Sample Intake Questions
Focus: Disability Ministry | Family Ministry
This practical resource equips churches and ministry leaders with thoughtful intake questions designed to better understand and care for children impacted by disability and additional needs. The questions cover key areas such as communication, sensory sensitivities, medical considerations (including seizures and allergies), toileting needs, behavior supports, assistive devices, and the child’s spiritual understanding.
It also invites parents to share what makes their child unique and how the church can best partner with their family. Ideal for children’s ministry teams, volunteers, and church leaders who want to create safer, more welcoming, and more supportive environments for every child.
🤝 How This Resource Is Designed to Be Used
🫶 Invitation, not interrogation
Families are invited into the process with warmth and care, communicating:
“We want to know your child, honor their needs, and partner with you well.”
📄 Parent partnership
Parents complete the questions on their own time, giving them space to thoughtfully share things that are often hard to explain on Sunday morning.
👀 Team preparation
Ministry leaders review the responses ahead of time so volunteers can be prepared instead of reactive, supporting safety, dignity, and consistency.
🧩 Volunteer alignment
Relevant information (as appropriate) is shared with volunteers so they understand how to communicate well, what environments might be difficult, and how to best support the child.
🔁 Ongoing conversation
This isn’t a one-and-done form. It’s the beginning of a relationship that grows as the child grows and needs evolve.
🏡 Safer, more welcoming environments
When used as intended, this process helps churches move from:
• Guessing ➝ Understanding
• Reacting ➝ Preparing
• Excluding ➝ Meaningfully including
Focus: Disability Ministry | Family Ministry
Topic:
This practical resource equips churches and ministry leaders with thoughtful intake questions designed to better understand and care for children impacted by disability and additional needs. The questions cover key areas such as communication, sensory sensitivities, medical considerations (including seizures and allergies), toileting needs, behavior supports, assistive devices, and the child’s spiritual understanding.
It also invites parents to share what makes their child unique and how the church can best partner with their family. Ideal for children’s ministry teams, volunteers, and church leaders who want to create safer, more welcoming, and more supportive environments for every child.
🤝 How This Resource Is Designed to Be Used
🫶 Invitation, not interrogation
Families are invited into the process with warmth and care, communicating:
“We want to know your child, honor their needs, and partner with you well.”
📄 Parent partnership
Parents complete the questions on their own time, giving them space to thoughtfully share things that are often hard to explain on Sunday morning.
👀 Team preparation
Ministry leaders review the responses ahead of time so volunteers can be prepared instead of reactive, supporting safety, dignity, and consistency.
🧩 Volunteer alignment
Relevant information (as appropriate) is shared with volunteers so they understand how to communicate well, what environments might be difficult, and how to best support the child.
🔁 Ongoing conversation
This isn’t a one-and-done form. It’s the beginning of a relationship that grows as the child grows and needs evolve.
🏡 Safer, more welcoming environments
When used as intended, this process helps churches move from:
• Guessing ➝ Understanding
• Reacting ➝ Preparing
• Excluding ➝ Meaningfully including
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Key Ministry: The Podcast aims to equip churches and ministry leaders to welcome and serve children, teens, and adults impacted by disability, mental illness, and trauma. Through engaging discussions, expert insights, and real-life stories, the podcast provides practical strategies, biblical encouragement, and innovative ideas to help churches create truly inclusive communities where all individuals can grow in their faith and belong.
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