Dr. Steve Grcevich: Hello! This is Dr. Steve Grcevich. I'm the president and founder of Key Ministry, and I am delighted to welcome all of you to Key Ministry: The Podcast.

Today we’re sharing a talk that our Director of Operations, Larah Roberts, gave at our September 2025 Tour Stop in suburban Cleveland, Ohio, on the topic of “Beginning with the End in Mind” when it comes to starting or growing your disability ministry. We hope you enjoy this segment as much as the folks in attendance did that day. So, with no further ado, here’s Larah. Larah Roberts: My name is Larah Roberts—not to be confused with Laura, Lauren, or Larry. Especially not that last one. I’m glad to be with you. I’m part of the Key Ministry team and get the joy of serving as Director of Operations. We’ve been excited about today—you’ve been prayed for, and we can’t wait to see what the Lord’s going to do. I’m from North Carolina, so I had quite a drive. Anyone else from North Carolina? Originally, I’m from Louisiana, but I can’t really claim it anymore—North Carolina weather’s much better. I drove here from North Carolina and got to stop along the way to visit some friends for lunch. I’ll tell you about that road trip in a second, but first: I’ve been married to my husband, Collin, for seventeen years, and we have three kiddos—Addie, our middle school cheerleader; Graham, our autistic image bearer; and Levi, who’s two years younger and definitely our mischievous one. That third kid, right? Anyone else? You can probably tell what the Lord’s trying to teach me through those three—autism sanctification wasn’t enough, I needed a middle school cheerleader and a mischievous one for full sanctification. They’re blessings from the Lord. Collin and I are raising an autistic disciple. On my road trip, I stopped to see a sweet friend who’s a new mom. I love talking with new moms because it brings me back—thirteen years into parenting, you realize there’s a lot they don’t teach you in “parenting school.” She was sharing how her kids just kept getting sick, one after another, and I smiled because, yes, that’s parenting. I remembered a time early on when we had just had our third, Levi, and my husband was on church staff. One Sunday morning, Collin was gone, and the house was chaos—two sick kids, one crying baby, and me trying to figure out who to tend to first. I called my friend Shana, who had six kids—she had to know what to do. She said, “Pray.” I paused. “Really? Pray first? I need a plan!” She said, “Nope. Pray now.” So I did—“Lord, help me. I don’t know what to do.” Then she said, “Now take care of the baby, then the sick one, then clean up.” That was it—and it worked. That story reminds me: there’s always a spiritual component before the practical. Don’t skip it. Present your needs to the Lord first. As church leaders, we all have needs. You’re about to hear amazing breakout sessions equipping you both spiritually and practically, but let’s start here: The number one question we get from church leaders is, “Where do we start?” Here’s my answer: Begin with the end in mind. That’s both spiritual and practical. We’re all in the middle of projects—learning, building, fixing. In my house, that project is a truck my husband bought for $700. He calls it his “work truck” because he gets to work on it. Watching him rebuild it taught me something: he began with the end in mind. The goal wasn’t just to get it running—it was to make sure it wouldn’t fall apart on the road. There’s a quote I love: “Discipline is a vision for the future that starts today.” If I want to run a 5K in two months, I can’t sit on the couch eating Cheetos today. That principle applies in ministry too. “Begin with the end in mind” is actually from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. And if we want to be effective in the ministry of welcoming individuals and families impacted by disability, mental health, and trauma, we must begin with the end in mind. Spiritually, that means looking ahead to the ultimate end: the picture of heaven in Revelation 21. (Larah reads Revelation 21:1–8) Then she prays: “Father, thank you for your Word. What we just read is faithful and true—it’s going to happen. You will wipe away every tear. You will make all things new. Until that day, make us faithful servants of the gospel. Help us begin with the end in mind. Amen.” Parents often ask me, “Why is it so hard?” We’re living between Genesis 3:15—where God promised to send a Savior—and Revelation 21, where that promise is fulfilled. We’re in the middle. We know God is good, even when we don’t understand everything. And here’s what I tell them: our goal isn’t sensory rooms, or inclusion, or accommodations—our goal is discipleship. We want every image bearer of God to know that He loves them, that Jesus died to save them, and that by faith they can be with Him forever. Everything else—sensory rooms, volunteer systems, resources—are tools to accomplish discipleship. The end goal? Worshipers of all abilities in the throne room of Christ. Church leaders, I can tell you what every special needs parent is praying: That one day, when their child stands before God and He asks, “Why should I let you into my heaven?” their child can say, “Because somebody told me about You.” Maybe it was their mom, dad, buddy at church, or pastor. Maybe they couldn’t respond outwardly, but they were listening every second. You’re not responsible for transformation—just gospel proclamation and gospel saturation. God handles the transformation. Practically, let’s look at Acts 2:42–47. The early church devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer. They shared resources, met needs, and the Lord added to their number daily. That’s our model. Teaching → learning and equipping Fellowship → encouragement and community Breaking bread → networking and shared life Prayer → dependence on the Holy Spirit When the passage says they had “all things in common,” it doesn’t mean they were all alike—it means they shared resources. We can do the same: cross denominational lines for the sake of the gospel, share ideas, collaborate, and problem-solve together. Imagine the apostles saying, “Go get Bartimaeus—he knows what it’s like to be seen after being overlooked. Go get the man with the withered hand—he can teach us courage. Go get the woman bent over for eighteen years—she knows what it means to be set free.” Bring them to the table. Listen. Learn from one another. When we begin with the end in mind, we remind ourselves to stay in Scripture, pray first, and keep the gospel at the center. I tell parents all the time: “You have to be overcome by the gospel, or you’ll be overcome by everything else.” A pastor once told us during a roundtable, “Our church loves people with disabilities. We welcome them, sit with them, drive them to appointments—but I think we need a ministry.” I told him, “Brother, your church is the ministry.” You’re already doing it. You’re already living out the gospel. Disability ministry isn’t an add-on program—it’s a seat at the table. So where do you start? Set more places at the table. Pray. Listen. Act. Why pray first? Because our flesh becomes the barrier—“We don’t have the budget. We don’t have space. We don’t have volunteers.” Prayer removes us from the way so God can work. The end is coming soon. Jesus will return and make all things new. So begin with the end in mind. And from one mom and sister in Christ to all of you—thank you. We’re in this together. Closing Prayer: “Father God, thank you for each person here—their willingness to learn, travel, and serve. Encourage them through every conversation today. Give them wisdom to discern and implement what they learn. May we be faithful and obedient—to Your Word, to prayer, to fellowship, to breaking bread, and to crossing lines for the sake of the gospel. Our mission is more worshipers in the throne room of Jesus Christ. Bless this movement of equipping church leaders for disability, mental health, and trauma ministry. Be honored and glorified in it all. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”