New SBC disability ministry emphasis would mobilize entities, conventions, churches, WMU -

NASHVILLE (BP) — A new ministry emphasis to the disabled would mobilize entities, state conventions and the Woman’s Missionary Union in evangelizing those with special needs everywhere Southern Baptists share the Gospel.

The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee voted Feb. 17 to ask messengers to the 2026 SBC Annual Meeting in Orlando to approve the ministry emphasis, as proposed by a specially commissioned Disability Ministry Task Force.

Task force leader Tom Stolle, executive director of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware and the father of an adult son with special needs, worked with a group of 11 that included lay members and entity representatives from Lifeway Christian Resources, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and the North American and International mission boards.

While about 28 percent of U.S. families include a member with a disability, Stolle estimated from among varying statistics, that percentage is not represented among church memberships. Rather, families of the disabled neither feel welcomed nor understood in church, Stolle said, drawing from his own family’s early experiences. Today, Stolle’s son Jimmy is welcomed and discipled at High Tide Church in Dagsboro, Del.

“About 15 to 20 percent, current estimates say, are the percent of evangelical churches in the United States that have any form of disability ministry,” Stolle said in recommending the task force report. “But what would it look like if Southern Baptist churches, if Southern Baptist state conventions and national entities took steps that said, ‘We see you, we love you, Jesus loves you, there’s a place for you in our church’? That would be huge.”

SBC Executive Committee President and CEO Jeff Iorg said the task force’s report makes his “heart sing.”

“This is not about changing the bylaw or fixing an amendment or something like that,” Iorg said. “This is about setting out requests and recommendations for Southern Baptists to be more intentional about this important period of ministry, and that’s good today.”

While Southern Baptists have widely affirmed, based on scriptural authority, that God created man in His own image, Stolle cited research from 2007 indicating 25 percent of Christians questioned whether disabled individuals were indeed created in God’s image.

“But mind you, this was a survey of church attendees. And what the survey found was over 25 percent of participants in this survey said that they were either unsure or disagreed with the statement that people with disabilities were created in the image of God. It’s tragic,” Stolle said. “It’s shocking.”

Lifeway Research reported in a 2020 study that 99 percent of evangelical pastors believe individuals with disabilities would feel welcome in their churches, but “many people with disabilities and their families have expressed surprise and skepticism at this finding,” the task force said in its report.

Task force member Jana Magruder, strategic initiatives director for Lifeway NextGen, told Baptist Press the dichotomy between Lifeway Research findings and the perceptions of families with disabled members likely lies in differing perspectives of what is welcoming.

“I think the disconnect is that while yes our churches are overwhelmingly warm and friendly and we may have a parking place for people who are in wheelchairs,” she said, “do we have in our classrooms, in our spaces for children to go, a place where they can thrive, they can learn, if they do have a disability?

“Are those kinds of facilities and equipment available?” she said. “So there’s a lot that a church can do to say you are welcome here that goes beyond just being warm and friendly.”

As envisioned by the task force, the SBC disability ministry emphasis would stand on a nationwide foundation, with each entity, convention or organization covering implementation costs for their endeavors:

SBC seminaries would participate in the ministry by offering certificate programs, classes and degrees in disability ministry, and add disability-related content to courses in each field of study.
The North American Mission Board would develop and provide evangelism tools to reach people with intellectual and developmental disabilities; expand the reach of current training tools on caring for adoptive and foster care families impacted by trauma; and develop and provide special-needs ministry resources tailored to church plants and replants.
The International Mission Board would review and assess “Team Member Qualifications and Preclusions,” specifically the current exclusion of families that have a member diagnosed with autism; develop and deliver training material on sharing the Gospel with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities; and evaluate the care and counseling families on the field receive following a child’s diagnosis.
Lifeway Christian Resources would add a disability ministry specialist to its team, increase and actively promote its disability ministry resources and training materials, make more accessible and user-friendly its special-needs ministry resource page, and assess the most utilized curriculum in Southern Baptist churches and enrich them with accessibility options and disability-friendly modifications.

The EC would establish the second Sunday in July as Disability Ministry Sunday, possibly as early as the 2027 SBC Calendar, with Lifeway responsible for resourcing the day for churches.

Also edifying the ministry:

GuideStone Financial Resources would expand financial assistance or grant opportunities for Mission: Dignity applicants who serve as caregivers.
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission would produce resources to help churches navigate disability-related ethical issues including gene editing, physician-assisted suicide, and what the task force described as a “high correlation between autism and transgender identification.”
State conventions would identify or establish a disability ministry consultant or catalyst and build network partnerships either within the state or with neighboring conventions to minister to the disability community. Aided by the task force, conventions would provide an up-to-date list of trusted parachurch organizations and consultants as a resource to local associations and churches; offer grants for churches who want to start or expand special-needs ministries, and provide training opportunities for churches at state convention conferences and through video options.
WMU would continue to produce resources to teach children with special needs and disabilities about missions, expanding on the All in for Kids suggested adaptations in the Mission Journey Kids curriculum.

The task force recommended in its report that the group remains active as a consultant to those complying with the recommendations. Current members, in addition to Stolle and Magruder, are Marci Campbell of Oregon, Shannon Deihl of Maryland, Amy Meekins of Virginia, Gus Pacheco of North Carolina, Sandra Peoples of Texas, Christa Smith and Cody Watson, both of Florida; and entity representatives Ray Clark of NAMB, John Brady of IMB, and RaShan Frost of ERLC.

Read the task force’s full report here.