March 28, 2025 • 15 mins
Examining the biblical framework for disability ministry reveals that God expects meaningful inclusion and empowerment of all believers in the church community regardless of ability. Scripture commands us to recognize that every person is created in God's image with gifts to contribute to the body of Christ.
• 25% of Americans have disabilities, yet 80% aren't in our churches
• The Bible teaches that people with disabilities are part of the body of Christ with purpose and value
• Every believer belongs to the body of Christ with gifts to use in ministry
• People with disabilities are described as "indispensable" in 1 Corinthians 12
• Scripture commands treating others with love, kindness and dignity
• Accessibility in church should be physical, social and spiritual
• Churches should empower people with disabilities to serve, not just be served
• Respecting dignity means addressing people directly, not talking over them
• Supporting people with disabilities fulfills biblical commands to "carry each other's burdens"
• Both people with and without disabilities have unique opportunities to witness about Christ
Check out indispensablepeople.com and find my books "The Indispensable Kid," "Gospel Accessibility," and "Indispensable People" on Amazon.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hi, my name is Tracy Correll and welcome to
Indispensable People.
I'm a wife, mom, teacher,pastor and missionary, and I
believe that every person shouldhave the opportunity to know
Christ, grow in Him and serveHim with the gifts that he has
given, no matter their ability.
Over 65 million Americans havea disability.
That's 25% of the population.
(00:26):
However, over 80% of them arenot inside the walls of our
church.
Let's dive into those hardtopics biblical foundations,
perceptions and welcome to thisepisode of Indispensable People.
(00:55):
We're going to answer thequestion what does the Bible
expect of me?
And that might sound reallystrange, and we're going to dive
into that, but it's not reallystrange because the Bible is an
(01:21):
instruction manual.
How does that impact the waythat we serve individuals with
disabilities in our lives, inour churches, in our workplaces,
wherever we are?
And this is an incredible pieceto consider because oftentimes
we talk about, you know whatdoes the Bible say about people
(01:42):
with disabilities.
You know what does the Biblesay about people with
disabilities and we kind of takeinto that, okay.
Well, how do we then treat thembased on what the Bible says
about people with disabilities,which, by the way, just to recap
some of that first of all.
The Bible says that everyperson is made in the image of
God.
They are fearfully andwonderfully made.
(02:03):
They were knit together.
The image of God.
They are fearfully andwonderfully made.
They were knit together.
All their days were ordainedfor them.
And also we can go into thescriptures about the parts and
pieces of the body of Christ.
We could talk about those thatare weakest, are actually
indispensable.
We could talk about how theirdisability exists, not because
(02:24):
of generational sin, but so thatthe works of God might be
displayed in them.
Those are just some reallyquick basic scriptures that
speak to the value and worth ofall people, and especially those
with disabilities.
So we cannot discount them orwhat God has for them in their
life.
Cannot discount them or whatGod has for them in their life.
(02:48):
But what does the Bible tell usabout how we should behave and
treat others, especially thosewith disabilities?
Okay, so you ready?
Are you ready for the officialPSA?
Okay, maybe you're not.
But here comes.
The church can meaningfully andpowerfully influence the lives
of people with disabilities.
The church must respondappropriately to biblical
(03:08):
teaching and resist thetemptation to view people with
disabilities as less than notgood enough, or as people
waiting only for a healing or ahug, instead believe that
Christians with disabilitieshave received the same spirit as
every other believer.
The Holy Spirit provides giftsfor ministry and grows believers
for a purpose and on a mission.
(03:31):
That's the PSA.
That's the kind of overallunderstanding of where we're
kind of going with this, becauseall believers belong, all
believers in Jesus belong, tothe body of Christ.
Together, god expects us togrow to become in every respect
the mature body of him, who isthe head that is Christ.
(03:53):
From him, the whole body isjoined together by every
supporting ligament, grows andbuilds itself up in love as each
part does its work.
That's from Ephesians 4, 15through 16.
And without appropriatetreatment and ministry to people
with disabilities, the churchcannot fulfill God's calling to
(04:17):
its fullest right To be thecommunity that grows and builds
itself up in love.
Without ministry to believerswith disabilities, the church
cannot be that community whereeach part does its work.
God has given persons withdisabilities to his church and
vice versa.
(04:37):
We get to be a part of thatbecause we are the church,
because we are the church.
So what's the scriptures?
Let's dive into it.
First of all, we get to tellthem that they matter to God
Okay, and this boils down to assimple as if God's not fit to
create someone, they have apurpose and a value in the body
(04:58):
of Christ, and people withdisabilities are full members of
the church and are given giftsand talents for use.
We should be welcoming them andknow their value.
That's our welcome, that'stheir value.
We get to communicate that.
And here's the scriptures thatback that up.
First, corinthians 12, 12 sayswe are one body in Christ and
(05:19):
individually members of oneanother.
Also, 1 Corinthians 12, 21through 22 says the eye cannot
say to the hand I don't need you, and the head cannot say to the
feet I don't need you.
1 Corinthians 12, 27 says nowyou are the body of Christ and
each one of you is part of it.
And all those scriptures workfor every single person.
(05:41):
Why?
Because scripture was writtenfor everyone.
There's nothing in the Biblethat says except for or not you
disclude this group.
If anything, it's a book aboutinclusion.
It's a book about how we wentfrom the focus of the Israelites
to the Gentiles.
They were not included, but nowthey're included, and that's
(06:04):
this is inclusion.
The second thing we need to beunderstanding and we need to be
listening.
So where is this fall?
What are the scriptures?
So, first of all, everyone haspreferred terms and ways of
expressing themselves.
You might have someone whowants to be referred to by their
(06:27):
diagnosis.
You might want someone whowants to hear that person first
language.
First of all, we know that inthe church their diagnosis isn't
our concern.
We don't need a medicaldiagnosis to love and share
about jesus and we show respectand understanding with love, and
(06:47):
.
But we do that by honoringtheir preferences.
And the scriptures say they.
They tell us to treat otherswith love and kindness.
Matthew 7, 12 says do to otherswhat you would have them do to
you.
Luke 6, 31 says treat othersjust as you want to be treated.
Galatians 5, 14 says love yourneighbor as yourself.
(07:09):
John 13, 34 through 35 sayslove one another as I have loved
you, so you must love oneanother.
That's not an option, that's acommand.
So what's our action step withthat?
Show respect, be understandingand love others.
The next thing is accessibilityis key.
(07:29):
So I often talk about thethings that we do for people
with disabilities won't justbenefit that person with a
disability, it will typicallybenefit every person in the room
, especially if we're talkingteaching strategies, helping
people navigate, all of thatkind of stuff.
But here's the thing Jesus wentafter the one.
(07:53):
He left the 99 for the one.
Jesus went after the one, heleft the 99 for the one.
So, even if it was for just theone, that is a model that Jesus
gave us.
So the church should be whereeveryone feels welcome and
included, and this is done byaccessibility, so that they can
fully participate in activities,worship, events.
Think about how you can createaccessible environments that are
(08:18):
physically, socially andspiritually accessible.
Hebrews 13.2 says do not forgetto show hospitality to strangers
, for by doing so, some peoplehave shown hospitality to angels
without knowing it.
Romans 15.7 says therefore,welcome one another as Christ
has welcomed you for the gloryof God.
(08:39):
Galatians 3 28 says there isneither Jew nor Gentile, nor
slave nor free, nor there ismale or female, for you are all
one in Christ Jesus.
So what's our action stepInclude others.
Look for ways to help peopleparticipate and join
conversations, studies, smallgroups and whatever else your
(09:02):
church has to offer.
Now the next word is going tobe like that touchy kind of word
that has been used for allkinds of ways, but please don't
take it in the negative fashion.
But the next word and the nextthing that we want to do for
people with disabilities we wantto empower them.
(09:24):
Church should encourage peoplewith disabilities to serve
others and use their gifts.
People with disabilities oftenjust get served and that is not
the intention that God has forthem.
They are a part of the body ofChrist, which means they are to
be co-laborers in Christ with us.
So what does scripture say?
First Corinthians breaks itdown.
(09:45):
First Corinthians 12.
I'm not going to read the wholescripture, but I'm going to
break it down into the bulletpoints.
Paul says that all people havegifts and that all gifts are
necessary.
Paul also said that people withdisabilities are indispensable
and they should be honored.
Paul says that people withdisabilities should be
accommodated.
First Peter 4.10 says each ofyou should use whatever gift you
(10:09):
have received to serve othersas faithful stewards of God's
grace in its various forms.
Paul says that people shoulduse their gifts to serve one
another.
So what's our action step Beencouraging.
Find the good in others andtell them about it.
Help them to find ways to serveusing their gifts.
(10:33):
Another phrase or word, acommand into how we should be
treating others shared dignity.
Remember that we are allcreated in God's image,
including people withdisabilities.
Embracing and celebrating ourdifferences helps us grow as a
community.
Genesis 127 says so.
God created mankind in his ownimage and in the image of God.
(10:57):
He created them, male andfemale.
He created them.
That is dignity.
That is worth.
That is value Not because ofwho they are, not because of
what they can do, but because ofwho created them and the image
in which they were created.
Shared dignity, and this isgoing to boil down to situations
(11:19):
where you talk over people,where you don't address them
specifically.
Probably some of the worstthings that I have seen or
experienced is when we talkabout them to another individual
while they're right there.
Some of those have been themost tearing down of dignity
(11:41):
that I have seen.
Or speaking to an adult in atone that sounds like we're
speaking to a baby, not assumingcompetence, all of those kinds
of things.
So what is our action step?
We're going to celebrate eachperson's unique personality,
gifts and interests, and we'regoing to see them with value and
(12:03):
worth.
The next word that we're goingto talk about is support.
The church is called to besupportive.
This means being there forthose who need it, offering love
and understanding and walkingalongside of individuals with
disabilities and their families.
Galatians 6.2 says carry eachother's burdens and in this way
you will fulfill the law ofChrist.
(12:24):
Hebrews 10.24-25 says encourageone another toward love and
good deeds.
Ephesians 4, 29 says only speakfor what is helpful for
building others up.
Philippians goodness gracious.
Philippians 2, 4 says look tothe interest of others and not
your own.
Those are prettystraightforward scriptures and
(12:47):
our action steps are be a friend, help one another, make sure no
one gets left out.
And the last word or phrase thatwe're going to address today,
the what does the Bible expectfrom me?
An opportunity to witness.
Not only can you share yourfaith with people with
(13:07):
disabilities, but individualswith disabilities can share
their faith with others andsometimes, because of their
disability, they have uniqueways that will resonate with
others that yours, your faithand your testimony will not.
Mark 16, 15 says go into allthe world and preach the gospel
(13:28):
to all creation.
Romans 1, 16 says for I am notashamed of the gospel, because
it is the power of God thatbrings salvation to everyone who
believes.
Second Timothy 4, 2 says beready to share the gospel at all
times and in all circumstances.
So what are our action steps?
Share Jesus, allow them toshare Jesus and grow in your
(13:51):
faith together.
Being a part of the body ofChrist means recognizing the
beauty and strength of diversity, including people with
disabilities.
We're going to work together tocreate an inclusive environment
where everyone can grow andthrive in their faith.
Making the gospel accessible,following what the Bible says,
(14:12):
what the Bible commands, createsopportunities for people with
disabilities and their familiesto be included in the church, to
fully participate and toco-labor alongside of you, which
is what God had meant from thevery beginning.
Do I know everything aboutdisability ministry?
Do I have all the answers?
(14:32):
Have I done everythingperfectly?
I have absolutely not, but weare going to continue this
conversation so that people ofall abilities can have the
opportunity to know Christ, growin Him and serve Him with the
gifts that he has given them.
For deeper dives into thesetopics and more, check out
(14:54):
indispensablepeoplecom and visitAmazon to purchase the books
the Indispensable Kid and GospelAccessibility and the
Indispensable People you.
Hi, my name is Tracy Correll and welcome to
Indispensable People.
I'm a wife, mom, teacher,pastor and missionary, and I
believe that every person shouldhave the opportunity to know
Christ, grow in Him and serveHim with the gifts that he has
given, no matter their ability.
Over 65 million Americans havea disability.
That's 25% of the population.
(00:26):
However, over 80% of them arenot inside the walls of our
church.
Let's dive into those hardtopics biblical foundations,
perceptions and welcome to thisepisode of Indispensable People.
(00:55):
We're going to answer thequestion what does the Bible
expect of me?
And that might sound reallystrange, and we're going to dive
into that, but it's not reallystrange because the Bible is an
(01:21):
instruction manual.
How does that impact the waythat we serve individuals with
disabilities in our lives, inour churches, in our workplaces,
wherever we are?
And this is an incredible pieceto consider because oftentimes
we talk about, you know whatdoes the Bible say about people
(01:42):
with disabilities.
You know what does the Biblesay about people with
disabilities and we kind of takeinto that, okay.
Well, how do we then treat thembased on what the Bible says
about people with disabilities,which, by the way, just to recap
some of that first of all.
The Bible says that everyperson is made in the image of
God.
They are fearfully andwonderfully made.
(02:03):
They were knit together.
The image of God.
They are fearfully andwonderfully made.
They were knit together.
All their days were ordainedfor them.
And also we can go into thescriptures about the parts and
pieces of the body of Christ.
We could talk about those thatare weakest, are actually
indispensable.
We could talk about how theirdisability exists, not because
(02:24):
of generational sin, but so thatthe works of God might be
displayed in them.
Those are just some reallyquick basic scriptures that
speak to the value and worth ofall people, and especially those
with disabilities.
So we cannot discount them orwhat God has for them in their
life.
Cannot discount them or whatGod has for them in their life.
(02:48):
But what does the Bible tell usabout how we should behave and
treat others, especially thosewith disabilities?
Okay, so you ready?
Are you ready for the officialPSA?
Okay, maybe you're not.
But here comes.
The church can meaningfully andpowerfully influence the lives
of people with disabilities.
The church must respondappropriately to biblical
(03:08):
teaching and resist thetemptation to view people with
disabilities as less than notgood enough, or as people
waiting only for a healing or ahug, instead believe that
Christians with disabilitieshave received the same spirit as
every other believer.
The Holy Spirit provides giftsfor ministry and grows believers
for a purpose and on a mission.
(03:31):
That's the PSA.
That's the kind of overallunderstanding of where we're
kind of going with this, becauseall believers belong, all
believers in Jesus belong, tothe body of Christ.
Together, god expects us togrow to become in every respect
the mature body of him, who isthe head that is Christ.
(03:53):
From him, the whole body isjoined together by every
supporting ligament, grows andbuilds itself up in love as each
part does its work.
That's from Ephesians 4, 15through 16.
And without appropriatetreatment and ministry to people
with disabilities, the churchcannot fulfill God's calling to
(04:17):
its fullest right To be thecommunity that grows and builds
itself up in love.
Without ministry to believerswith disabilities, the church
cannot be that community whereeach part does its work.
God has given persons withdisabilities to his church and
vice versa.
(04:37):
We get to be a part of thatbecause we are the church,
because we are the church.
So what's the scriptures?
Let's dive into it.
First of all, we get to tellthem that they matter to God
Okay, and this boils down to assimple as if God's not fit to
create someone, they have apurpose and a value in the body
(04:58):
of Christ, and people withdisabilities are full members of
the church and are given giftsand talents for use.
We should be welcoming them andknow their value.
That's our welcome, that'stheir value.
We get to communicate that.
And here's the scriptures thatback that up.
First, corinthians 12, 12 sayswe are one body in Christ and
(05:19):
individually members of oneanother.
Also, 1 Corinthians 12, 21through 22 says the eye cannot
say to the hand I don't need you, and the head cannot say to the
feet I don't need you.
1 Corinthians 12, 27 says nowyou are the body of Christ and
each one of you is part of it.
And all those scriptures workfor every single person.
(05:41):
Why?
Because scripture was writtenfor everyone.
There's nothing in the Biblethat says except for or not you
disclude this group.
If anything, it's a book aboutinclusion.
It's a book about how we wentfrom the focus of the Israelites
to the Gentiles.
They were not included, but nowthey're included, and that's
(06:04):
this is inclusion.
The second thing we need to beunderstanding and we need to be
listening.
So where is this fall?
What are the scriptures?
So, first of all, everyone haspreferred terms and ways of
expressing themselves.
You might have someone whowants to be referred to by their
(06:27):
diagnosis.
You might want someone whowants to hear that person first
language.
First of all, we know that inthe church their diagnosis isn't
our concern.
We don't need a medicaldiagnosis to love and share
about jesus and we show respectand understanding with love, and
(06:47):
.
But we do that by honoringtheir preferences.
And the scriptures say they.
They tell us to treat otherswith love and kindness.
Matthew 7, 12 says do to otherswhat you would have them do to
you.
Luke 6, 31 says treat othersjust as you want to be treated.
Galatians 5, 14 says love yourneighbor as yourself.
(07:09):
John 13, 34 through 35 sayslove one another as I have loved
you, so you must love oneanother.
That's not an option, that's acommand.
So what's our action step withthat?
Show respect, be understandingand love others.
The next thing is accessibilityis key.
(07:29):
So I often talk about thethings that we do for people
with disabilities won't justbenefit that person with a
disability, it will typicallybenefit every person in the room
, especially if we're talkingteaching strategies, helping
people navigate, all of thatkind of stuff.
But here's the thing Jesus wentafter the one.
(07:53):
He left the 99 for the one.
Jesus went after the one, heleft the 99 for the one.
So, even if it was for just theone, that is a model that Jesus
gave us.
So the church should be whereeveryone feels welcome and
included, and this is done byaccessibility, so that they can
fully participate in activities,worship, events.
Think about how you can createaccessible environments that are
(08:18):
physically, socially andspiritually accessible.
Hebrews 13.2 says do not forgetto show hospitality to strangers
, for by doing so, some peoplehave shown hospitality to angels
without knowing it.
Romans 15.7 says therefore,welcome one another as Christ
has welcomed you for the gloryof God.
(08:39):
Galatians 3 28 says there isneither Jew nor Gentile, nor
slave nor free, nor there ismale or female, for you are all
one in Christ Jesus.
So what's our action stepInclude others.
Look for ways to help peopleparticipate and join
conversations, studies, smallgroups and whatever else your
(09:02):
church has to offer.
Now the next word is going tobe like that touchy kind of word
that has been used for allkinds of ways, but please don't
take it in the negative fashion.
But the next word and the nextthing that we want to do for
people with disabilities we wantto empower them.
(09:24):
Church should encourage peoplewith disabilities to serve
others and use their gifts.
People with disabilities oftenjust get served and that is not
the intention that God has forthem.
They are a part of the body ofChrist, which means they are to
be co-laborers in Christ with us.
So what does scripture say?
First Corinthians breaks itdown.
(09:45):
First Corinthians 12.
I'm not going to read the wholescripture, but I'm going to
break it down into the bulletpoints.
Paul says that all people havegifts and that all gifts are
necessary.
Paul also said that people withdisabilities are indispensable
and they should be honored.
Paul says that people withdisabilities should be
accommodated.
First Peter 4.10 says each ofyou should use whatever gift you
(10:09):
have received to serve othersas faithful stewards of God's
grace in its various forms.
Paul says that people shoulduse their gifts to serve one
another.
So what's our action step Beencouraging.
Find the good in others andtell them about it.
Help them to find ways to serveusing their gifts.
(10:33):
Another phrase or word, acommand into how we should be
treating others shared dignity.
Remember that we are allcreated in God's image,
including people withdisabilities.
Embracing and celebrating ourdifferences helps us grow as a
community.
Genesis 127 says so.
God created mankind in his ownimage and in the image of God.
(10:57):
He created them, male andfemale.
He created them.
That is dignity.
That is worth.
That is value Not because ofwho they are, not because of
what they can do, but because ofwho created them and the image
in which they were created.
Shared dignity, and this isgoing to boil down to situations
(11:19):
where you talk over people,where you don't address them
specifically.
Probably some of the worstthings that I have seen or
experienced is when we talkabout them to another individual
while they're right there.
Some of those have been themost tearing down of dignity
(11:41):
that I have seen.
Or speaking to an adult in atone that sounds like we're
speaking to a baby, not assumingcompetence, all of those kinds
of things.
So what is our action step?
We're going to celebrate eachperson's unique personality,
gifts and interests, and we'regoing to see them with value and
(12:03):
worth.
The next word that we're goingto talk about is support.
The church is called to besupportive.
This means being there forthose who need it, offering love
and understanding and walkingalongside of individuals with
disabilities and their families.
Galatians 6.2 says carry eachother's burdens and in this way
you will fulfill the law ofChrist.
(12:24):
Hebrews 10.24-25 says encourageone another toward love and
good deeds.
Ephesians 4, 29 says only speakfor what is helpful for
building others up.
Philippians goodness gracious.
Philippians 2, 4 says look tothe interest of others and not
your own.
Those are prettystraightforward scriptures and
(12:47):
our action steps are be a friend, help one another, make sure no
one gets left out.
And the last word or phrase thatwe're going to address today,
the what does the Bible expectfrom me?
An opportunity to witness.
Not only can you share yourfaith with people with
(13:07):
disabilities, but individualswith disabilities can share
their faith with others andsometimes, because of their
disability, they have uniqueways that will resonate with
others that yours, your faithand your testimony will not.
Mark 16, 15 says go into allthe world and preach the gospel
(13:28):
to all creation.
Romans 1, 16 says for I am notashamed of the gospel, because
it is the power of God thatbrings salvation to everyone who
believes.
Second Timothy 4, 2 says beready to share the gospel at all
times and in all circumstances.
So what are our action steps?
Share Jesus, allow them toshare Jesus and grow in your
(13:51):
faith together.
Being a part of the body ofChrist means recognizing the
beauty and strength of diversity, including people with
disabilities.
We're going to work together tocreate an inclusive environment
where everyone can grow andthrive in their faith.
Making the gospel accessible,following what the Bible says,
(14:12):
what the Bible commands, createsopportunities for people with
disabilities and their familiesto be included in the church, to
fully participate and toco-labor alongside of you, which
is what God had meant from thevery beginning.
Do I know everything aboutdisability ministry?
Do I have all the answers?
(14:32):
Have I done everythingperfectly?
I have absolutely not, but weare going to continue this
conversation so that people ofall abilities can have the
opportunity to know Christ, growin Him and serve Him with the
gifts that he has given them.
For deeper dives into thesetopics and more, check out
(14:54):
indispensablepeoplecom and visitAmazon to purchase the books
the Indispensable Kid and GospelAccessibility and the
Indispensable People you.
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