MINISTERING TO A SPECIAL POPULATION
WHY MINISTERING TO PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES IS A BLESSING TO YOUR CHURCH
HOW DO WE GET STARTED?
HOW DO WE TEACH PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS?
HOW CAN WE ADAPT GROUP’S HANDS-ON BIBLE CURRICULUM® TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR CHURCH MEMBERS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS?

Thank you for your concern for ministering to people with developmental disabilities. The mission of Group Publishing, Inc. is "to equip churches to help children, youth and adults grow in their relationship with Jesus." The members of your church who have developmental disabilities are part of our mission and vision—and yours as well.

To assist you, we’re providing this information to help you adapt Hands-On Bible Curriculum® to adults and children with special needs. This is in no way a comprehensive guide for serving people with developmental disabilities. It does, however, offer some practical advice on adapting Group’s curriculum resources.

Studies show that 1 to 3 percent of the United States population has a developmental disability (from Exceptional Children in Focus, Macmillan Publishing). The American Association on Mental Retardation classifies these persons by degrees of severity: mild, moderate, severe, and profound retardation (from Exceptional Children in Focus). If you have people with developmental disabilities attending your church, there is high probability that they have a diverse range of emotional, social, and cognitive levels. You may be overwhelmed with the challenges and difficulties of ministering to this diverse group.

You may wonder if it’s worthwhile to invest the time and energy needed to change the lives of so few. The difficulties and challenges are real, but the effort is definitely worth the energy.

WHY MINISTERING TO PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES IS A BLESSING TO YOUR CHURCH
Because they’re people. Like everyone else in your congregation, they’re created in God’s image. God sent his Son to die for them because he loves them and desires to be with them.
Because they have potential for growth. Many people with mental retardation hold jobs and are virtually self-sufficient. Even people with profound retardation can grow and learn. The steps of growth may be smaller and take more time, but they are in no way less significant.
Because they need your help. In Matthew 25:40, Jesus explains to his disciples that whatever we do for his people, we do for him. People with developmental disabilities are in no way lesser people. They do, however, often need special attention and help to accomplish and comprehend things that others often take for granted. And having people with developmental disabilities in your church provides an excellent opportunity for leaders and volunteers to serve and know people who are very precious in God’s sight.

HOW DO WE GET STARTED?
Identify the need. Is there anyone in your church who has a developmental disability? If not, how can you make your church more comfortable and inviting for people with developmental disabilities? Are people in your church who are developmentally disabled attending church functions? Are your current leaders and volunteers working to serve and empower them? Is your current church structure helping them to truly know Jesus? Identify the need in your church—and community—and brainstorm ways to meet it.
Seek and offer support. If someone with mental retardation visited your church, would he or she feel welcome? Would the congregation look for ways to support this person (offering rides, engaging in conversation, letting the person know you’re glad he or she is at your church, inviting him or her to Bible study)? Ask your church leaders and volunteers to invite, support, and welcome people with developmental disabilities. Look for ways you can make a difference in their lives.
Make a choice. How are you going to best meet the spiritual needs of church members with developmental disabilities? One question to address is whether you’ll create groups designed specifically for people with developmental disabilities, or equip leaders of existing groups to meet the needs of new group members who are developmentally disabled.  Once you’ve decided, act on your decision and adapt as you learn and grow.  

HOW DO WE TEACH PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS?
Get to know your target group. To make the message of the Gospel relevant to peoples’ lives, you need to understand their perspectives. Do people with developmental disabilities in your sphere of influence spend their days working? at a sheltered workshop? in an educational program? Do they spend their nights at a group home? alone? with a roommate? Do they have family or staff members who help them? What support systems are in their lives? What morality and faith issues are they dealing with? Find out by spending time with them and getting to know them.
Be patient. At times, you may have to repeat yourself many times. Try saying the same thing in a different way. Ask group members to repeat back what you’ve said and explain it to you. Never belittle or become angry with someone because of his or her inability to understand. Keep looking for unique, relevant, and appropriate ways to communicate biblical principles.
Empower, don’t enable. Enabling is doing something for people without giving them the tools for growth. For example, if a person wants a doughnut between services but doesn’t have the money, an enabler would give the doughnut to the person. And empowerer would offer opportunities for the person to earn money for the doughnut.
A person who empowers may say, "If you volunteer to work the doughnut counter with me, you can have a doughnut when we finish." Empowering teaches people to take responsibility for their lives. It gives a person a feeling of accomplishment and self-worth. Enabling teaches people to rely on others. It’s demeaning and gives people a sense of worthlessness.
Be ready for anything. Your church members with developmental disabilities may surprise you with keen insight and observations. They may also struggle with behavioral problems. Behavioral episodes can range from manipulation of volunteers and leaders to physical violence. Seek help from family members and other significant people in your group members’ lives for appropriate prevention and intervention. Also, seek out training for successful behavior intervention from local human service agencies.

HOW CAN WE ADAPT GROUP’S HANDS-ON BIBLE CURRICULUM TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR CHURCH MEMBERS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS?
Use age-appropriate examples and questions. Consider how you’d feel if you were asked to engage in an activity that’s not age-appropriate. For example, asking a 50 year-old man to color a card for his parents may be insulting. His parents may no longer be alive, and crayons are usually viewed as a children’s tool. Adapt the activity to fit his situation. You might ask him to create a message of love to the most important person in his life by writing, drawing, or using the paper to create a symbol. Provide him with colored pencils or markers or whatever you feel is an appropriate tool for his age.
Ease into transition. Hands-On Bible Curriculum offers a variety of activities to help leaders teach the primary point of a study. Many people with developmental disabilities have short attention spans, and others have difficulty moving from one activity to another. Asking people with developmental disabilities to abruptly change tasks may frustrate them because of they’re slow to adapt to change. Ask members of your group if they’re ready to move on before you make the shift. Be sensitive to non-verbal cues of frustration or over-stimulation.
Limit your meeting time. Many people with developmental disabilities have the ability to listen to a lengthy sermon and find it challenging and inspiring. Others get bored quickly, especially when the material is too analytical or theoretical. Try keying in on one activity you think is especially appropriate. If attention wavers, cut the activity short. If you need to fill a longer amount of time than your group’s attention span accommodates, fill some of the lesson time with recreational and leisure activities to make up the difference.
Speak in terms that your group members can understand…without using a condescending tone. Check for understanding by asking group members to explain what you’ve said and by asking specific questions. And be specific when giving directions. For example, say "Please pass one of these handouts to everyone in the group" rather than "Please pass these out."
Give specific praise. Congratulate group members when they successfully accomplish a task or share an insight. Rather than saying "Good job," say "Thank you for that great comment about serving Jesus at your work."
Get help. People with special needs need special help. The more volunteers and leaders you have, the more individual attention group members receive. Recruiting volunteers increases your effectiveness and provides others with an opportunity to serve and know a very special population in the church.