Are you starting a special needs ministry at your church? Wondering where to begin and how to best serve children and families?
First let me say: I applaud your commitment. The need for this type of outreach is huge. Next up: Know that you’re not alone. Lots of resources exist for launching and maintaining a high-impact special needs ministry.
Begin by reviewing these suggestions:
5 Tips for Starting a Special Needs Ministry
1. Don’t try to do too much at once.
Begin slowly! When our children’s pastor asked me to take the reins of the special needs ministry, I was ready to go at full speed. Immediately, I wanted to grow the number of ministry participants beyond the three existing families.
So of course, I wanted to increase the number of buddies and volunteers to match that growth. I also wanted to launch a quarterly respite, begin monthly parent support meetings, and start a ministry for adults with disabilities.
This was a lot to do all at once. I quickly discovered it was difficult to start publicizing the ministry while I was recruiting volunteers. I needed to saddle my enthusiasm enough to pace myself and pace the growth of the ministry.
2. Build the ministry team.
After reassessing, I decided to prioritize volunteer recruitment and training. By getting the team in place, we could be prepared for what God would do next.
Senior Pastor Tim Howey blessed us tremendously by allowing me to share the ministry’s vision one Sunday with the whole church. As a result of that first vision-casting, more than 75 new volunteers joined our team. Then we had the people-power to launch the ministry.
3. Delegate and develop other leaders.
Early on, I tried to lead, coordinate, and do everything myself. The ministry was really beginning to flourish. And I quickly became overscheduled and overstretched. To grow and sustain the ministry, I needed to develop other leaders. It was a good thing when I redefined my role to be a leader of leaders.
That shift enabled other people to get passionate about the vision and share ownership in the ministry. And by having other capable, competent people serving in leadership roles, I was free to expand the ministry into other areas.
Giving others responsibilities also increased my availability to develop relationships with families. Never underestimate the importance of getting to know the parents, participants, and siblings who interact with your ministry.
