{"id":708,"date":"2015-09-30T17:32:41","date_gmt":"2015-09-30T23:32:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/?p=708"},"modified":"2018-05-25T09:46:56","modified_gmt":"2018-05-25T15:46:56","slug":"special-needs-ministry-in-sunday-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/sunday-school\/special-needs-ministry-in-sunday-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Need A Special Needs Ministry"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Jesus loves the little children,<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>All the children of the world,<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Deaf and blind, and slow to speak,<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Some delayed and others weak,<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Jesus loves the little children of the world.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>For many years, you could find me most Sundays helping kids gather lesson papers, Bibles, and crafts as their parents waited to pick them up from Sunday school.<\/p>\n<p>One day a mom said to me, \u201cThanks for all you do, but I\u2019m so sorry you missed worship. Today\u2019s service was beautiful.\u201d It\u2019s funny how parents so easily assume that we who serve in children\u2019s ministry miss out on worship.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, I don\u2019t miss out,\u201d I replied, \u201cI get the joy of worshipping with our precious kids.\u201d Don\u2019t get me wrong, children\u2019s ministry has its challenges, but I can honestly say I don\u2019t feel like I\u2019m missing out by teaching children while the other adults gather. It\u2019s a reward to me, and in this chapter I\u2019ll give suggestions that\u2019ll help you make your special needs ministry an efficient and meaningful reward, as well.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"black-headline responsive_headline\">How can we support kids with special needs?<\/h3>\n<p>This simple question is one that you can ask about the children in your church who have special needs. We ask the question with the goal of supporting these children who learn differently, and the adults and children in your Sunday school ministry can help with this.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>At age 8, Robert hadn\u2019t yet learned to stay in his seat during the Bible lesson. He took a hands-on approach to every object lesson, puppet show, and poster included with the curriculum. While the other children watched and giggled, Robert\u2019s pudgy fingers grabbed each item one by one and pulled it close to his face. He often asked questions loudly, distracting the group from our lesson.<\/p>\n<p>One Sunday when Robert was absent, I addressed his behavior with the other kids. Putting my lesson aside, I said, \u201cBoys and girls, I\u2019d like to talk to you about our friend Robert. Sometimes Robert\u2019s curiosity and questions distract us during the lesson. Have you noticed that he wears very thick glasses to help him see? This weekend Robert is at a school for the blind, where he\u2019s learning to do things for himself when he can no longer see.\u201d The kids were very still and thoughtful for a while. Then one girl asked, \u201cWhat can we do to help Robert?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Whether children have needs such as blindness, deafness, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, muscular dystrophy, or a missing limb, they all want to be accepted for themselves. They\u2019re made in the image of God and have many things in common with all children. Many are also typical learners with the capacity to accomplish great things. They make friends easily and want to be included when churches are willing to eliminate facility and program barriers.<\/p>\n<p>What universal characteristics have you noticed about the children with special needs in your Sunday school program? Take time now to write your thoughts.<\/p>\n<p>To minister to children with special needs and their families, we must strive to overcome common barriers with our facilities and programs.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"semi-bold\">Facility Barriers<\/span> Church buildings can have significant barriers to welcoming families affected by disabilities. Here are some aspects to evaluate based on kids\u2019 needs:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>visible handicapped parking spots<\/li>\n<li>handicapped curb ramps at every entrance<\/li>\n<li>handicapped-accessible doors on at least 50 percent of entrances<\/li>\n<li>handicapped-accessible restrooms on each building level<\/li>\n<li>child-safe meeting room furnishings in every meeting room your ministry uses<\/li>\n<li>handicapped-accessible playground equipment<\/li>\n<li>soft lighting<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In addition, there are some aspects that are legally required. For example, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) says churches must be fully wheelchair accessible, meaning doorways must be wide enough, there must be ramps to access entrances, and restrooms must be handicapped-accessible. (See <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ada.gov\/pubs\/ada.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ada.gov\/pubs\/ada.htm<\/a> for all specific rules and regulations.) Don\u2019t worry\u2014there are resources out there to help you. Even today\u2019s playground contractors are prepared to guide churches in remodeling their outdoor spaces to meet the needs of children with physical disabilities.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"semi-bold\">Program Barriers<\/span> Have you ever considered that your Sunday school lesson plans could actually be a barrier to a child\u2019s participation? Often, correcting this issue is as simple as making individualized adaptations to the curriculum based on the kids you have in your group. Don\u2019t hesitate to call a parent if you\u2019re not sure how to adapt an activity to a child\u2019s special need. For most of these parents, your call will be like sweet music to their ears. They\u2019ll think, <em>Wow! Someone\u2019s willing to go the extra mile for my child\u2014praise the Lord!<\/em> And that\u2019s just the first step. There\u2019s even more you can do to eliminate program barriers and create inclusive Sunday school ministries.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"black-headline responsive_headline\">What&#8217;s unique about inclusive Sunday school ministries?<\/h3>\n<p>Someone once said, \u201cThe question is not can these children learn, but can we teach them?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities were historically classified as \u201cmentally retarded.\u201d Today, this term is considered offensive, and people-first language is required in governmental and educational documents. For example, we say the people-first phrase \u201cthe boy with autism\u201d not the label-first phrase \u201cautistic boy.\u201d This style of speech recognizes that a boy has a special need, but he also has many other qualities. All churches that embrace the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 to \u201ctherefore, go and make disciples of all the nations&#8230;Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you\u201d can be leading examples of compassion, love, and respect to the estimated 17 to 20 percent of families affected by disabilities in America alone.<\/p>\n<div class=\"well\">\n<h4 class=\"all-caps\">Get the word out<\/h4>\n<p>Here are tangible ways to create awareness.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"semi-bold\">Offer classes<\/span> in disability awareness and disability-friendly manners for volunteers as well as older children and teenagers. Invite a local special education teacher to lead the class, and include parents of children with special needs as guests.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"semi-bold\">Purchase books<\/span> and videos for the church library that share people\u2019s life stories about disabilities. Encourage your congregation to view them.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"semi-bold\">Interview a family<\/span> who\u2019s excited about the special needs ministry at your church. Publish the interview on your church website, in local newsletters, and on church invitation cards to distribute in your community.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"semi-bold\">Inclusive Programming<\/span> Successful Sunday school ministries are well prepared but also flexible. While it\u2019s always our goal to include children in their peer groups at church, some children with developmental disabilities such as autism, Asperger\u2019s syndrome, Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD), Rett syndrome, and others may be more comfortable in a special meeting room designed for their unique needs.<\/p>\n<p>Pam Baldwin, a special needs minister at a church in Glendale, Arizona, says, \u201cWe\u2019re using the reverse inclusion model, where we invite typical kids to join in our special needs class to participate in crafts and music. This prevents isolation and is a blessing to everyone, including our volunteers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"semi-bold\">Inclusive Volunteers<\/span> Since these children are unique with mild, moderate, or severe disorders, search for volunteers who can look beyond their needs to discover their gifts and talents. Some volunteers who aren\u2019t comfortable teaching groups of children are happy to build a relationship with one child as a buddy. Older children with mild disabilities may prefer a peer buddy who draws less attention to disabilities than an adult helper.<\/p>\n<p>Volunteers don\u2019t need to know everything about every disability; they just need to be aware of the characteristics and learning style of the children they\u2019re serving. Progress may seem slow, but special needs leaders will tell you there\u2019s nothing more gratifying than watching a child come to understand a biblical concept or say a heartfelt prayer for the first time.<\/p>\n<p>Meet regularly with your team to share behavior management tips, discuss how to adapt lessons, and pray for kids and their families. Working so your team becomes a family will go a long way in retaining these volunteers.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"semi-bold\">Inclusive Teaching Methods<\/span> Here are the \u201c3 R\u2019s\u201d of teaching children with special needs.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"semi-bold\">Routine<\/span> Keep schedules consistent and allow plenty of time for transitions.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"semi-bold\">Reinforce<\/span> Explore the same Bible passage for several weeks using a variety of activities based on the children\u2019s abilities.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"semi-bold\">Reminders<\/span> Introduce one prayer concept at a time and break down Bible verses into smaller portions. Make take-home reminders during craft time, preparing supplies in advance with large and small motor skills in mind.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"well\">\n<h4 class=\"all-caps\">Must-have tools for today&#8217;s Sunday school ministries<\/h4>\n<p>There are many resources out there to help you prepare for and successfully continue a special needs ministry. Here is a list of the resources I find to be the most helpful.<\/p>\n<p><em>Kids\u2019 Corner<\/em>, an interactive disability awareness website for kids, at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.joniandfriends.org\/kids-corner\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">joniandfriends.org\/kids-corner<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Newman, B. <em>Autism and Your Church: Nurturing the Spiritual Growth of People with Autism Spectrum Disorder<\/em>. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.faithaliveresources.org\/Products\/116016\/autism-and-your-church.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Faith Alive.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Verbal, P., General Editor <em>Special Needs Ministry for Children: Creating a Welcoming Place for Families Whose Children Have Special Needs<\/em>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.group.com\/product\/9780764484704-special-needs-ministry-for-children.do?sortby=ourPicks&amp;refType=&amp;from=Search&amp;ecList=6&amp;ecCategory=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Group Publishing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Children&#8217;s Ministry Pocket Guide to Special Needs: Quick Tips to Reach Every Child in the Classroom.\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.group.com\/product\/9780764437014-pocket-guide-to-special-needs-quick-tips-to-reach-every-child.do?sortby=ourPicks&amp;refType=&amp;from=Search&amp;ecList=6&amp;ecCategory=\">Group Publishing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"black-headline responsive_headline\">What&#8217;s new in special needs ministries?<\/h3>\n<p>Special needs ministries, which were once rare in the church, are growing in number due to the increase in families coping with disabilities. What may\u2019ve begun with just providing extra assistants in Sunday school is quickly becoming an expanding community of faith.<\/p>\n<p>Martie Kwasny, director of Sonbeams, a special needs ministry in a Jackson, Mississippi church, says the biggest change she\u2019s seen in special needs ministry is developing relationships. \u201cOur leadership and church family has gone from an event mentality to personal relationships with children and families touched by special needs, including them in birthday parties, sleepovers, and dinner invitations,\u201d says Martie.<\/p>\n<p>Susan Galindo, the special needs director at a church in San Antonio, Texas, has also caught the vision for expanding outreach through Sunday school ministry. \u201cOur children\u2019s ministry is providing a Kids Night Out as a respite for parents, including offering scholarships for military families\u2019 children with special needs,\u201d says Susan. \u201cWe provide trained volunteer buddies for children who need them at our VBS, music camp, and drama camp. We\u2019ve also expanded the size and scope of our sensory motor play-room to accommodate multiple children who benefit from some quiet-time space.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These two churches work to avoid common pitfalls that can cause a Sunday school special needs ministry to crash and burn. Consider this letter I received from a discouraged volunteer:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I\u2019m ready to quit! Our church has over 1,000 members and several pastors. A steering committee was established for a disability ministry. I represented the children\u2019s ministry and worked with the children\u2019s pastor to develop a plan and create a designated sensory room. I served in the room during Sunday school with several preschoolers. Because we didn\u2019t have enough kids in our class, the pastors decided to take our room away and use it to expand the church\u2019s nursery. Now we don\u2019t have any space for special needs.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This church began well, but viewed the ministry as a program rather than a call from God to minister to the most vulnerable. They could\u2019ve taken a lesson from this next church.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The Harper Family was looking for a church home when they visited Trinity Community Church. Trinity advertised a special needs ministry. And as April dropped off her son, she met 20-year-old Ellen. Ellen had mobility issues and appeared to be nonverbal. Yet as other volunteers cared for her, she served the toddlers. As April\u2019s family continued their search, April couldn\u2019t stop thinking about Ellen. After visiting 11 churches, the Harpers returned to Trinity Community Church where they quickly got involved and became members. Their decision wasn\u2019t so much about their son\u2019s needs as it was about Ellen. They were attracted to how the church valued this young woman and helped her to discover her gifts. God worked through a person with a disability to help this family find their church home.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I believe churches need those with special needs as much as these people need the church. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:27, \u201cAll of you together are Christ\u2019s body, and each of you is a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"black-headline responsive_headline\">What&#8217;s <em>not<\/em> new in special needs ministries?<\/h3>\n<p>Romans 12:10-11 reminds us to love, hold on, be friends, don\u2019t burn out, be alert, pray, and be inventive! This formula for successful ministry to children with and without special needs never changes. It\u2019s the heart of God working through his people to tell the world about Jesus.<\/p>\n<p>As I look over my years in special needs ministry, I\u2019ve often thought of little Robert who had vision issues. I moved out of state and lost touch with his family. Yet I often prayed for Robert\u2019s sight and wondered how he was doing.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve moved back to that area now, and when I began attending the same church where I\u2019d worked with Robert, I was blessed with a big surprise. One day, our pastor invited a man to give his testimony in preparation for communion\u2014and it was Robert! With his white cane in hand, Robert stepped to the podium. He shared about a life of regret, drugs, homelessness, and suicidal thoughts, but he also shared that he never forgot that God loved him. At his lowest point, he called out for God\u2019s forgiveness and found his way back to church. He reunited with old friends who still loved him. He expressed a new delight in hearing the Word of God and a fresh joy in walking with Jesus. Robert is still disabled, but his heart is free and eternity is real to him.<\/p>\n<p>Who are the Roberts in your Sunday school whose special needs can potentially drive them down a painful, dark path? You can be the change agent God works through to plant an eternal message of hope in those people\u2019s hearts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jesus loves the little children, All the children of the world, Deaf and blind, and slow to speak, Some delayed and others weak, Jesus loves the little children of the world. For many years, you could find me most Sundays helping kids gather lesson papers, Bibles, and crafts as their parents waited to pick them up from Sunday school. One [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":702,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[83],"class_list":["post-708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sunday-school","tag-how-to-guides"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Why You Need A Special Needs Ministry - Group Children&#039;s Ministry<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Jesus loves children, and he often went out of his way to help people with special needs, as should we. Here are a few reasons you need a special needs ministry.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/sunday-school\/special-needs-ministry-in-sunday-school\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"FREE GUIDE: Special needs ministry in Sunday school\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Group\u2019s free guide gives suggestions to help make your special needs ministry an efficient and meaningful place to develop a relationship with Jesus for kids who can sometimes be overlooked in Sunday school. Jesus loves all children, and he often went out of his way to help people with special needs. Children\u2019s ministries sometimes struggle with how to treat the special youngsters in their churches. #kidmin\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/sunday-school\/special-needs-ministry-in-sunday-school\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Group Children&#039;s Ministry\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GroupChildrensMinistry\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-09-30T23:32:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-05-25T15:46:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/06\/safety-and-security-in-sunday-school-twitter.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Pat Verbal\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"FREE GUIDE: Special needs ministry in Sunday school\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Group\u2019s free guide gives suggestions to help make your special needs ministry an efficient and meaningful place to develop a relationship with Jesus for kids who can sometimes be overlooked in Sunday school. Jesus loves all children, and he often went out of his way to help people with special needs. Children\u2019s ministries sometimes struggle with how to treat the special youngsters in their churches. #kidmin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/06\/safety-and-security-in-sunday-school-twitter.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@groupkidmin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@groupkidmin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Pat Verbal\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/sunday-school\/special-needs-ministry-in-sunday-school\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/sunday-school\/special-needs-ministry-in-sunday-school\/\",\"name\":\"Why You Need A Special Needs Ministry - Group Children&#039;s Ministry\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/sunday-school\/special-needs-ministry-in-sunday-school\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/sunday-school\/special-needs-ministry-in-sunday-school\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/09\/Special-Needs-in-Sunday-School-Boy-Reading.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-09-30T23:32:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-05-25T15:46:56+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/#\/schema\/person\/fa65194755a32f8ea64d4ee173749f27\"},\"description\":\"Jesus loves children, and he often went out of his way to help people with special needs, as should we. Here are a few reasons you need a special needs ministry.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/sunday-school\/special-needs-ministry-in-sunday-school\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/sunday-school\/special-needs-ministry-in-sunday-school\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/sunday-school\/special-needs-ministry-in-sunday-school\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/09\/Special-Needs-in-Sunday-School-Boy-Reading.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/09\/Special-Needs-in-Sunday-School-Boy-Reading.jpg\",\"width\":1600,\"height\":1067,\"caption\":\"Special Needs Ministry\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/sunday-school\/special-needs-ministry-in-sunday-school\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why You Need A Special Needs Ministry\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/\",\"name\":\"Group Children&#039;s Ministry\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/#\/schema\/person\/fa65194755a32f8ea64d4ee173749f27\",\"name\":\"Pat Verbal\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b38e137b4b16f6edd163089ba1cdab8a3e7265411d6b57b5630249fc9a1dfbbc?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b38e137b4b16f6edd163089ba1cdab8a3e7265411d6b57b5630249fc9a1dfbbc?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Pat Verbal\"},\"description\":\"Pat Verbal is the senior manager of curriculum development at Joni and Friends Christian Institute on Disability and a children\u2019s ministry veteran with 25 years of experience as a Christian education pastor, teacher, and school administrator. Pat has written and co-authored 12 books and numerous articles. She was selected in 2010 as one of the \u201cTop 20 Influencers\u201d in children\u2019s ministry by Children\u2019s Ministry Magazine. Pat is a graduate of Azusa Pacific University and holds an M.A. in pastoral studies from the C.P. Haggard School of Theology, where she served on the Council of Church Leaders.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/author\/patverbal\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why You Need A Special Needs Ministry - Group Children&#039;s Ministry","description":"Jesus loves children, and he often went out of his way to help people with special needs, as should we. Here are a few reasons you need a special needs ministry.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/sunday-school\/special-needs-ministry-in-sunday-school\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"FREE GUIDE: Special needs ministry in Sunday school","og_description":"Group\u2019s free guide gives suggestions to help make your special needs ministry an efficient and meaningful place to develop a relationship with Jesus for kids who can sometimes be overlooked in Sunday school. Jesus loves all children, and he often went out of his way to help people with special needs. Children\u2019s ministries sometimes struggle with how to treat the special youngsters in their churches. #kidmin","og_url":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/sunday-school\/special-needs-ministry-in-sunday-school\/","og_site_name":"Group Children&#039;s Ministry","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GroupChildrensMinistry","article_published_time":"2015-09-30T23:32:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-05-25T15:46:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":512,"url":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/06\/safety-and-security-in-sunday-school-twitter.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Pat Verbal","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"FREE GUIDE: Special needs ministry in Sunday school","twitter_description":"Group\u2019s free guide gives suggestions to help make your special needs ministry an efficient and meaningful place to develop a relationship with Jesus for kids who can sometimes be overlooked in Sunday school. Jesus loves all children, and he often went out of his way to help people with special needs. Children\u2019s ministries sometimes struggle with how to treat the special youngsters in their churches. #kidmin","twitter_image":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/06\/safety-and-security-in-sunday-school-twitter.jpg","twitter_creator":"@groupkidmin","twitter_site":"@groupkidmin","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Pat Verbal","Est. reading time":"12 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/sunday-school\/special-needs-ministry-in-sunday-school\/","url":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/sunday-school\/special-needs-ministry-in-sunday-school\/","name":"Why You Need A Special Needs Ministry - Group Children&#039;s Ministry","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/sunday-school\/special-needs-ministry-in-sunday-school\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/sunday-school\/special-needs-ministry-in-sunday-school\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/09\/Special-Needs-in-Sunday-School-Boy-Reading.jpg","datePublished":"2015-09-30T23:32:41+00:00","dateModified":"2018-05-25T15:46:56+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/#\/schema\/person\/fa65194755a32f8ea64d4ee173749f27"},"description":"Jesus loves children, and he often went out of his way to help people with special needs, as should we. Here are a few reasons you need a special needs ministry.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/sunday-school\/special-needs-ministry-in-sunday-school\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/sunday-school\/special-needs-ministry-in-sunday-school\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/sunday-school\/special-needs-ministry-in-sunday-school\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/09\/Special-Needs-in-Sunday-School-Boy-Reading.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/09\/Special-Needs-in-Sunday-School-Boy-Reading.jpg","width":1600,"height":1067,"caption":"Special Needs Ministry"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/sunday-school\/special-needs-ministry-in-sunday-school\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why You Need A Special Needs Ministry"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/#website","url":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/","name":"Group Children&#039;s Ministry","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/#\/schema\/person\/fa65194755a32f8ea64d4ee173749f27","name":"Pat Verbal","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b38e137b4b16f6edd163089ba1cdab8a3e7265411d6b57b5630249fc9a1dfbbc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b38e137b4b16f6edd163089ba1cdab8a3e7265411d6b57b5630249fc9a1dfbbc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Pat Verbal"},"description":"Pat Verbal is the senior manager of curriculum development at Joni and Friends Christian Institute on Disability and a children\u2019s ministry veteran with 25 years of experience as a Christian education pastor, teacher, and school administrator. Pat has written and co-authored 12 books and numerous articles. She was selected in 2010 as one of the \u201cTop 20 Influencers\u201d in children\u2019s ministry by Children\u2019s Ministry Magazine. Pat is a graduate of Azusa Pacific University and holds an M.A. in pastoral studies from the C.P. Haggard School of Theology, where she served on the Council of Church Leaders.","url":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/author\/patverbal\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/63"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=708"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}