An Oklahoma City metro pastor is working to make sure a church can be a welcoming place for all, including for Oklahomans with disabilities.
Dr. Connor Bales from Quail Springs Baptist Church said he will be one of many speakers for the Equip: Disability Ministry Conference, an upcoming event focusing on spreading the word about ministries for disabilities and special needs.
Can you tell us why this conference is so important?
A: Well, I think it’s a great opportunity for the church to step into a very needed ministry space, helping other churches, resourcing other ministries to serve families and individuals that have been impacted by disability and have special needs.
Why is it hard for families who have loved ones who have special needs or disabilities to maneuver through a church?
A: It’s really not [easy], actually, statistically, about 95% of families who are impacted by disability are actually unchurched. I understand all the reasons why, because it’s difficult to get someone who has a disability, depending upon the variety of that disability, into a church safely. Oftentimes, it’s difficult for churches that don’t know the particular needs of that person and might not have the resources available to be able to properly serve them, and so it just becomes cumbersome.
This is an issue that’s very close to your heart. Can you explain why?
A: My wife, Mary, and I have five amazing children, and my two daughters, right in the middle of our family, 16 and 13, have very significant disabilities. They’re very medically fragile and complex, and as a result, our family has forever been impacted, and we understand what a disability ministry looks like.
Can you tell us about your girls?
A: Libby … She’s 16 years old, and Hannah is 13 years old. My girls have a very rare chromosomal abnormality. Cognitively, developmentally, they’re about nine months old, and so they require full-time, around-the-clock care. They are also, I would tell you, the greatest instruments that God has shown to me as to what it looks like to walk in grace and to serve others who have a value, even though their abilities are very different from ours.
How do you encourage parents?
A: I think the church is the place that inhabits the position of God, that every person has an intrinsic value and dignity because they have been made in the image and after the likeness of God. So, regardless of ability or disability, we know that the church is the place where every person is valued. We want to be a Kingdom-based ministry that equips churches and other industries to be able to resource and serve and encourage families that have been impacted by disability. The Equip: Disability Ministry Conference is just that, bringing in subject matter experts to try to serve, encourage and equip other ministries to be able to resource these families. To partner with them in the high calling that got us entrusted to them to love someone who has a disability or special need.
What does it do for the whole family unit to know that all are welcome?
A: It changes everything for a family like ours. When we know that our entire family is seen and that a church or a ministry has made provision for each and every one of us, despite the differences that we have, we feel seen, known and loved. I think the church is the greatest place where that should take place.
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