The Disappearing Ministry
One of the questions I continually think about is, "How do you get the culture of the church to change so much that your advocacy can fade into the background but the influence remains?" Can we get to a place where an individual can walk through the doors of the church and they will be noticed long before their wheelchair or disability? Can we get to a place where there is no longer a need for a special needs ministry because everyone in the church greets the person, helps them get connected, engages them in ministry, and can come up with accommodations as they are needed?
I have been fortunate to watch the evolution of civil rights from the sidelines. We have such a long way to go, but we are so far from where we used to be. My father was an advocate for civil rights and I know at times he was frustrated that some of the laws put in place to grant civil rights would get twisted and used inappropriately. Often change requires a stage of exaggeration in order for a new normal to develop, however.
As time has marched on, do we notice the wider doorways to accommodate wheelchairs anymore? Do we notice the lowered water fountains? How about the Braille signage? The ramps into buildings? The large print? They have become the norm now.
Could our society change in such a way that we no longer notice the wheelchair, the hearing aides, or the differences in appearances? Or even better, we notice the accommodations but we do not make assumptions about a person because of them.
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