Disability in the Church - “To and With” Ministry

This past Saturday, Hillary and I had the opportunity to attend a seminar on Disability and the Church. It was hosted by Oakland Hills Community Church, and the speaker was OPC minister Stephen Tracey. I first met Stephen in 2022 when I attended his course on the same topic (as part of the Ministerial Training Institute of the OPC). I thought the course was not only informative, but edifying to anyone interested in serving people impacted by disability. There was certainly a personal motivation to attend the seminar given our particular stewardship as a family, but last weekend also served as a reminder of the kind of ministry every church (including us at Harvest) should be striving for.

Over the course of three hours, Stephen gave us an overview of the rapidly growing field of Disability Theology, provided statistics on the prevalence of varying disabilities in the state of Michigan, and gave suggestions for making our places of worship more accessible and welcoming for people with differing needs. We went through a lot, but Hillary and I came away wishing we had time for more! I don’t think there is a more capable Reformed voice on the topic than Rev. Tracey. He is well-acquinated with the relevant sources, and is also robustly Presbyterian. He can read disability theologians with charity and sympathy, while still reading critically. My hope is he will one day put pen to paper, and write a practical book on disability and the church.

Hillary and I had a lot to talk about on the two hour drive home, but what struck me was something he also taught during the MTI course. Stephen said that the church should minister to and with people impacted by disabilities. In 2022, I came into the course expecting to be trained exclusively in serving families impacted by disabilities. To be fair to myself, there are worse things to desire. But Stephen opened my eyes to a reality that is better than anything I could have imagined: a church where people affected by disability are not just recipients of service, but are actively serving as well. What a wonderful thought! I was thinking too low of my brothers and sisters, and of our Lord who equipped them with gifts for service, by his Spirit. The Lord used Stephen’s teaching to reorient my heart, and to see that ministry is not just reserved for the officers of the church.

This philosophy of ministry is not reserved for thinking about disability and the church. This should be our goal in all of Harvest’s ministries (whether men’s, women’s, young adult’s, children’s)! Imagine what Harvest will look like in 10, 20, or 30 years if as we serve those around us, we encourage and empower them to serve likewise! This should be true of our officers, and of our lay members (Ephesians 4:12). As we begin a new ministry year (which includes new offerings like our “Wonderfully Made” Sunday School class), I encourage you to pray with me that the Lord would help Harvest as a whole adopt a “to and with” ministry ethos at Harvest. Why? Because we are called to make disciples of all who come our way, and discipling all people takes all people.

Recommended Resources on Disability and the Church
Like most recommendations, there are quibbles here and there. But here are a few books that I found helpful and instructive as we seek to be a church that makes disciples:

Joni Eareckson Tada - A Place of Healing. Joni does a wonderful job in sharing her heart following a diving accident that left her a quadriplegic. There are no easy answers in this book, and this is simply one perspective, but Joni’s book may be helpful for folks who are interested in ministering to (and with!) people affected by one disability or another

Stephanie Hubach - Same Lake, Different Boat. Stephanie’s strength with this book is her use of stories to help the reader think about what the church can do to walk alongside people with disabilities.

George Hammond - It Has Not Yet Appeared What We Shall Be. This book is an adapted dissertation from an OPC minister, so it can be quite technical. But for those interested in thinking through the implications of the doctrine of the Image of God and disability, this is well worth the read.