On Being an Accessible Church

In the province that I live in, it is the law that all public buildings, including churches, are accessible to those with disabilities. We shouldn't need the law to make us accessible. What people sometimes forget, is that being accessible means more than just working with physical disabilities.

It is likely that if someone in a wheelchair wanted to attend your church, you would make sure that there was an elevator or a ramp. But what about those with developmental disabilities or mental illness, are you accessible for them?

One way to make your services accessible to those who experience anxiety is to provide audio or video versions of the messages on your church website. Obviously we want people to attend in in person. But there are times that anxiety levels are too high to sit in pews and be surrounded by people. By having sermons on the website, people can still benefit from the teaching.

What other ways can you make your church accessible for people of all needs?

Church Toolkit

One of the great Christian organizations working with people with special needs is Christian Horizons. They are involved in many things but are often thought of as primarily an operator of group homes.

One of the areas that people do not know about when it comes to Christian Horizons is their dedication for supporting churches and leaders. They have put together this Church Toolkit to help churches to minister to those with special needs. It really is worth checking out.