To fail to welcome is to reject

Please know, I am not accusing anyone or any particular church of conscious indifference in this blog post.  I have been part of some these unfortunate decisions, or have remained silent when these incidents occurred. I am only asking each congregation (members as well as pastors) to examine themselves to see if they are guilty of tunnel vision which has indicated to those with additional needs they are not welcome at your table.  

When we say to someone "There is no room for you at our table" we are telling them, by our actions, that they are insignificant and unwanted.  

While most churches would never think of doing this consciously, too often this happens as a result of unrecognized indifference or passing judgment.  We focus on our current programs, activities, budgets, and objectives, and often fail to see the ministry opportunity to which God is inviting us.

Most of us have probably heard the story of the new pastor who waited in the worship center for his congregation, disguised as a homeless man, only to be scorned. Imagine the shock they felt when he revealed his true identity to them. While this has been shown to be an urban legend, it does give us reason to pause and reflect on our own church family.

We may think our church is different, but are we really?  This rejection by indifference or judgment can be focused on anyone who is different--the poor, the non-English speaker, the unwed mother, the recently released convict.  Yes, we recognize they need Jesus, but we want them to find him in some other church.  We say we are protecting our congregations (where is that found in the Bible?), but in reality we are protecting our comfort and our strategies.

For years now I have shared the lack of access to facilities and services for those with additional needs here in Guatemala.  God has convicted me that in 2021 I need to be personally congruent in sharing the rejection those with disabilities face in America as well.

Nowhere have I seen this exclusion of those with additional needs¹ needs occur more obviously than among evangelical churches in their ministry (or usually lack thereof) to who have physical, sensory, emotional, behavioral, or psychiatric challenges.

Two families from my home church who had teens with a significant disabilities and challenging behaviors were told their child could not attend youth group, and these young men were placed in children's ministry.  One of these was asked to no longer attend because he would become agitated and posed a real risk to the children.  However, no one on the pastoral staff, particularly the youth pastor who should have felt responsible for disciplining this young man, sought to find any way to minister to this young man and his family, because he did not fit into the existing structures of the church.

Another mother of a preschooler needed to walk her wheelchair bound daughter around the large church facility, outside in the winter in Nebraska, because the preschool was on the second floor and there was no elevator.

A man with mental illness who would blurt out during the sermon was barred from worship because he was disruptive.  A family with a newborn baby with significant medical needs could not attend church because the church would not provide care for him (fear of liability) though two intensive care nurses volunteered to care for him in the parent's absence.

The most glaring evidence of this lack of welcome occurs in the responses of churches to the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.  "The ADA was meant to provide more access and civil rights to this minority group.  The sad reality is that 'churches and other religious bodies lobbied to be excluded from its requirements' and all places of worship were granted such exemption, thanks to section 12187." (Robb, 2021²) 

Yes, some churches made accommodations, usually for those in wheelchairs, but seldom were people in wheelchairs involved in deciding what these accommodations would be.  Often the manner in which these accommodations were made, while complying with the law, were not useful to the person in a wheelchair.³

You might say these are isolated incidents occurring in churches that had no resources to meet these additional needs.  However, most of these occurred in my former home church--many, I'm ashamed to say, while I was a staff member.  A church with more than adequate resources if they chose to welcome these individuals who are made in the image of God.  I grieves me to know that this church which discipled me so well and I have loved for years, which cares greatly for reaching the lost, is missing the opportunity to serve an unreached people group living in their own neighborhood. 

And, since I firmly believe that one should not point out a problem to which one does not have a solution, I will, in my next blog post, share ideas for addressing each of the needs mentioned above in creative responses which would require little, if any, budget increases.

Our mission at Reason to Hope is:

"To improve the lives of the poor and those with additional needs, now an for eternity, through discipleship, education and social services."  

In the coming year, as I begin my 13th year in Guatemala,  I want to be fully congruent with each part of this mission to the glory of God.  Will you join me?

 

¹ I choose the term additional needs because it believe it more accurately reflects the situation faces by people with disabilities.  Their basic physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs are the same as those we would describe as “typical.”  The difference lies, however, in the additional resources they need to meet these basic needs.

 

² Laura Robb is a young woman I had the pleasure of chatting with at a Summer Institute on Theology and Disability.  I had been acquainted with her blog, and meeting her in person challenged me to begin to think differently about how I approached my own ministry.  She is a strong advocate in for the disability community and is currently writing blog posts about including those with additional needs fully in the life of the church.  

 

³ For example: a narrow bathroom stall requiring one to do a 180° transfer to sit on the stool; handicapped parking stall with a ramp at the top of the stall, which is inaccessible once a car is parked in that location; a “wheelchair accessible” sink with an “apron” in front of it, making it impossible for a someone in a wheelchair to comfortably get close enough to wash their hands.