In today’s episode, Catherine Boyle lets you in on some of her middle school angst and shares a principle to help your disability ministry focus on belonging.
Do You See What I See?
Do you have a desire to be involved with ministry in some way, but all the existing ministry options don’t seem to fit? If you’re interested in discerning where God is leading you, or just want to shorten the path to living out His purposes, we’ll share more details about how to recognize and pursue the path God is laying before you, not only from our perspective, but also with some ministry friends who have gone through this process.
Redeeming What Was Broken: The Case for an Online Pastors' Retreat
When COVID-19 began disrupting the world this spring, the Key Ministry team prayed and sought how we could support the emotional and mental health needs of pastors. We came to the realization that an online retreat for pastors might provide a necessary and beneficial respite. But in some ways, this retreat may even be redemptive for the broken paths of ministry families from previous generations.
Special Needs In Real Life
One of the reasons why Illuminate - Inclusion Fusion Live 2020 is the largest disability ministry conference in the United States is because it addresses real life with special needs. But our desire is that this conference will address questions that maybe you haven’t been able to ask anywhere else.
The State of Autism: Five Takeaways and Four Action Steps
Last month, I was invited to attend the Autism Speaks Thought Leadership Summit on Achieving Health Equity in Washington, DC. Much like Inclusion Fusion Live, it was one of those conferences where your mind is filled to overflow with information, generation of new ideas and new people you’d like to collaborate with on your work. Here are five takeaways and four action steps for churches and families.
In Their Own Words: Church Support and Mental Illness
Shortly before Dr. Grcevich’s book Mental Health and the Church was published, we asked our readers to share their experiences, both good and bad, about mental health needs and church support. We continue to get responses, and want to share a few that we have received since we made our initial request, for the insight that churches and ministries can glean from the experiences of others.
Five Stages of Spiritual Growth in Mental Illness
I’d never wish the darkness of mental illness on anyone, but if it wasn’t for anorexia, bulimia, anxiety and depression, I don’t know if I would be a Christian today. There seems to be a pattern common to many Christ-followers who also live with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, etc. Here’s how I now characterize the five stages in my relationship with Christ, and the spiritual growth He worked through each stage to the next.
Three Steps to Weave Mental Health Ministry Into The Life of Your Church
Get Rid of Your Camouflage
No one wants to think of themselves or their family as dysfunctional. And the mental image associated with the term special needs most definitely does not fit. Special needs seems like a suit that was tailored for someone else. But there are no other health conditions for which there are such lengthy delays in diagnosis and treatment solely because of denial. Ditching the camouflage that covers your minimized mental illness might be the best wardrobe decision you ever make.
Is Mental Health Ministry Too Inefficient for Your Church?
When I think about the scripture that exhorts Christ-followers to number our days correctly, I kind of get the meaning backwards. I think about things from a natural human perspective, when what I really need is God’s perspective. The verse isn’t so much about the volume of what I accomplish, but the quality and the purposefulness of what I do. It’s also what I let ministry do to change me. Without anyone reminding me, do I actually see the personal dignity of every person?
