On this page, we talk about some hard, theological issues...
regarding disability ministry. Starting with a blunt question about why include people who have disabilities in your church, we tackle disability theology.
1. We really don’t want these people in our church. Can you give me a compelling reason why we should change our minds?
A. We wish we could “speak softly and carry a big stick” as Teddy Roosevelt said. However in all honesty we must be very forthcoming. If we believe that there is a Heaven and therefore also a Hell then we must look at the end of each life. If people with disabilities are placed in contact with us and we do nothing, say nothing, offer no hope, we are in essence telling them to “go to hell.” Sending a person to hell is a very serious offence. The prophet Ezekiel says that if we say nothing then their blood is on our hands. Love for Jesus, love for the world, and love for people created by God should give reason enough to offer hope – the hope that is in Christ.
2. What do you have to offer our church?
A. Tait Berge say, “I come to you as a messenger, called by God, to represent the ten percent of the world’s population that has disabilities to the church. I have over thirty years of experience of having a disability, and that has allowed me to go through times of self-doubt, challenges, and rejection. I know what it is like to be left out and made fun of. The Lord has taken all of my experiences and empowered me with a solid foundation in Scripture and theology to be able to do this ministry for Him. I come as an ambassador for people with disabilities to help you welcome them into your church.”
Mary Jane Ponten would answer this way:
“I’ve been the one rejected by churches as worthless, useless, and unable or unqualified to serve. The fact remains that I have lived, served and been accepted in both the able and disabled communities all my life. I’ll admit it was a struggle to be accepted in the typical community. I have been privileged to live a very ‘normal’ life, which includes work, marriage, family, and much lay work. I completely understand both communities and it is one of my desires to help you and your church understand and accept those in your neighborhood who may have special needs and see the joy of the spiritual partnership that can grow here.”
3. How does God view someone with a disability?
A. This is an important question, isn’t it? First we cannot tell you what and how to believe, but we can tell you where we stand. We believe everyone is created in the image of God and that people with disabilities are just as good and bad as everyone else. Sin is the condition of our hearts not our bodies. Can sin cause a disability? In some cases, yes it can. (Such as a drunk driver causing permanent disabilities to someone.) The act of sin not the state of sin causes bad behavior that can often cause short-term and permanent disabilities.
However, that’s not often the case. We know from Scripture that God has used people with disabilities to accomplish his plan. Jesus said, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned. This happened so that the works of God might be revealed in him.” (John 9:3) When Moses tried to use his speech disability as a way to get out of his calling, God said, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.” (Exodus 4:11-12) God doesn’t allow our weaknesses and disabilities to excuse us from doing his work, and we shouldn’t limit people’s abilities either.
Other parts of the Bible make it clear that people with disabilities have value, too. Psalms 139 makes this clear:
For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
Psalms 139:13-16
4. Do people with disabilities really understand what church is really all about?
A. Who’s to say they don’t?
We believe that even the person with the most profound disabilities can benefit from going to church. Church is, after all, one way we communicate with our God with other believers. What better way is there to incorporate people who have disabilities in the body of Christ? We have seen this happen many times over, and we know it works!
5. How do I offer the sacraments to someone who has a disability?
A. Our best advice is this: where’s a will, there’s a way. Go with the flow. If someone needs communion to be “fed,” to them, than put the bread and the juice in his/her hand or mouth. If someone in a wheelchair wants to be baptized by emersion, then get three or four people to help lift the person into the pool. You aren’t going to hurt him/her!