HEY, CHRISTIANS! STOP WAITING TO WELCOME!

A Message to Christian Churches

Everyone is welcome! Christians want all people to feel welcome to come to church and learn about their Savior, right? Of course! But is your church unintentionally sending the message that children and adults with disabilities aren’t welcome?

One of biggest wishes I often hear from other parents of children with special needs is that their children would be able to go to worship services with them. I know that was important to me as my children were growing up. But I found that quite a few churches seemed unprepared for children with special needs.

Through the eyes of a visitor

To determine if your church is truly welcoming to visitors with special needs, try to look at it from a visitor’s perspective the next time you go to worship. Imagine that you have never walked into the building before and you have a physical or intellectual disability. You might be surprised.

When I would visit a new church, one of the first things I would look for when I arrived was a large-print service folder and hymnbook for my daughter, who is visually impaired. It was frustrating to arrive at a church that didn’t have this option available. The same is probably true for parents of children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, when the church does not have a sound amplification system or a sign language interpreter available.

Some parents have children who, because of their unique needs, are runners. They can’t remain seated in pews or chairs for worship and may literally run around during church. Other children make sounds involuntarily throughout worship because of their disabilities. If the church does not have options in place for children who run or make sounds, the parents are likely to conclude that their children wouldn’t be welcome to worship there.

But we don’t have anyone with those needs!

This is often the reason given for not having supports in place. Churches tend to be reactive, waiting until a family expresses a need and then working on meeting that need. But some families won’t ask for special accommodations for worship because they don’t want to trouble the church staff. Other families, just visiting for the first time, will assume that because no accommodations are in place, the church would not be very welcoming to their family member with special needs.

By being proactive in putting supports in place for all types of special needs, churches convey to visitors that they are ready and willing to bring all people into the church family. The supports become tools for outreach. The church can let it be known—and word will spread—that this congregation is ready and willing to support and worship with those with special needs.

Don’t wait—put these things in place!

Here are some things your congregation could do to let families know that all people, including those with special needs, will be warmly welcomed:

• Make sure the entrance, worship area, bathrooms, and other important parts of the building are easily accessible to people who have difficulty walking or use wheelchairs.
• Have large-print service folders and hymn/song lyrics available. If a PowerPoint is projected on the screen during worship, print the individual slides and put them into a binder so that a worshiper can hold them and follow along.
• Have individual sound amplification devices available for worship services. Consider having a sign language interpreter for one service a month, even if you don’t know of anyone with that need right now, and advertise that you will be having a signed service!
• Prepare an overflow area other than the mother’s room where families can go and still participate in worship. Make sure there is a large screen with good sound quality showing the service. Recruit other members to go there along with the families who need it so that those families don’t feel isolated. An area such as this is also important if the music is too loud or the lights in the worship area are too bright for those with sensory issues.
• Offer a simplified worship service for those with cognitive disabilities, such as Worship at the Cross from Jesus Cares Ministries. It could be offered at the same time as a regular worship service or at a separate time. Offer Sunday school, Bible classes, and catechism instruction that is designed for students with cognitive abilities as well.
• Have greeters who welcome new visitors as they arrive and are ready to help them find the resources they need. Greeters could ask, “Is there anything you need or anything I could help you find before worship begins?”

Stop waiting to welcome worshipers with special needs! Do it proactively, and let your community know that your congregation is eager to have everyone hear God’s Word—the word which says,  

God our Savior . . . wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (emphasis mine)

God bless your efforts to help make this happen!