Ministering to students with special needs and their families is an opportunity for the Kingdom. If our mindset is that it’s a problem or a bother, these kids will sense it and will leave. But if we dive into this challenge, we can make a huge difference.
I know a former youth minister who now works for a nonprofit. He organized a special-needs camp for parents and teenagers. In the history of his church, it’s considered one of the high-water marks. They made a profound impact on so many teens with special needs and their families.
3. Pair up teens.
Phil Bell—So often children’s ministries do a good job with this, but teen ministries can easily overlook it. Two programs make us a church that families with special-needs kids want to attend. First, we have our One2One ministry. It pairs an adult or student with a special-needs child or teenager when they come.
Second, we have a Sunday morning environment where students with special needs have their space to learn from two main teachers. Plus, each also has a One2One high school peer working with them. Right now about 10 high schoolers are in that environment. It’s been amazing to see these kids grow!
This article about teens with special needs originally appeared here.
