.

Independent Living Program

CCFH Ministries also provides an Independent Living Program. This program allows the person with a developmental disability to live and function in the community. They are trained to use public transportation, assisted with making their own appointments, provided with money management assistance, taught cooking and nutritional eating habits, and encouraged to participate in the life of a church and the community at large.

A staff member is available to the residents. While the staff has a routine of seeing the residents’ needs are met, the staffing pattern is on an “as-needed” basis.

In order to qualify for the program, the person must be 18 or over and have a developmental disability. In addition, the applicant must be able to self-preserve, self-medicate, and hold a job. To apply or get additional information, click here.

My name is Jim Pierson and it is a pleasure to welcome you to Exceptional Teaching Online. I have spent a lot of my adult life working to encourage churches to include people with disabilities in their hearts and programs, and the aim of this program is to enable you to do the same!

Introduction

In the early days, few churches were including people with disabilities and the interest was sparse. Workshops at Christian education conferences were not well attended, some published materials were available but difficult to find, and the leadership of churches did not give disability ministry a high priority. However, there has been a phenomenal growth in the number of churches that include people with disabilities. From the small congregation that includes a couple of children with special needs to the large church with a paid staff and numerous programs, the disability ministry movement continues to grow.

It is important to think about the reasons for this positive change. First, the nature of disability has changed. Today there are more children with autism (the numbers are as high as 1 in 166 births), more children with emotional problems (1 in 5), and learning disabilities (more than half of the students served by special education). These students are included in public school with their peers, so why not include them in church? A second reason for the change is the number of churches who have children’s ministers/pastors. When a family brings a child with a disability to the Christian education program of the church, it is the children’s pastor who sees the need, looks for information to help, and becomes the child’s advocate.

Because churches are recognizing their responsibility toward people with disabilities, their leaders are looking for training to help them with ministry. CCFH Ministries felt the need to develop a simple, accessible training product. Exceptional Teaching Online is that product.

In 2002, Standard Publishing Company published my book Exceptional Teaching. Since its appearance, we have received many positive comments about the value of the book for starting a disability ministry. Having a resource that contains a description of the various categories of learners with disabilities, some ideas on how to teach them, and suggestions for a broader ministry has been helpful. With this positive reaction and with many churches asking for training to get their ministries off the ground and to enhance existing ones, we decided to create a training resource.

Using Exceptional Teaching as a base, we developed a set of training materials and asked churches across the country to use and evaluate the materials, while providing their reactions. Fifty churches participated and their feedback is included in this website.

Interactive Modules

The centerpiece of this site is a six-module program complete with video segments, interactive exercises, and additional resources that provides the core training materials. Specifically the modules discuss:

1. Steps for Beginning a Disability Ministry
2. Designing a Christian Education Component
3. Creating a Classroom Environment to Accommodate a Disability Ministry
4. Planning to Include People with Disabilities in the Life of the Church
5. Planning a Ministry with the Family Experiencing Disability
6. Planning for Community Outreach

Exceptional Teaching Online comes with numerous additional resources. One of the most popular features of Exceptional Teaching has been reworked with the online user in mind. The descriptions of more than 75 diagnoses and techniques for the Sunday school teacher to use with them are available. We have also included a list of churches that have disability ministry programs, along with a number of other resources for starting, growing, and maintaining a disability ministry.

Our hope is that this site will be an ever-growing resource for developing materials and information. The Blog is a user-generated resource where good ideas and information for disability ministries are presented, needs are shared, and churches make their disability ministries known.

So, what is the purpose of Exceptional Teaching Online?

It is providing the training to make the church accessible to our friends with disabilities. Jesus invites: “Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends” (Revelation 3:20). Jesus’ invitation is inclusive. Everyone is welcome at His table, regardless of race, social standing, educational level, income, or disability. All the dinner guest needs to do is hear the call and open the door. A person with a disability might have some difficulty with the actions of hearing and opening the door. The purpose of this Exceptional Teaching Online is to provide the information necessary to train church staffs and volunteers to help people with disabilities accept Jesus’ inclusive invitation to share a meal with Him.