What if you discovered that the number one unreached people group in America was right in your backyard, making up 26% of your immediate community’s adult population?
What if I told you that they were open to the Gospel and wanted desperately to attend your church? What if the reason they did not attend was that they felt unwelcome, unseen, and even unwanted in any space—including churches.
In 2022 America, individuals who live with disability account for 40.6 million Americans, and most of them are not being reached with the life-giving message of the Gospel. This makes them the most diverse and most unreached people group in America.
In 2022 America, individuals who live with disability account for 40.6 million Americans, and most of them are not being reached with the life-giving message of the Gospel.
Whether it’s life in a wheelchair, living on the autism spectrum, intellectual disabilities, or the often unseen cognitive and mental health disabilities, these individuals live among us daily. In a society that values speed, power, progress, and what a person can contribute to the bottom line, those living with disability are easily ignored, dismissed, and isolated. As a result, many live in quiet desperation with little hope of change.
Good News for All People
“In a society that values speed, power, progress, and what a person can contribute to the bottom line, those living with disability are easily ignored, dismissed, and isolated. ”
Enter the church! What if the church “flew in the face of convention” to value, embrace, love, include, and disciple those living with disability and their families?
What if the church believed that its own growth, theology, and health hinged heavily on the inclusion of this people group, just as Jesus taught? What sort of bold message would this approach send to these marginalized individuals, their families, and even those without disability, who many times feel alone and unseen?
Luke 14:21 commands us to “Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.” And in 1 Corinthians 12:22-23, we read, “The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor.” According to these scriptures, our local churches are incomplete without those living with disability in our midst, using their gifts as vital members of the Body of Christ.
Disability in the Body of Christ
“What if the reason those with disabilities did not attend was that they felt unwelcome, unseen, and even unwanted in any space—including churches. ”
To be clear, I am not asking you to launch a disability ministry. However, I would like for you to consider a question, “What would it take for you to fully include individuals and their families who live with disability in the mission of your church?”
The last two years of the Covid pandemic have stripped away most of the community and hands-on care that these families and individuals previously held so dear, stretching them to their physical, emotional, and spiritual ends. There has never been a better time to engage families affected by disability.
While it may feel a bit overwhelming to consider opening this door, our biblical commission as the local church insists that we do, and I would argue that you will be more inspired than overwhelmed in this process.
Getting Started
For the past forty-three years, Joni and Friends has existed to glorify God by communicating the Gospel and mobilizing the global church to evangelize, disciple, and serve people living with a disability. In 2021, Joni and Friends grew their ministry in Texas by launching a local office in Houston to come alongside churches as they engage and welcome the disability community.
We are excited to partner with you to provide training, education, and resources as you and your church walk through the earliest points of discovery. We will journey with you all the way through discipling and empowering those with disability in your church body to boldly exercise their gifts of leadership and service, adding to the strength and depth of the 1 Cor 12 body.
We have locally-held Family Retreats for individuals and their families living with disability and Warrior Getaways for veterans and their families. These retreats provide opportunities for families to experience rest, hope, and community in a place where they feel, as so many participants have said, “normal.” We offer opportunities for volunteers to serve at these retreats as well as other events we host throughout the year.
Meet a Need Today
“Respite care is the number one requested need we hear from families and caregivers.”
Respite care is the number one requested need we hear from families and caregivers. They desperately need a break, as well as the opportunity to give the child/adult with a disability and their typical siblings a new and exciting experience. We are seeking churches who wish to partner with us to host a respite care event in the coming months and be this oasis for families living with disability.
For more information, please follow these links to our extensive resources for churches, and for dates and details on our Texas Family Retreats or Texas Warrior Getaway
I would love to connect with you about engaging the disability community and how we may be a resource for you. Please reach out via email to Houston@joniandfriends.org or my personal cell phone 571-300 – 3188. I look forward to engaging in this exciting journey together as we engage the disability community of Houston, moving them from unreached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Shawn Koonce is the Houston Area Director of Joni and Friends.
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