Open Your Doors
A Petition to Consider Accessibility
Do you have anyone with a disability at your church? Maybe some of you answered yes, but I am willing to bet that most of you said no. And why is that? Do people with blindness, deafness, or who are in wheelchairs not go to church? It could be that we don’t want to. But the truth is likely closer to this: it’s because the church is not equipped for us, not prepared for us, and if I’m honest, most of the time, they don’t want us.
A Forgotten Mission Field
People with disabilities are one of the largest people groups in the world unreached by the Gospel. Globally, 90-95 percent of us have never heard the truth about Jesus.
Just pause and let that sink in.
There are approximately 1.3 billion people with disabilities in the world today. At 90-95 percent, that is between 1,175,000,000-1,235,000,000 people worldwide who need to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. That number should make you stop, think, and honestly weep.
But why is this the case? Why are we so unreached? Often, the church is not prepared for us. Many pastors believe their churches are welcoming, but they aren’t for many people with a disability. The source of this unwelcoming atmosphere could range from the building to the people of the congregation.
The Building Question
The church building needs to be accessible. Unfortunately, the Americans with Disabilities Act does not apply to churches. In my experience, many Christians have hidden behind that fact. Since they can continue to operate without making the necessary accommodations we require, they refuse to make them. But I have always told people, “Just because we don’t have to legally make them accessible doesn’t give us the right to not do so.” In fact, we have a responsibility from God to preach the Gospel and make disciples of all people, and that includes those of us with disabilities. Matthew 28:19-20 is clear: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Jesus uses the word ethne here, which refers to people groups and not just physical nations. Mark supports this, recording Jesus saying we are to preach the Gospel to all creation (Mk. 16:15).
This mandate from God supersedes any law the United States government could impose on us. Yes, the government cannot come in and make you provide accommodations in your building like they can with any other public place, but that shouldn’t stop you from doing it yourself. Refusing to do so impedes the ability of your local church to fulfill the Great Commission and welcome converts with disabilities.
A common objection might be that you don’t know how to make your building accessible. That’s okay. As a blind man, I don’t know all the accommodations someone who is deaf would require. I can make an educated guess, but I’m sure I’ll still miss something. What I am proposing is a more direct solution: invite us to your church!
When you encounter people who are blind, deaf, use wheelchairs, or possess any other disability, ask them to come to your church. If they accept, let them tour the building and ask them to take notes throughout the service. Afterward, meet with the people you invited, and listen to their feedback. We will give it, I can promise you that. But let me caution you. When you are informed about what accommodations are necessary, do not try to compromise or offer an alternative solution. Trust me, we know our needs better than anyone. For instance, if a blind person tells you to get a braille hymnal, do not try to suggest they look the lyrics up on their phone. Get the braille book and you will be blessed by their singing.
An objection oft repeated to making buildings accessible is the cost. I read a blog from a woman in a wheelchair who asked her pastor to put in a ramp so she could get into the sanctuary. The pastor refused, citing the monetary cost. Interestingly, he said the church couldn’t afford a wheelchair ramp while eating one of the doughnuts the church purchased every week. Talk about hypocrisy. Just a few weeks without buying doughnuts and coffee, and this church would have had the money it needed to put in that ramp. And each church can do the same. You may have to sacrifice something else for a time, but you must do it.
Will making your church accessible cost money? Yes. But can your church really afford to not do it? Do you want to stand before God and give account for the blind, the deaf, and the handicapped who never got to come and worship, to hear the Word, to fellowship with believers, all because of your selfishness? You do not!
While researching to write this article, I also discovered there are many resources that are available to help churches become accessible. There are grants that will help you to put in ramps, elevators, handicapped toilets, and anything else you might need. Take the time to look into the Benefact Trust or Joni and Friends’ Christian Fund for the Disabled, and it couldn’t hurt to see if the leadership of your denomination offers funding to make your building accessible since many have it. As a blind man, I also want to encourage you to look into groups like Lutheran Braille Workers and Braille Bibles International. They will help you get the Scriptures in braille for free or for very little cost. If you need a song book, try Lutheran Braille Workers again or The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled. Remember, I’m just giving you the basics, you will need to invite us to your church for feedback and do your own research for other available resources. The point is resources are often waiting.
The Church is a People
But it’s not enough to make your building accessible. You need to make sure the people of your congregations are ready to welcome us. Otherwise, you could have every accommodation imaginable, and still not see people with disabilities enter and join your church. So first, let’s discuss some of the issues we face from fellow Christians.
The first issue we face is people assuming they know our limitations. When we first meet, many people have already decided what we are capable of, and more often than not, it’s not even close to what we can actually do. From personal experience, I have been mistreated by Christians who assume they know me best. Let me give a few examples. I had a fellow member of a mission team constantly talk down to me and refuse to let me help because of my blindness. He even tried to get me moved out of a single room in our hotel behind my back. I had others refuse to let me help at a food pantry the church was running. I had volunteered there for years, but the second some new people were put in charge, they decided I was no longer capable, despite the fact that they had seen me help for years. This is just a small sample, and I am only speaking from my personal experiences as a blind person. I’m sure others have stories as well.
The fact is, we constantly have to deal with people talking down to us, treating us like children, and refusing to let us serve God. We face it enough from the secular world, we shouldn’t have to fight the same fight in the church. The most egregious example is when my former denomination turned me away from their seminary program because I cannot drive. God has called me to preach, but that did not matter because I would never be behind the wheel of a vehicle. If you want those of us with disabilities to join your church, this behavior must change. Often, when we are given a chance to serve, we are followed closely. Let people with disabilities understand their own limitations and ask for help. We know what we are capable of, and given even the slightest chance, I guarantee we will surprise you with our capability to serve God and the Church.
The second issue we need to address is the pity people seem to think we want or need. Like the first issue, this leads to people talking down to us, even if they may not think they are. I will be a little careful here, because what I say next may not always apply. But most of us have come to terms with our disabilities. We don’t want or need you to tell us how sorry you are that we have them. I don’t want to hear you say you’re sorry that I’m blind. I’m not sorry about it anymore.
Second, please do not treat us like we exist for your inspiration. For some, every little action we take is treated like some grand event. Let me be clear: it is not inspiring when I put on my shoes. I’m a normal functioning adult and can easily put on my shoes, dress myself, cook for my family, walk down a road, and take care of my daughter. If you say I’m inspiring, I want it to be for something I’ve actually done that is inspiring, not for just being an adult in the real world. Please, no pity, no apologies, and no treating our lives like we are the next heart-tugging blockbuster film of the summer.
This leads to the last issue I want to address, and that is ambush prayer. If you are not aware, ambush prayer is when someone grabs a person with a disability, without warning or consent, and starts to pray for their disability to be healed. Sometimes, they start trying to rebuke demons that are supposedly causing the disability. I have had it happen to me; not the demon rebuking, but the ambush prayer. A stranger saw me in public one time, came over, put their hand on my eyes, and started praying for me to see. I’ve heard stories from other individuals with disabilities as well. We all agree, this kind of behavior is demeaning.
Why do people do this? There is this idea that those of us with disabilities are broken, damaged goods that need to be repaired. Some go so far as to say that if we aren’t healed, it’s because we lack faith in Christ. That is ridiculous, and it has damaged the faith of many of us who do manage to get into the church. Nowhere in Scripture is physical health required as a sign of faith in God Almighty, and the fact that there continued to be Christians in the church who had sickness and disability in the Scriptures and early church proves that it is not a lack of faith.
Of course, I am a continuationist, I believe the gifts of the Holy Spirit continue to this day. And one of those gifts is healing. But not everyone will be healed. There are times when God says no. And one example is my own eyes.
Conclusion
Before concluding, I want to remind everyone reading this article about a dire warning from Scripture. “You shall not curse a deaf man, nor place a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall revere your God; I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:14). God is passionate for those of us with disabilities. By denying us access to the church or the Gospel, you are cursing the deaf, and placing stumbling blocks before the blind. You are not revering the LORD your God, so how can you claim you love Him? Though this often happens out of ignorance, we must strive toward the perfection in love God in Christ has called us to through the Holy Spirit. So please repent and open your doors!
Mr. John Cox is a husband and father. He graduated with a Bachelor’s in Theology and Biblical Studies from Liberty University and is aspiring toward a Master of Divinity at Asbury Theological Seminary and ordained ministry in the Global Methodist Church. He is passionate about raising awareness around the need for accessibility in churches and runs a YouTube Ministry called Many Tribes One Kingdom.
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