As we end one year and look forward to the next, we can praise God for all He’s done in 2025. In this episode, Sandra Peoples shares ten wins from the disability ministry movement. She also covers five things she’s looking forward to in 2026.
Thanks for joining me for today’s episode of Key Ministry: The Podcast. It’s a new year, and maybe you’re new to listening, so I’ll introduce myself! I’m Sandra Peoples. I grew up with a sister with Down syndrome, I have a son with profound autism, and I’m a pastor’s wife. In my role as the disability ministry consultant for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, I get to help churches start or strengthen their disability ministries. In my role as an adjunct professor at Liberty University and at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, I get to train up new disability ministry leaders.
2025 was a big year in disability ministry. I’ve been in the field for a decade now, and I’ve never been more excited and optimistic about what God is doing. I thought it would be fun to look back on 2025 and praise God together for 10 wins in the disability ministry movement. It was hard to narrow it down to ten, and I’m sure you can think of even more, but it’s worth taking time to reflect on how God is moving and how churches are responding. I’ll also share five things I’m looking forward to in 2026, because we know there’s more to be done!
Top 10 wins for the disability ministry movement in 2025 and what we can look forward to in 2026:
- One of my favorite things about this year is the global reach disability ministry has. Many organizations served around the world to increase accessibility. I went with a team to Prague to support kids with disabilities. Ability Ministry increased their international impact consulting with churches in India, Zambia, India, Puerto Rico, and remote villages in East Africa. A team from 99 Balloons traveled to Uganda to spend time with their partners and families there. They focused on how they could better support children with disabilities as they grow and transition into adulthood. Miracle139 continues their training around the world through their videos that are available in English, Spanish, and Mandarin. God is at work here in the U.S., but let’s not forget His work in every nation to bring people to himself.
- Doc Hunsley from SOAR Special Needs was a keynote speaker at KidzMatter Conference in Evansville, IN. This is a huge win for disability ministry, because the conference is for kid and family ministry leaders. Doc spoke to hundreds of people who wouldn’t normally hear a message about inclusion and accessibility. I predict even more kid ministry conferences will realize the need for training and support in the area of inclusion and ask people from our field to present from the main stage.
- Joni & Friends released an updated version of Beyond Suffering. I’m sure many of you have gone through Joni & Friend’s Beyond Suffering training. Their website says 25 thousand people have been trained using their curriculum. That’s worth pausing to praise God for! It’s the most accessible and helpful training that’s available. This new version updates the language and builds on the foundation the previous version set. I’m excited for a new generation of ministry leaders to receive this training and work toward accessibility in their churches.
- With Ministries hosted their WORSHIP AS ONE ACCESSIBILITY SUMMIT FOR LEADERS. Worship As One was a gathering rooted in research, shaped by theology, and brought to life by the people the church too often overlooks. In partnership with Baylor Collaborative on Faith and Disability, they spent the day equipping leaders to become communities where both believing and belonging abound. Both With Ministries and the Baylor Center for Disability and Flourishing are continuing to do important work to equip churches.
- Kim Botto’s book, Boundless Hope for Every Child: Help for the Hurting, Compassion for the Misunderstood, Belonging for the Lonely, released this year, and I’m seeing it everywhere. Kim’s experience as a kid min leader, mom, and grandma all come together in this book to help ministry leaders see the potential in each child and meet their needs so they can reach that potential. She also has a podcast that goes along with the topic of the book. It’s called Every Child Belongs, and you can find it in your favorite podcast app. I hope even more people connect with Kim and read her book in the new year.
- Cortney Jenkins from Awe & Wonder released a salvation resource kit that is changing the way we evangelize people with disabilities. I contributed a chapter to the book, Children and Salvation, on the topic of salvation for kids with disabilities. In conversations about that chapter, I was so thankful to have a practical resource I could recommend to people. If you missed episode 172 when I interviewed Tammy Dunkum, you can go back and listen to us discuss how they used Cortney’s resources in their church and saw the fruit of that investment. My favorite method for sharing the gospel, The Three Circles, is included in this resource kit. You can find a link to it in the show notes.
- Key had its biggest ever DATC and hosted a successful tour stop in Cleveland. We had such a great time at DATC in 2025. The main stage session speakers were excellent. The panel discussions were helpful. And there were dozens of breakouts to choose from. If you missed it, you can watch the QuickTakes, which are like TED talks, and the main stage sessions on Key’s YouTube page. I’ll put the link in the shownotes. It always feels kinda like a family reunion to me, when many of us see each other in person for the only time of the year. I’m so thankful Key continues to make this happen with support from the Tim Tebow foundation and other sponsors.
- In the SBC, there were three motions made at our annual meeting to put disability ministry and care on our radars. I know not everyone listening is in an SBC church, but this is a big win for the largest US denomination. The SBC created a task force to study what churches are currently doing and what needs they have. A good friend of Key Ministry, Amy Meekins, is on the task force, and they are preparing to make their report to the executive committee next month. You can pray for the steps they hope to take as a task force and ultimately as a convention.
- Dyslexia font Bibles available in ESV and CSB. My college-age son and I both have dyslexia, and having the ESV and CSB versions (which are the ones we use the most) is so helpful. The dyslexia font has been available on the Bible app for a while, but there are times you want to hold a copy of the Word in your hands that’s easy to read. I’ve even heard from people who don’t have dyslexia but use this version because it’s easier to read.
- My book, Accessible Church: A Gospel-Centered Vision for Including People with Disabilities and Their Families released in July. Sunita wrote a review of it for Christianity Today, and it was such a helpful and positive review. I’m sure it’s one of the reasons it was a finalist for Christianity Today’s list of best books of the year in the church and pastoral leadership category. Seeing the book out in the world after years of teaching the content and organizing it into a book has been a joy. Thank you to those who have read a copy and recommended it to friends!
Ok, that’s a lot to celebrate from 2025. Now let’s talk about what’s coming this year that we can look forward to!
Coming in 2026:
- Engaging Disability with the Gospel is launching Beyond the Pew, a program to equip 25 PCA churches into an 18-month cohort program consisting of a one-year training intensive to be followed by a six-month implementation period. Training topics include supporting children and families impacted by disability, inclusive prayer and worship practices, parental engagement, and much more! What an exciting opportunity for those churches and for the families who will attend the churches getting trained! You can check out details on their website and sign up for 2027 if you’re interested!
- There are some amazing books coming this year that will help families and ministry leaders. Over Christmas break I got to read the early versions of three books so I could provide endorsements. They are With Every Word by Laura Deeken, The Special Needs Parent: A Guide to the Life You Never Expected by Joe and Cindi Ferrini, and Pastoring the Whole Person: Psychology for Ministry Practice by Erin Smith. Laura’s book is going to help us include and minister to kids with speech and language differences. The Ferrini’s book is going to be an encouraging guide to all of us parents who want to learn from a couple ahead of us on this special-needs journey. And Erin’s book is going to help pastors understand what’s happening in the minds of those sitting in the pews so they can better meet their needs. It’s going to be a great year for great books!
- DATC will be back in Washington D.C. in 2026! McLean Bible Church was such a good host, we’re going back again this year! Registration will open soon, so make sure you’re following us on social media to register early and get the lowest price on tickets. I’m excited to be presenting two breakout sessions with my friend Jana Magruder from Lifeway. We’ll be presenting Salvation for Kids with Disabilities: Sharing the Gospel with Clarity and Compassion and Supporting Kids with Dyslexia and Learning Disabilities at Church. I’m counting down the days, and I hope you’ll join us there if you can!
- Key Ministry’s own Larah Roberts also has plans in 2026 to release more volumes in her book series, Letters to Lindsey: Seeing Your Child’s Autism through a Gospel Lens. The first volume was on theology and autism, and I’m looking forward to more from Larah. Be sure to connect with her at Raising Autistic Disciples on Instagram so you don’t miss any of her helpful content.
- Ok, this one is personal and not something everyone will celebrate, but I’m certainly looking forward to it. I will—God willing—finish up my dissertation in the next month and graduate with my PhD in May! They say getting a PhD is more about endurance than it is about intelligence, and it has certainly been a test of endurance for me (and my family). We will be celebrating big on May 1st!
Psalm 145:4 says “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.” It’s the perfect verse to reflect on and apply when we’re transitioning from one year to another. We remember what God has done, and we tell other people. Remember and tell. That’s what we’ve done together today as we remember what God has done in disability ministry in 2025, and we talk about his work together. I know when I went through my list you were thinking of your own highlights from this year. I couldn’t fit all of my praises into this already-packed episode. Take time today to give God thanks for what he has done in your church, through the organizations you’re a part of, and in the global Church. Let’s praise him together and be ready for what he’s going to do in 2026!
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