149: Welcome Place For All: Accessibility, Inclusion, & Belonging In Small Churches | Accessibility & Inclusion Series Part 1

In this introductory episode of our Accessibility & Inclusion Series, we’re diving into how small churches can be amazing spaces of inclusion and belonging.

Join us as we chat with church leaders and members who are passionate about making their communities welcoming for everyone, no matter their abilities or differences. We’ll share real stories, helpful tips, and creative ideas that can inspire your church to embrace accessibility and foster a sense of belonging for all. 

In this episode you’ll hear:

• The difference between accessibility, inclusion, and belonging (& why it matters)
• How we sometimes unintentionally participate in “othering” at the same time that we’re trying to be accommodating
• A few questions to ponder and start productive conversations in your church to build greater awareness, understanding, and effective next steps toward building community for all

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Transcript

Laurie Acker: 0:01

Hey, this is Laurie Acker, welcome to the small church ministry podcast. Hey, hey, welcome to episode 149, of the small church ministry podcast. In today's episode, we are going to begin the conversation about accessibility, inclusion and belonging in our small churches. Now we're actually launching a series. You're going to hear from some really great guests. I've had some amazing conversations, and this topic is something we all need to take to heart, if we want to, I don't know, I guess, just keep the small church relevant and growing and a place where people are finding the love of Jesus, because we've gotten away from some pretty basic stuff that I believe Jesus modeled to us when he was walking this planet. Today's episode is going to be a little bit shorter, because I'm really inviting all of us to think, to ponder, to ask some questions, to make some observations, to be curious before we get into some really specific issues. These things like pondering and thinking and asking questions and having conversations, if they're done right? They take some time. It's a slowdown in our brains and in our hearts, in this very fast paced world we live in of doing. And I truly believe that the ministry world, the church ministry world, has really gotten so wrapped up in doing that we're forgetting just the very heart of who we are as humans, who God made us to be in community. We are missing people around us because we're so busy doing so I just want to invite you into a conversation, into some concepts, into some questions to take back to others near you, in your church, in your families, even in your journaling, your conversations with Jesus, to get out of this quick process, everything fast. Let's get by. Let's get through. Get it done, and just to take a step back and do some thinking about loving people, maybe loving people who haven't felt so loved by the church, by faith communities. So I'd like to invite you to do the opposite of our normal treadmill, not just here on the podcast, but just in ministry in our lives, and work in school, and really connect like honestly through this series, I'm hoping and praying to create a lot of space, not just a little bit, but a lot of space in our hearts and our brains, especially if you're listening live, it's it's so perfect and applicable in the holiday seasons as well, which bring up so much stuff with within all of our hearts to really consider the concepts of accessibility, inclusion and belonging, and to invite others into this conversation. Now, in today's world, I was talking to somebody just the other day about the word inclusion. In today's world, talk about inclusivity in the church, what comes up for a lot of people is that we are going to be talking specifically about the LGBTQ plus community, and I want to just stay straight out that is not the focus of this series, inclusion and belonging and accessibility way beyond that. But I do believe talking about all of it should be applicable and should absolutely be part of the discussion, because everything we're talking about is people, people today, and our minds and our hearts should always be set on love and compassion and conversation and bringing people together, not just tearing them apart, because this is what Jesus taught and modeled. So in this series, specifically, as we talk about accessibility and inclusion and belonging, you're going to get to hear a conversation I had with my friend Joanne and her experience in faith communities and churches in a wheelchair. We're also going to be talking to another friend of mine about neurodiversity and autism and ADHD, not just in children's Sunday School spaces, but the adult experience walking into a church and feeling a little bit othered. We're going to be talking about some physical disabilities and differing abilities. We're going to talk about youth and children who are coming into our churches from non church or non traditional family structures and lots more, even gluten free, dairy free. Okay? Because here's the reality, inadvertently and I believe. Mostly unintentionally, the modern church is keeping people away from the gospel, from the love of being in a community of people who care, not because our hearts are in the wrong place, but because of the way our churches are set up, the systems, the structures, the programs, even the spaces, our physical spaces, and we can do better. Now, since I mentioned gluten free, dairy free, I just want to say as a mama who has a child, an adult child now, who grew up in a small church, gluten free and dairy free, not just by preference, but by physical need. I watched my girl get left out time and time again, being forgotten, going on youth trips, going hungry, on mission trips, even though we planned ahead, not even being able to eat food at a celebration at church that was there to honor her. This is a real thing. It hurts my heart when people roll their eyes, when someone asks if there is a gluten free option at a church setting, and we have people rolling their eyes, saying, whatever, just eat what's here or don't eat. I have experienced that multiple, multiple times. And the impact of statements like that, you know, get what you get, and you don't throw a fit, right? The impact of statements like that definitely don't point toward love or care or compassion. And many of the things that I do these days, many of the things that I'm sensitive about, I'm ultra sensitive about because I messed up, because I made the mistake. I have a really great youth director whistle, you know, where I can put my fingers in my mouth and do that whistle that is heard from streets away. It has been a really great asset to me in youth ministry and even at church events, and it also made me very aware that people with sensitivity issues, like sensory issues, that is not a loving thing to do a loud whistle in their presence. I learned about fun strobe lights and turning out the lights in the dark, not just from children in VBS who had neurodiversity issues or seizure issues, but also when I was teaching in high schools, and there were students there suffering from major concussive disorders, from playing football, just putting the lights on and off was not a loving thing to do. So how can we be sensitive with all these things? We're going to talk about it because we're not going to be the answer to every issue, we are not going to be able to provide accommodations for everything and everyone that walks in the door, but we can do better. A few years ago, I got to know Holly sharp. She is part of our creative solutions for small church community. She spoke. She has spoken at our conferences. She's written tons on our blog, and her heart goes to children with disabilities, with neurodiversity, she hosted a vacation bible school for children with special needs, and it was amazing. You can read all about it on the blog, but one of the most impactful things that she did in my heart was opened my eyes to the fact that many, many families no longer even try to go to church because they weren't welcomed, because nobody talked to them, because people didn't know what to do with them, and their Heart was wanting to be in a faith community, and we drove them away. How can we do better? How can we do better for people who want to be part, want to explore, want to get to know this loving God, but our churches are inaccessible to them, and it's not just our churches. There's a lot of fear around it, like we want to do better, but we don't know what to say. Are we supposed to notice this disability? Should we pretend it isn't there? Should we look away when a child screams because we don't know what to do and we don't want to put that parent on the spot, or do we walk up and care? How do we do that? What do we do if we notice that our church's main entrance has steps and our friend down the street is in a wheelchair? What do we do? How do we do better? That's what we're going to talk about in this series. So in today's episode. As I mentioned, this is going to be a little bit shorter, because I'm just bringing up the conversation, and I pray that before next week, you will have this conversation with a few other people. I want to differentiate the three words that I've mentioned, accessibility, inclusion and belonging, and give you some thoughts to ponder. So first off, what is the difference between accessibility, inclusion and belonging? Because there are differences. And throughout the series, I want to talk about all three. Accessibility is usually about the systems. It's about making sure that things are designed so that everyone can fully participate, whether it's in a public setting a professional like workplace or a church, it's making sure the systems are designed so people can participate and fully participate. You will see that like with the height of a like a bathroom counter, right, or being able to reach things, that's one, one example of accessibility with people with physical disabilities being able to reach a faucet to wash their hands, that's an example of accessibility. Now inclusion. Inclusion is a little bit broader than accessibility, so it is also about making sure that people have access. But the concept comes in that it's like an equal basis, or that there is value treating people equally inclusive, making them feel valued and respected, not just that they have access if they use the back door where the ramp is right, you know, because if you need to get into the building, you know, with a wheelchair, go to the back, down by the alley, there's a place for you. That's accessibility. There is accessibility, but inclusivity means it's broader. It's more about value, not marginalizing people so they can participate, they can contribute, without having to do something different or missing out or feeling like they were othered. The concept of othering comes up a bit, and I hope we have time to talk about that throughout the series, because feeling other is one thing that my daughter experienced a lot of because of her dietary issues, dietary differences. See, I just made it an issue. Did you hear that like that's even terrible, that I just said dietary issues, dietary differences, it does make a difference. Okay? Now belonging super, super fun. Belonging is when people feel part of the culture. It's when everyone feels accepted and supported. It's a culture of belonging. So accessibility is making sure people with differences can still access inclusion. Is when they also feel valued, like we are the same. Belonging goes even further that people are accepted and supported. So user friendly experience is not just it's there if they need it, and helping people everyone feel part of the same community. Now, just before we go further, I just want to talk about Jesus, because Jesus was like the master of belonging. When people were separate, he brought them in, whether it was economically or because of perceived sin issues, whether they were sin or not, like the the woman getting stoned, like, how would we even talk about that these days? Stop throwing the stone. We're all sinners. Come on. Come join us. Zacchaeus in the tree. Was he just in the tree because he was short? Was he ignored because people didn't like him? It didn't matter. Zacchaeus, come down the little children who were marginalized during Jesus time Come with me, the lepers, the disabled who were down by pools or sitting by the roadside begging. It wasn't hey, let's make a place so they can come into our church building. It was also going to them, touching them, being with them. Jesus modeled accessibility, inclusion and belonging. Like, can you think of the people even who like lowered the the man on the mat through the roof because he couldn't get in? We're going to make a way. We're going to make a way so this person can get in. Are we doing this today? Going back to Holly sharp, who just really, just deepened my heart in so many ways, she has said this, if you do. Don't have children in your church who have autism, who have ADHD, who have Down syndrome, if you don't have adults in your church with disability, why is that so many churches at our conference, they'll say, Well, I don't really need that topic, or I don't really need to read that blog post, because we don't have those people in our church, yeah, why not? One of the things I'd love to challenge you to do this week before our next episode is look up statistics. How many people in your culture, in your state, in your community, in your country, in the world, have neuro divergent things. Sorry, I can't even think of the concept. How many people really think differently? How many people have autism? What's the percentage of people who are on the autism Asperger's spectrum? Just look up a stat. What's the percentage of people in your community with physical disabilities? What's the percentage of people around you who are in wheelchairs or wheelchair bound? What's the percentage of people who struggle with diabetes that affects how they eat? What's the percentage of people who struggle with sight sight issues, hearing issues. Look up statistics, because I'm going to tell you right now, our churches are not representative of inclusion. They're not. They're just not. You're going to hear more in the weeks to come, and I really do hope you will fully embrace this series, whether you are a pastor, whether you are in children's ministry, a Sunday school teacher, you lead a small group, maybe in charge of the outreach team or the prayer ministry. And any area you are involved in a small church, this series is for you. Again. We're talking mobility, neuro diversity, mental and physical differences in abilities, children, families, dietary issues, what are we doing to build communities of belonging rather than communities of otherness? I believe. I know. I know we can do better, because I've seen it, because we're starting to watch stories pop up in our community, and we're starting to watch lives change in a way that people who have felt marginalized by the church are Starting to feel seen. You guys. This is what we have. We talk about the gospel. People KNOWING JESUS. People see Jesus, have an opportunity to see Jesus through us. It's not just the words that God loves you, like let's leave a track or shout it out on the corner if people don't feel loved, if they aren't loved, if they aren't being welcomed, if they aren't being seen by us, by people who say we love Jesus, there is much, much smaller a likelihood that they are going to be feel seen, that they're going to feel seen and loved by the God of the universe, because we are the representatives. So let's do better. Before next week, please look up some statistics. Just open your mind, open your heart. Do a little bit of education, about what surrounds you, about who is not coming to church. You don't even need to ask why, yet. Just Just look at who's out there. When you're walking through the grocery store, you're at work or you're at school, notice people. NOTICE who is struggling, and say a quick prayer, Lord, what do we do? What can we do differently so that people don't feel so other, but that they find our churches, our small groups, even the ones meeting in homes, as a place where they too belong. Over the next couple weeks, as I mentioned, we're going to talk going to talk to specific people who are going to address specific things that we can do a little differently, specific ways to ask questions, to reach out in relationship, to build relationships where there were none, so that we can understand better. Now. Specific things in our churches, we can do little things that might not even cost any money, that make a big difference to somebody walking in the door, or someone even being able to walk in that door, families, children's, adults, disabilities, we're going to cover a lot of it, not all of it, but what I want to say is everything we talk about is going to be transferable to just about all the otherness that we experience in the world, including widows, divorces, single people who aren't finding family in the church because of the way that we speak about it. So again, this whole series, accessibility, inclusion, belonging, it really is for all of us, and I'm excited. So before next week, please have this conversation with someone in your family, and your church. Please share this podcast episode. Let's get this conversation going as we dive deeper into specific topics, specific solutions, specific ways that we can do better, as being the hands and feet and the heart of Christ. All right, have a great week. Thank you for listening in if you're loving this podcast. Please don't forget to leave a review. If you've been listening for years or even for two episodes and you've never left a review, we make it pretty easy for you. Just go to the show notes. There's a link there. Your Podcast review really helps other people find us. Just changes the algorithm a little bit when they are searching out their topics. So all right, until next Week, keep being a light. You