How inclusive is your church?
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:
- Steps for Beginning a Disability Ministry
- Designing a Christian Education Component
- Creating a Classroom Environment to Accommodate a Disability Ministry
- Planning to Include People with Disabilities in the Life of the Church
- Planning a Ministry with the Family Experiencing Disability
- 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.