Ministry Growing Pains

     When Bill and I first started the special needs ministry at our church the people we served were very young.  They were pre-school age or not even born yet.  Even though we were very inexperienced, it was relatively easy because the children were so young.

     Now the children are in their teens and young twenties and that has greatly changed the dynamics of the ministry.  There are different needs physically, socially, emotionally and spiritually when 16 years have passed.  The growing pains can be incredibly difficult but they can also be very exciting.  When ministry is going smoothly we tend to take the ministry for granted.  We turn to God less and so often hold onto the ministry too tightly and don't seek the Lord's direction.  When you are in the midst of growing pains, however, you have to turn your focus back on God and look for His guidance.  Then God came reveal His plans for the future.

     Many years ago my father said, "You will know your ministry is successful when you can no longer see it.  It should be in the very fabric of your church."  Unfortunately I didn't have enough time left with my dad to fully understand what that would mean.  Bill and I have had to learn on our own and I am still wrestling with that question.  Dad talked about the physical aspects of our building and how the facility was in compliance with disability accessibility, but the harder part would be in relationships.  How do you help the church grow in such a way that a person with a disability can walk through the doors of the church and feel welcomed and assimilated into the church family no matter what avenue they used to come in?  In other words, they need to feel comfortable in the church as a whole, not just in the special needs ministry.  

     How do we help the wheelchairs, glasses, hearing aids, and other aids disappear so we can see the person?  Then later add them back in as just another dimension of that person?  How do we help the totality of a church body not be afraid, but simply embrace the people God brings to them?

     I still don't have the answers, but I keep mulling something over.  When we started the ministry we named it and gave it an identity.  It was put under children's ministry because we were serving children.  I wonder if the the best thing to do now would be to start at the top and work our way down.  We have a valuable asset in our church and that is the elderly.  They often have physical challenges.  They are experiencing a great deal of transition and may feel they don't have a place in the church anymore.  What if we invest some time in gleaning from their wisdom?  Ask questions about how they feel connected or disconnected in the church.  Make sure they understand their value and help them find a place to serve if they aren't already.  They may need some accommodations to be able to serve, but we can learn so much from them.  If we get in the habit of making sure our family members feel welcome, nurtured and assimilated into the church family, the very fabric of our church can change and grow.  Do we believe that everyone is created in God's image?  Do we believe that everyone has been given gifts and can serve in the church?  If the answer to those questions is yes, then find a way for everyone to serve and grow and feel welcome.  You may have to make some mistakes, but the investment will be worth it.  

     The music world would be different without the talent of Stevie Wonder.  Our history would have been different without the inspiration of Helen Keller.  Your church will be different without the young lady with Down Syndrome that is impacting your church...one hug at a time.

     God always has an amazing plan.  I cannot wait to see what God is going to do next.  In the meantime, I will look for His footprints in ministry and in the lives of the people He brings through the church doors.