Toolkit
Tools for starting and running a ministry
Build a plan for your church, then print it or share it with your team.
Your ministry plan
What you check and type here stays on this device. When you're ready, print it, save it as a PDF, or download a copy to share with your team.
Setting up your program
Start small, with the part you can do well. Two committed volunteers and one family are enough to begin. Stillwater now runs a summer day camp and a prom, but it started with one buddy.
Is your church ready to welcome everyone?
Walk your church with these questions. Some barriers are physical, like steps and narrow doors. Others are attitudes. Churches aren't required to follow the ADA, so it's up to us to notice what keeps people out.
A sensory room on a church budget
A sensory room is a calm place for a child who is overwhelmed by noise, light, smells or crowds. Children can use it for a short break or stay as long as they need. It can be a whole room or a corner. Pick a quieter spot away from windows so you can control the light.
Keep costs down
- Ask the congregation for toys and furniture their kids have outgrown.
- Carpet, calm paint and soft lamps instead of bright overhead lights change a room fast.
- Rice or dried beans in a plastic tub make a sensory bin.
- A small tent with pillows makes a quiet hideaway.
- Keep it uncluttered. Store extras in labeled bins out of sight.
What to put in it
Check what you'd like to get. Your picks go on your printed plan.
Calming or energizing?
Some children need to settle down. Others need to wake up their bodies before they can focus. Ask parents what works at home.
Try it: Dots
A calming technique that takes under a minute. With permission from the parent and the child, gently but firmly press your thumb into the child's open palm for 2 to 3 seconds. Make nine presses in a circle, then the tenth in the center. Repeat on the other hand.
Buddy tip sheet
- Greet your special friend by name in a calm voice. Get down to their eye level.
- Tell them what you'll be doing next. Knowing what's coming lowers anxiety.
- Give a heads-up before every change of activity. A picture schedule or timer helps.
- If noise or movement is building up, take a walk in the hallway or visit the sensory room.
- Encourage them to join in, but keeping them happy and safe matters more. Take a break and try again.
- Guide their hands with yours only if they welcome it. Some children don't like to be touched, so work within their comfort level.
- Keep instructions short and clear. Many children understand fewer words better.
- Eye contact is hard for many children with autism. They are still listening.
Never restrain a child. If things escalate, stay calm, give them space and ask another leader for help.
You are a blessing. Thank you for giving your time to serve children and families with disabilities.
More tools
Free tools for your team and your families
Keep learning
Resources we trust
Organizations
- Joni and FriendsSue brought the idea for Special Friends home from their Family Retreat.
- Church4EveryChildResearch and resources on including children with special needs.
- The Banquet NetworkA network of churches doing disability ministry.
- National Down Syndrome SocietyInformation and support for families and churches.
- CDC: Autism Spectrum DisorderPlain-language facts about autism.
Books
- Accessible Gospel, Inclusive WorshipBarbara J. Newman
- Including People with Disabilities in Faith CommunitiesErik W. Carter
- Disability and the GospelMichael S. Beates
- The Church and People with DisabilitiesPeggy A. Johnson