For parents
You are not asking too much.
If church has been hard for your family, you're not alone, and your child is not the problem. Many churches want to welcome your family and simply don't know how yet. This site is here to help them learn.
What a welcoming church offers
- One consistent adult who stays with your child
- A quiet space for when the room gets too loud
- Lessons adapted to how your child learns
- Someone who asks what your child loves and what calms them
- Freedom to come on the hard weeks without calling ahead
Questions to ask a church
- Could someone be with my child one-on-one?
- Is there a calm place my child can go for a break?
- Who should I talk to about my child's needs?
- How will you reach me during the service if I'm needed?
If they don't have answers yet, share this site with the children's pastor. It has what they need to take the first step.
What to tell the church about your child
- How your child communicates
- What calms them and what upsets them
- Favorite things. One boy lit up when his buddy brought in Toy Story toys.
- Sensory needs, allergies and bathroom help
- What you hope they get out of church
From other parents
You're not the only family who has felt this way.
Sean is an escape artist. Sue paired him with some of the fastest runners, in their running shoes every week. That makes us feel very comfortable being in worship. This is one of the very few places he's so excited to get to and doesn't want to leave.
I know it's an hour out of an entire week, but that's the hour I get to go on my spiritual journey with God. When I pick her up, they tell me exactly what Finley did, what she said, or that she needed to step out because it was too overstimulating.
We paid a special needs babysitter every Sunday so we could go to church. Our son didn't even know what church was. When a friend told us about the ministry, I said, "You won't be able to handle our kid." It has changed our lives.
Where to next