Sandra Peoples was recently asked what qualifications she has to fulfill her ministry role. Maybe it’s a question you’ve asked yourself! What qualifications and characteristics do you need to advocate for families and help your church be more accessible? If you’re called to do disability ministry but don’t always feel qualified, this episode is for you
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Hi friends, I’m Sandra Peoples, and this is Episode 120 of Key Ministry the podcast. I grew up with a sister with Down syndrome and have a son with level three autism. My husband is a pastor, and I’ve helped the churches we’ve been a part of start disability ministries. I work for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention as their disability ministry consultant, and through that role I’ve helped close to 200 churches start or strengthen their disability ministries. I previously worked for Key Ministry (which as you may know, is one of the leading parachurch organizations in the country for disability inclusion), and currently serve on their board of directors. I have worked with Lifeway to record training videos and write a guide book that’s free on their website to download. I have a master of divinity degree from a seminary, and I’m halfway through a PhD program getting a degree in family ministry with an emphasis on inclusion for special needs families. I teach classes at Liberty University in disability ministry. I’m a published author with a new book coming out in July on inclusion for people with disabilities and their families. I’ve written for Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, and other popular sites, and I’ve spoken at disability ministry and children’s ministry conferences across the country.
At this point you’re probably wondering why I started off our conversation today with a list of all these things. You may have even tuned me out somewhere in the middle of that list because it got kinda long. But here’s why I started today’s episode with my resume bullet points: recently I was visiting a church that had asked me to do a consultation and give advice on how they could better include kids with disabilities and their families. And the first question I got from one of the volunteers was: What qualifies you to do this?
She didn’t know me, so it was a fair question. She was probably told by the children’s ministry leader that they had someone coming in to help and she was invited to meet with us if she wanted to. But her question did sting a little bit. I didn’t know how to answer her. What did she think would qualify me? Education? I have theological education, but I don’t have a degree in special ed. I’m also not trained as a therapist. Almost 20 years ago when I was in a master’s program I don’t think there were many degree options for disability ministry. I certainly didn’t know of any.
Maybe she was asking about my experience? But would my experience as a family member to a sibling and a son with disabilities count, or did she think only actual church experience should count? I’m a pastor’s wife, but I’ve never been on staff at a church, getting paid to oversee a disability ministry. Would she think the bigger the church the more qualified I would be? Because the churches I’ve been a part of are normal sized churches. Again, because I’m a pastor’s wife, I attend the church my husband pastors. And so far they haven’t been in the mega-range.
On the long drive home, I kept replaying her question and all my possible answers over and over. For every qualification I could think she might be judging me by, I could also think of ways I didn’t meet those expectations. It played into my deepest insecurities and doubts. Maybe you have similar insecurities and doubts about your qualifications.
So what would qualify me or you to do disability ministry? Even though inclusion in churches has been happening for decades, disability ministry leadership as a vocation is still fairly new. There isn’t a clear path from point A to point B—from feeling a call to disability ministry to doing disability ministry. Even those in churches that are hiring disability ministry leaders don’t always know what to look for. Young people starting out in the field don’t know the most direct path to reach their goals.
In today’s episode, let’s talk through our callings and our qualifications together. I hope it will be encouraging no matter what role you have in advocacy!
Let’s start with calling. In Scripture, we see two types of callings—general callings to everyone and callings to specific people for a specific purpose or role. As it relates to inclusion for people with disabilities, all Christ-followers are called to some level of advocacy. Leviticus 19:14 says, “You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God; I am the Lord.” Jesus himself gave us examples to follow on how to include people with disabilities and care for others, including in Matthew 21:12-14 when he drove the money changers out of the temple area so the blind and the lame could have access to him and to the temple area.
Callings for specific people at specific times are also throughout the pages of Scripture. Mordecai tells Esther, “Who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” in Esther 4:14 because she had a unique relationship with the king and could use her position to save her people.
David also had a unique, specific calling, and I think we can look at it for a couple of minutes and apply his calling to our own. In 1 Samuel 16, God told Samuel that a new king would take Saul’s place. God sent Samuel to the home of Jesse the Bethlehemite, where Jesse introduced Samuel to his family. Samuel thought the first man presented to him had potential, but God said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Seven of Jesse’s sons were introduced to Samul, but the future king wasn’t one of those seven. Samuel asked Jesse if he had any more sons, and Jesse said his youngest was in the field with the sheep. When the youngest, David, arrived home and was introduced to Samuel, God said “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” (v. 12).
God picked the one with the heart of a king even if he didn’t yet have the appearance of a king. And he was picked for his leadership role while he was already serving. He was not seeking out recognition or a new position. His role was shepard, and he was good at it. In chapter 17, David told King Saul that when he kept sheep for his dad, he fought off lions and bears to protect the flock. But not even that was done in his own power. David said in 1 Sam. 17:37, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” That experience gave David confidence that God will be with him when he faced new challenges, even the giant Philistine Goliath.
When we look at David’s path to being king and compare it to our own, what do we see that’s similar? The source. What qualified David? God. What qualifies you for disability ministry? God. He calls you. He equips you. He sustains you. Just like He did for David.
Because God looks at the heart, He’s looking beyond what others see. He’s looking for the characteristics that make a good leader, and those characteristics are seen in someone who is already serving with faithfulness in his or her current role. When I hear from a young person interested in disability ministry, I can recommend books to read and even degrees to get. But my number one recommendation is to start serving where they currently are, to be faithful at their home church in this season, and then see what God will call them to in the future.
Friends, your path to leadership in disability ministry won’t look like anyone else’s, but it is still ordained and guided by God. He will use all your experiences to get you ready for your leadership role. He will be faithful each step of the way, so when you face a new challenge, you can remember your strength comes from Him and that He is always with you. And if others ask, you can tell them the One who called you is the One who qualifies you. And that’s what matters most.
Thanks for listening today! I hope this episode was an encouragement to you! If you appreciate the content we provide through this podcast, the best way to say thank you is by leaving a 5 star rating and a positive review on Apple podcast or wherever you listen. Your ratings and reviews help other ministry leaders find this podcast and decide if it would be helpful for them as well! We appreciate your support, and we’ll meet you back here next week for a new episode!
