In this episode, Lamar Hardwick examines how our theology influences disability ministry and how the experience of disability influences our understanding of God, faith, and life. We will talk about how understanding disability doesn’t begin with having all the right answers, but how understanding disability requires that we ask the right questions.
In this episode, Lamar Hardwick shares six reasons why church leaders, especially those in disability and mental health ministry, may be struggling and how your church family can help them.
In this episode, cohost Lamar Hardwick examines how to find hope when disability seems to limit our ability to participate in things that are important to our Christian faith.
In this episode, Dr. Lamar Hardwick will be examining the role of the healing narratives in the gospels and will try to understand how to ask better questions about God’s role in disability, suffering, and human limitation.
In this episode of Key Ministry: The Podcast, we will be examining how our theology influences disability ministry and how the experience of disability influences our understanding of God, faith, and life. This week’s cohost, Dr. Lamar Hardwick will talk about how understanding disability doesn’t begin with having all the right answers, but how understanding disability requires that we ask the right questions.
Depression and anxiety are real challenges for many people; pastors are no different. The reality that most people will never know is that the calling to be a pastor comes with a hefty price tag. I cannot speak for all pastors, so I will speak for myself and for those whom I personally know who struggle, while watching over the souls of others. Maybe by sharing this way, we can get to the heart of why many pastors are hurting, especially during this difficult time.
One of the challenges I constantly face is change. Change means that the old way is no longer working. Change means that a new way is begging for opportunity. I can’t but help to think that with all the changes we are being forced into making in our churches, the way that we worship God must be at the very top of the list of changes that we are seeking to make.
Since March churches and church leaders have had to find ways to creatively navigate the storm caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. All across the globe, churches have been using ingenuity to engage their congregants that are unable to attend worship gatherings in a centralized physical location. This pandemic is the perfect opportunity for the Church to take inventory of its efforts to include a population of people who have been missing from our weekly gatherings: the disability community.
What has the potential to crush you? In what area of life do you need “space” for spiritual health in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis? Here are three simple steps from Jesus’ life to protect your spiritual, mental and emotional health.
With the spread of COVID-19, we have all found ourselves in the position of not being able to gather together for corporate worship. Christians all over the world have found themselves facing very serious “can’t.” So, what happens when there is a collision between practicing my faith and the reality of life with a disability? What do I do when I can’t?
Serving in ministry can be tough. Wondering whether you’re making a difference or not is natural. Having questions for God about His active role in a world that seems to be retreating from the church and religion means your faith is healthy, and that you care about people. The key to staying encouraged is to know where to look for evidence that Christ working.
When we see the presence of a disability in the New Testament, we are exposed to some very important Kingdom of God values that are essential in the Christian life and in the life of the local church. The value in having leaders with disabilities in our churches is that the church will remain intimately involved with the type of ministry that expresses the heart of God’s kingdom.
How does the church enter the world of the disabled? By embracing the stories of disabled people and their experience with God, because their perspective can provide a profound new understanding of God.
‘Tis the season of waiting, expecting, hoping, dreaming, and if we’re going to be totally honest, Christmas is also a time of worrying. You may think that expectation and anxiety don’t belong together, but when you look closely at the Christmas story, the story is full of things that don’t seem to go together.
Caring for families impacted by disabilities and special needs often means having the calling and the commitment to provide a pastoral care experience that is based on a plan of how best to care for the needs of the family. Here are some things to consider when committing to caring for the spiritual needs of special needs families.
Each church will need to take inventory of how they can best serve the disability community, but there are a few things to strongly consider that may help you make a real impact for God’s glory.
When it comes to special needs ministry, what if God isn’t waiting for us to have all of the answers, but God is waiting on us to simply accept the assignment of loving our neighbors as ourselves?
Two of the most important aspects of doing ministry for and with the disability community are learning how to create long term reciprocal relationships, and choosing to understand the world through the lens of the disability community.
The Christian faith is a relay race, it is the responsibility of each Christian and each church to leave a trail that clears the path for those coming behind us. This is especially true as it relates to disability ministry.
If you want to involve disabled people in ministry and leadership, re-imagine how your current structures, schedules, and systems work. It may be the church itself that is stopping people with disabilities from giving God their best.
Creating a church that is truly inclusive will come with a cost. Wanting a return on investment is not inherently wrong, but when it comes to the fear of being able to finance a special needs ministry, the most important thing to focus on is where the repayment will come from.
Creating a church that is truly inclusive will come with a cost. Wanting a return on investment is not inherently wrong, but when it comes to the fear of being able to finance a special needs ministry, the most important thing to focus on is where the repayment will come from.
Since being diagnosed with autism I have had a large number of people ask me questions about God’s role in the life of the disabled particularly as it relates to divine healing.
Pastor and leaders: if you have a special needs ministry team please show them the same love and appreciation that Paul shares with the church of Thessalonica. It is their faithful work, loving deeds, and enduring hope that is often the engine that secretly powers the mission and purpose of Christ in your congregation.
Pastors, we have been tasked with telling the gospel story in ways that paint a beautiful picture of God’s kingdom, a kingdom that includes the disability community. Let’s preach messages that move our congregations to become more inclusive.
David’s words about how God shepherded him have become my model for pastoral ministry to the special-needs community. Pastors, here are four things to consider when pastoring special-needs families through moments in the valley.
When church leadership is approached about the need to create environments that can serve the needs of the disability and special-needs community, the most common response is a lack of education and lack of resources. In other words, there is no room in the budget, no room in the mission, no room in the vision of the church, and no room for discussion about disability theology.
Churches can learn to serve the special-needs and disability communities by setting up ministries in strategic places along the road that special-needs family travel.
I have found that there are four characteristics of churches that already have the type of environment that can over time serve as a foundation for building a solid special-needs ministry for families who need their support.
Making the shift from doing ministry for persons with disabilities to doing ministry with persons with disabilities can be done in three simple ways.
As a pastor with a developmental disability, I have spent the last four years learning from the story of the prophet Elijah about how to best serve my family, church, and community by giving more attention to the need for self-care in my ministry.