June 13, 2025 • 12 mins
We explore the crucial topic of discipleship for people with disabilities and why it's not optional in the spiritual journey. Examining how churches typically respond to disability ministry, we unpack the importance of genuine inclusion beyond simply opening doors.
• Many churches either claim they're "already doing that," are unsure how to proceed, or haven't considered disability ministry
• Fear of the unknown often prevents meaningful inclusion, potentially losing entire families
• People with disabilities don't need to earn their value - it comes from being created in God's image
• Salvation is a connection between a person and God, not dependent on intellectual capacity
• Discipleship can include picture memory verses, communication devices, and mentoring relationships
• One-on-one relationships are the most effective way to facilitate spiritual growth
• Understanding how someone learns and processes information is key to effective discipleship
For deeper dives into these topics and more, check out indispensable-people.com and visit Amazon to purchase the books "The Indispensable Kid" and "Gospel, Accessibility and the Indispensable People."
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.
(00:56):
Today we're talking about somevertical habits.
Sounds a little strange, butlet me get into it.
Habits Sounds a little strange,but let me get into it.
I'm reading this book by BarbaraNewman and it is called
Accessible Gospel InclusiveWorship, and in chapter four it
(01:16):
starts off by posing a question.
It says salvation is it thebeginning or the end?
Once we step into that newplace of belonging to Christ,
what is next?
Most people involved inevangelism are quick to comment
that evangelism and discipleshipwalk hand in hand.
Once we are a child of God,it's so important to put
ourselves in places where Godcan continue the transformation
(01:37):
in our lives.
So I wanted to talk with youabout this today because, first
of all, there are so many beliefsystems that come into serving
people with disabilities andthose belief systems kind of
derail because they don't lineup with Scripture.
(02:00):
And so, yes, salvation isabsolutely, incredibly important
.
It is the security of eternity,it is a choice to live a life
after Christ.
But what does that mean forsomeone with a disability?
Well, first of all, I couldtell you that on many occasions
(02:22):
the church as a whole hasresponded in a couple of ways.
I have explained or shared withyou before that I'm a
missionary and I get to servewithin local churches and train
local churches and talk withthem about serving people with
(02:45):
disabilities, and oftentimes,when we encounter pastors, you
kind of get one of threeresponses One oh hey, we're
already doing that.
We've got some families.
Let me tell you about them.
Okay, so that's one.
And that varies in a multitudeof ways.
(03:06):
Maybe it's they have a programwhich is actually probably the
least likely.
It could be that that personparticipates with their family
in church services and that kindof stuff.
It could be a little bit ofboth where they are trying to
minister, but maybe they don'tfit in all the places, but more
(03:32):
likely.
Here are the other two thingsthat we hear, which are one.
We have thought about that,we've talked about it, but we're
not really sure how to go aboutit.
And then the last one beingit's not really something we've
(03:52):
considered.
Now I don't think in any ofthose contexts anyone is a
terrible person and trying to dothe wrong thing.
Sometimes you don't know whatyou don't know, and so and we've
talked about this before fearof the unknown creeps in and
people are unsure of how to doit and, honestly, they don't
want to do it wrong, so theyjust don't do it at all.
(04:13):
But that's not serving anyonein that respect, and they're not
growing as a church, they'renot open to the whole body of
Christ.
And, um, we're probably losingpeople, because if a parent
can't attend because their childcan't attend, then we not only
(04:36):
lost a person, but we lost mostlikely a whole family.
And so we have to get past thatpart first.
Right, that's primary, like openthe door, be welcoming, value
these people, because that'swhat scripture says.
I don't have to walk in andnecessarily earn my value in any
(04:57):
place that I go, and it's notbecause I have or don't have a
disability.
It's, again, because my valueis found in Jesus Christ and
that is my value and my worth,and so I don't have to prove it
to anyone, and neither do thesefamilies or the individuals
impacted by disability.
And so we want to be cautiousand careful, in the sense that
(05:23):
we want to earn our way intosalvation, which we know we
can't right.
It's a free gift given by Godwith a plan and a purpose for
life, and so the first step isopen the doors, be welcoming,
choose to see the value in thepeople that God has created,
(05:48):
choose to see the purpose,because if they have breath in
their lungs, they have purpose,because God said so.
And also what's next, once wehave opened the door and made
the welcome and given theopportunity to believe that, yes
, they can accept Jesus intotheir life, because that's the
(06:11):
next piece, right?
So many people have said to mewell, how do you know they
understand?
How do you?
How do you?
How do you, how do you listen?
First of all, a person'ssalvation is between them and
God, and God has given us hisHoly Spirit and spoken to us in
(06:32):
ways that only he can, and soyou can have the most eloquent
or the most disability-friendlyspeaker on the stage, but it's
really God that's moving andit's his power that's translated
and it's his word that hits theheart of his people.
So we've opened the doors,we've allowed them in, we
(06:55):
believe that salvation is forthem and we pray that God will
speak to the hearts of hispeople so that they will receive
him.
So what's next?
Because it doesn't end there,and it doesn't end there even if
it seems like they might notunderstand.
It doesn't end there even if itseems like they might not
(07:20):
understand.
It doesn't end there even if itseems like they might not be
able to serve in our regularcapacities that we have to offer
.
Discipleship is next, and it iskey to a continuing relationship
of growing.
The sanctification process isfor every person.
It's not going to look the same.
The modes are going to bedifferent, the strategies might
(07:45):
not be the same.
However, the discipleshipprocess should be happening and
it can look like a multitude ofthings.
Okay, it can be picture memoryverses, visual memory verses.
It could be singing the song.
(08:06):
It could be pointing to answersthat they have learned about
from a story.
It could be praying over andparticipating, laying hands on
while praying, all of thosekinds of things.
(08:27):
It could be written prayers.
It could be prayers developedon a communication device.
It could be led word for word,repeated prayers.
It could be so many differentthings.
It can be Bible studies insmall groups.
It could be disability orspecial needs ministry, specific
(08:51):
services or small groups.
It could be mentorship,one-on-one guidance and
direction.
Right now I'm so excited.
There is a gentleman in mychurch that has developed a
really great friendship with oneof our individuals that attend
our respite and he called acouple of weeks ago and he said,
(09:15):
hey, would it be okay ifso-and-so and I got together.
We've really been talking aboutthe scriptures and he's growing
, and so I just wanted to spenda little bit more time with him
and I said, absolutely, as longas you have parent permission
and guidance and direction,please, and thank you.
That's huge, that's ginormous.
(09:37):
This gentleman is coming to meand sharing scriptures with me
because he's talked it over andis living his life out in
conversations with thisgentleman who is investing in
him as his mentor.
That's exactly what should behappening.
So it's in all kinds of waysand in all kinds of investments.
(09:59):
Now, granted, does he need toconsider how that person is
receiving information and howhe's understanding it and also
be able to talk through in theways that work best for that
individual.
Do they have to take breaks?
Do they have to break thingsdown into chunks so that it's
(10:20):
not overwhelming?
Absolutely.
There are so many ways to dothis, but the discipleship
process isn't an option.
It is a necessity, and I'mgoing to tell you that utilizing
all the strategies and all thetools that we've ever talked
about is ideal Visuals, hands-onbreaking things down,
(10:45):
simplifying, making things intopoint-by-point situations,
applying it to their real lifesituations.
But I'm going to tell youthere's literally nothing better
than that one-on-onerelationship.
Why?
Because when you know someone,you know how they learn, you
(11:06):
know how they think, you knowhow they process information,
you know how they deal withemotions, you know what they
know, so you understand what youcan share and what you need to
explain.
There are so many pieces andparts, but a relationship is the
number one key to discipleship,and discipleship is not an
(11:30):
option.
It is a part of thesanctification process, because
we are all all as we followChrist.
We are all on the process andon the path and on the journey
of becoming more like Him, dayafter day after day after day.
The discipleship process is foreveryone?
(11:52):
Do I know everything aboutdisability ministry?
Do I have all the answers?
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.
(12:14):
For deeper dives into thesetopics and more, check out
indispensablepeoplecom and visitAmazon to purchase the books
the Indispensable Kid and Gospel, accessibility and the
Indispensable People Bye.
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.
(00:56):
Today we're talking about somevertical habits.
Sounds a little strange, butlet me get into it.
Habits Sounds a little strange,but let me get into it.
I'm reading this book by BarbaraNewman and it is called
Accessible Gospel InclusiveWorship, and in chapter four it
(01:16):
starts off by posing a question.
It says salvation is it thebeginning or the end?
Once we step into that newplace of belonging to Christ,
what is next?
Most people involved inevangelism are quick to comment
that evangelism and discipleshipwalk hand in hand.
Once we are a child of God,it's so important to put
ourselves in places where Godcan continue the transformation
(01:37):
in our lives.
So I wanted to talk with youabout this today because, first
of all, there are so many beliefsystems that come into serving
people with disabilities andthose belief systems kind of
derail because they don't lineup with Scripture.
(02:00):
And so, yes, salvation isabsolutely, incredibly important
.
It is the security of eternity,it is a choice to live a life
after Christ.
But what does that mean forsomeone with a disability?
Well, first of all, I couldtell you that on many occasions
(02:22):
the church as a whole hasresponded in a couple of ways.
I have explained or shared withyou before that I'm a
missionary and I get to servewithin local churches and train
local churches and talk withthem about serving people with
(02:45):
disabilities, and oftentimes,when we encounter pastors, you
kind of get one of threeresponses One oh hey, we're
already doing that.
We've got some families.
Let me tell you about them.
Okay, so that's one.
And that varies in a multitudeof ways.
(03:06):
Maybe it's they have a programwhich is actually probably the
least likely.
It could be that that personparticipates with their family
in church services and that kindof stuff.
It could be a little bit ofboth where they are trying to
minister, but maybe they don'tfit in all the places, but more
(03:32):
likely.
Here are the other two thingsthat we hear, which are one.
We have thought about that,we've talked about it, but we're
not really sure how to go aboutit.
And then the last one beingit's not really something we've
(03:52):
considered.
Now I don't think in any ofthose contexts anyone is a
terrible person and trying to dothe wrong thing.
Sometimes you don't know whatyou don't know, and so and we've
talked about this before fearof the unknown creeps in and
people are unsure of how to doit and, honestly, they don't
want to do it wrong, so theyjust don't do it at all.
(04:13):
But that's not serving anyonein that respect, and they're not
growing as a church, they'renot open to the whole body of
Christ.
And, um, we're probably losingpeople, because if a parent
can't attend because their childcan't attend, then we not only
(04:36):
lost a person, but we lost mostlikely a whole family.
And so we have to get past thatpart first.
Right, that's primary, like openthe door, be welcoming, value
these people, because that'swhat scripture says.
I don't have to walk in andnecessarily earn my value in any
(04:57):
place that I go, and it's notbecause I have or don't have a
disability.
It's, again, because my valueis found in Jesus Christ and
that is my value and my worth,and so I don't have to prove it
to anyone, and neither do thesefamilies or the individuals
impacted by disability.
And so we want to be cautiousand careful, in the sense that
(05:23):
we want to earn our way intosalvation, which we know we
can't right.
It's a free gift given by Godwith a plan and a purpose for
life, and so the first step isopen the doors, be welcoming,
choose to see the value in thepeople that God has created,
(05:48):
choose to see the purpose,because if they have breath in
their lungs, they have purpose,because God said so.
And also what's next, once wehave opened the door and made
the welcome and given theopportunity to believe that, yes
, they can accept Jesus intotheir life, because that's the
(06:11):
next piece, right?
So many people have said to mewell, how do you know they
understand?
How do you?
How do you?
How do you, how do you listen?
First of all, a person'ssalvation is between them and
God, and God has given us hisHoly Spirit and spoken to us in
(06:32):
ways that only he can, and soyou can have the most eloquent
or the most disability-friendlyspeaker on the stage, but it's
really God that's moving andit's his power that's translated
and it's his word that hits theheart of his people.
So we've opened the doors,we've allowed them in, we
(06:55):
believe that salvation is forthem and we pray that God will
speak to the hearts of hispeople so that they will receive
him.
So what's next?
Because it doesn't end there,and it doesn't end there even if
it seems like they might notunderstand.
It doesn't end there even if itseems like they might not
(07:20):
understand.
It doesn't end there even if itseems like they might not be
able to serve in our regularcapacities that we have to offer
.
Discipleship is next, and it iskey to a continuing relationship
of growing.
The sanctification process isfor every person.
It's not going to look the same.
The modes are going to bedifferent, the strategies might
(07:45):
not be the same.
However, the discipleshipprocess should be happening and
it can look like a multitude ofthings.
Okay, it can be picture memoryverses, visual memory verses.
It could be singing the song.
(08:06):
It could be pointing to answersthat they have learned about
from a story.
It could be praying over andparticipating, laying hands on
while praying, all of thosekinds of things.
(08:27):
It could be written prayers.
It could be prayers developedon a communication device.
It could be led word for word,repeated prayers.
It could be so many differentthings.
It can be Bible studies insmall groups.
It could be disability orspecial needs ministry, specific
(08:51):
services or small groups.
It could be mentorship,one-on-one guidance and
direction.
Right now I'm so excited.
There is a gentleman in mychurch that has developed a
really great friendship with oneof our individuals that attend
our respite and he called acouple of weeks ago and he said,
(09:15):
hey, would it be okay ifso-and-so and I got together.
We've really been talking aboutthe scriptures and he's growing
, and so I just wanted to spenda little bit more time with him
and I said, absolutely, as longas you have parent permission
and guidance and direction,please, and thank you.
That's huge, that's ginormous.
(09:37):
This gentleman is coming to meand sharing scriptures with me
because he's talked it over andis living his life out in
conversations with thisgentleman who is investing in
him as his mentor.
That's exactly what should behappening.
So it's in all kinds of waysand in all kinds of investments.
(09:59):
Now, granted, does he need toconsider how that person is
receiving information and howhe's understanding it and also
be able to talk through in theways that work best for that
individual.
Do they have to take breaks?
Do they have to break thingsdown into chunks so that it's
(10:20):
not overwhelming?
Absolutely.
There are so many ways to dothis, but the discipleship
process isn't an option.
It is a necessity, and I'mgoing to tell you that utilizing
all the strategies and all thetools that we've ever talked
about is ideal Visuals, hands-onbreaking things down,
(10:45):
simplifying, making things intopoint-by-point situations,
applying it to their real lifesituations.
But I'm going to tell youthere's literally nothing better
than that one-on-onerelationship.
Why?
Because when you know someone,you know how they learn, you
(11:06):
know how they think, you knowhow they process information,
you know how they deal withemotions, you know what they
know, so you understand what youcan share and what you need to
explain.
There are so many pieces andparts, but a relationship is the
number one key to discipleship,and discipleship is not an
(11:30):
option.
It is a part of thesanctification process, because
we are all all as we followChrist.
We are all on the process andon the path and on the journey
of becoming more like Him, dayafter day after day after day.
The discipleship process is foreveryone?
(11:52):
Do I know everything aboutdisability ministry?
Do I have all the answers?
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.
(12:14):
For deeper dives into thesetopics and more, check out
indispensablepeoplecom and visitAmazon to purchase the books
the Indispensable Kid and Gospel, accessibility and the
Indispensable People Bye.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!