It's essential for individuals with disabilities to act as advocates in churches and faith-based organizations. Sharing their experiences not only increases awareness of their remarkable abilities but can encourage parishioners to find fulfillment in helping to meet needs in the disability community.
All people have needs. While people with disabilities have some unique needs, they have the same basic needs as everyone, like being loved, accepted, recognized, and heard. The church should be one of the first places where this happens. Faith-based arenas are like families where each person is important and a vital part of the bigger effort. No one is small and everyone should be included.
This article highlights the experiences of three ministers who live with cerebral palsy by discussing how they fill the dual role of disability advocate and minister.
Let’s begin by looking at the lives of Jerry Borton and Robyn Stawski. Borton is the co-founder of Luke 14 Exchange based in Lakeland and has helped to start other disability ministries. His duties at Luke 14 include speaking, developing programs for people with disabilities and their families, fundraising, and day-to-day management of the ministry. He also serves as camp pastor at several camps throughout the county for families affected by disability.
Robyn Stawski serves in local ministry positions including the intercessory prayer team in her church and mentoring people who are interested in the disability ministry. Robyn is a speaker at churches and camps throughout the United States. She also goes into children’s hospitals and rehab centers in Tampa, Jacksonville, and Miami, where she talks to families whose lives have suddenly changed with the news of disability. Some of these individuals are people who have sustained brain injuries.
I am the founder of Hidden Treasures Ministries (HTM) which reaches people with disabilities through special events. I speak at churches, conferences, and schools in different states. I am also the author of several books.
Advocacy in the Church
Advocacy is speaking up and letting our voices be heard to bring about positive changes. One of the biggest ways to advocate is by sharing your story and testimony because it can change someone’s viewpoint. I think advocacy is especially needed in churches where lives are to intended to be transformed.
“I have advocated by sharing my testimony and teaching on various disability-related scriptures. Particularly John 9 and Luke 14. I have briefly taught a Sunday school class for the intellectually disabled. I also have disability awareness programs for audiences of all ages. I have taught and lectured on disability ministry at several colleges and seminaries,” Borton said.
Stawski feels like it’s her disability that enables her to relate and minister to other people with disabilities so well. She does this by meeting people’s physical needs, which opens the door for her to meet their spiritual needs. She shares a story of ministering at a church in Springfield, Missouri, where a young man gave his life to Christ because they shared the same disability and surgery scar. Her position as a minister has opened opportunities for her to connect this young man and others to doctors and other professionals.
Meeting Needs
As mentioned earlier, all people have needs and the church is uniquely missioned to meet those needs and be a place of acceptance and love. No one should ever be overlooked and everyone should be included. I saw this at a church I visited in Tennessee where a young man with Down’s syndrome shared his gift of singing.
When asked how people in a church can engage people with disabilities, Borton said, “First, notice the people with disabilities around you in your congregation and your neighborhood.” He then emphasized the importance of learning people’s names. “You can never go wrong by using their name.” Get to know someone’s name and let them know your name, he added. A smile and sharing names can go a long way toward meeting a person’s basic needs.
Stawski shared that the faith-based community needs to become more knowledgeable about relating to people with disabilities and their families. “When welcoming people with disabilities into the family of God, the church needs to become educated in the use of culturally correct terminology when speaking to, or about, people with disabilities.” She also explains that the divorce rate in families affected by disabilities tends to be higher than in other families. As a minister, she feels like she can address this challenge.
Becoming More Involved
I believe that there always needs to be an exchange between everyone involved. This means that people with disabilities need to become more involved in churches. This is where part of the mission of HTM comes into play. The goal is to help people with disabilities learn that they have talents and abilities from God and then create opportunities for them to share their talents with others. These talents can be as simple as a smile, hug, prayer, encouraging words, and the list continues. Everyone has something to offer regardless of their limitations. It is important to remember that you have something that the world needs.
Borton asserts that people with disabilities should never forget to be advocates at church. “Volunteer for stuff that you think would be interesting to you, he advises. What do you think would be the barriers that you would have to deal with in that community or event? When leadership brings up those barriers, share with them how you think you and they could work together to break down that barrier. You are the expert on your disability and how it affects you. Remember that love can break down a lot of walls.”
Stawski sees the disability community as one of the biggest unreached people groups in the church. One of the reasons for this is that people with disabilities look for someone who they can relate to. By becoming involved in a ministry you can become an example for someone else.
Other Ministries
Over time, faith-based organizations have become better at meeting the needs of people with disabilities. Many churches have disability ministries that focus on the needs of children and adults who may need a quieter environment. Others are working to make their services more inclusive. This is a list of a few ministries that we recommend:
Advocacy is important in every part of society, including the church. Faith-based organizations become more effective as they learn how to relate to people with disabilities. It is also important for people with disabilities to volunteer. I encourage everyone to join a family of faith so you can grow in your relationship with God and one another.
Thank you, Jerry and Robyn, for your contributions.
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