Baylor Collaborative on Faith and Disability

Youth and young adults with disabilities often face unique barriers to participation and flourishing in the church. This project, an interdisciplinary collaboration between George W. Truett Seminary, the Baylor Center for Disability and Flourishing, and the Center for Church and Community Impact, is designed to equip churches to welcome and support young people (ages 13-25) with disabilities (including mental health challenges and chronic illness).

Through innovative new research and communities of learning, churches participating in this project are learning together how to engage creatively with young people with disabilities, reflect theologically on disability and ministry, and adapt and apply practices in accessible, enriching, and spiritually formative ways. This project is funded through Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Thriving Congregations Initiative. The principal investigators leading the project include Drs. Angela Reed, Gaynor Yancey, and Erik Carter.

The Baylor Collaborative on Faith and Disability hosted a special event: Disability & Church: A Conversation. The event brought together pastors, ministry leaders, persons with disabilities, families who have experienced disability, educators, and others for a robust conversation on themes of disability, belonging, and the church. Based on ideas raised by participants, the Baylor Collaborative on Faith and Disability team created a ministry resource called Opportunities for Belonging. The resource provides examples of current, promising efforts contributing to belonging of people with disabilities in congregational life, and describes areas in which congregational leaders might explore next steps in this important work. 

How might local congregations better embrace autistic persons? The Baylor Collaborative on Faith and Disability hosted practical theologian Dr. Léon van Ommen (Aberdeen University) for a series of presentations based on his new book: Autism & Worship: A Liturgical Theology. These lectures invite us to consider ways to reconsider worship and the church through the lens of autism.