Disability in Mission: The Church’s Hidden Treasure outlines a radical change in approaches to missiology, missions, and praxis for the twenty-first-century global cultural context. It explores a pattern whereby God works powerfully in missions through disability and not in spite of it. No matter what our disability or vulnerability may be, God can use us; and if the body of Christ is supportive, people with disability can be effective agents of transformation in the mission field. Via a number of case studies of people with disabilities who are involved in missions, and with robust biblical and missiological justification, this book examines the role of those with disability in missions. Includes a foreword by Joni Eareckson Tada. TABLE OF CONTENTS: Foreword by Joni Eareckson Tada Introduction by Nathan G. John 1. Disability and Biblical Weakness by David C. Deuel 2. Moses, Messenger of Weakness by David C. Deuel 3. Kingdom Impact through Weakness and Disability by Bonnie Baker Armistead 4. Unformed yet Ordained by J. M. Paul 5. Called and Equipped through Paraplegia by Barry Funnell 6. Paul the Leper and Olive the Servant by David C. Deuel 7. Being a Mission Partner with Disability in Kenya by Paul Lindoewood 8. People with Disabilities on Short-Term Mission by Jeff McNair 9. Weak to Weaker: For Children with Disabilities across the Globe by Natalie Flickner 10. Deciding to Go on Mission with Disability by Justin Reimer 11. Mission Possible: The Role of Member Care in Mobilizing Workers with Disabilities by Deanna Richey Conclusion: Disability and Mission: For His Glory by Nathan G. John

Pastor Lamar Hardwick was thirty-six years old when he found out he was on the autism spectrum. This revelation prompted him to reconsider the church's responsibilities to the disabled community. Insisting that the good news of Jesus affirms God's image in all people, Hardwick offers practical steps and strategies to build stronger, truly inclusive communities of faith.

Michael Beates's concern with disability issues began nearly 30 years ago when his eldest child was born with multiple profound disabilities. Now, as more families like Michael's are affected by a growing number of difficulties ranging from down syndrome to autism to food allergies, the need for church programs and personal paradigm shifts is greater than ever. Working through key Bible passages on brokenness and disability while answering hard questions, Michael offers here helpful principles for believers and their churches. He shows us how to embrace our own brokenness and then to embrace those who are more physically and visibly broken, bringing hope and vision to those of us who need it most.

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year for Nonfiction "...an essential and engaging look at recent disability history."— Buzzfeed One of the most influential disability rights activists in US history tells her personal story of fighting for the right to receive an education, have a job, and just be human. A story of fighting to belong in a world that wasn’t built for all of us and of one woman’s activism—from the streets of Brooklyn and San Francisco to inside the halls of Washington—Being Heumann recounts Judy Heumann’s lifelong battle to achieve respect, acceptance, and inclusion in society. Paralyzed from polio at eighteen months, Judy’s struggle for equality began early in life. From fighting to attend grade school after being described as a “fire hazard” to later winning a lawsuit against the New York City school system for denying her a teacher’s license because of her paralysis, Judy’s actions set a precedent that fundamentally improved rights for disabled people. As a young woman, Judy rolled her wheelchair through the doors of the US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in San Francisco as a leader of the Section 504 Sit-In, the longest takeover of a governmental building in US history. Working with a community of over 150 disabled activists and allies, Judy successfully pressured the Carter administration to implement protections for disabled peoples’ rights, sparking a national movement and leading to the creation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Candid, intimate, and irreverent, Judy Heumann’s memoir about resistance to exclusion invites readers to imagine and make real a world in which we all belong.

Gain insight into the importance of advocacy for the disabled within various religious and secular organizations You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Romans 13:9) Through the years, religious organizations have worked to fulfill this biblical mandate. Disability Advocacy Among Religious Organizations: Histories and Reflections chronicles the progress of different ministries’ advocacy for the disabled since 1950 as they worked toward fulfilling this mission. This enlightening history of several religious organizations’ efforts charts the trends in advocacy while offering readers insight into ways to assist people with disabilities both within religious organizations and in society. Issues are explored by drawing upon numerous documents, communications, and in-depth reviews of the advocates’ work. This book draws together in a single volume the stories of various religious organizations and their struggles to advocate for the disabled. Because of society’s tendency to isolate and fear them, special needs individuals such as the mentally and physically disabled have long found it difficult to be accepted, understood, or to receive proper care. However, ministries strive to be advocates for all of their members and their needs, including education, treatment, and appropriate legislation. Disability Advocacy Among Religious Organizations: Histories and Reflections recounts the steps organizations have taken to focus on ending isolation and fear through inclusion and appropriate care of members with various disabilities. These historical accounts examine the depth, breadth, and on-going need for disability advocacy in religious organizations. Disability Advocacy Among Religious Organizations: Histories and Reflections discusses the advocacy backgrounds of: the World Council of Churches the National Council of Churches National Catholic Partnership on Disability National Apostolate for Inclusion Ministry American mainline Protestant denominations—the American Baptist Convention, Disciples of Christ, the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Presbyterian Church USA, the United Methodist Church, and the United Church of Christ the Christian Reformed Church American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR) Religion and Spirituality Division Bethesda Lutheran homes and Services, Inc. the Christian Council on Persons with Disabilities (CCPD) Friendship Ministries Joni and Friends the Mennonite advocacy for persons with disabilities the Religion and Disability Program of the National Organization on Disability Disability Advocacy Among Religious Organizations: Histories and Reflections is valuable reading for clergy and laypeople in disability advocacy in religious organizations, educators, students, seminary students preparing for ministries, and religious historians.

What does healing mean for people with disabilities? Bridging biblical studies, ethics, and disability studies with the work of practitioners, Bethany McKinney Fox examines healing narratives in their biblical and cultural contexts. This theologically grounded and winsomely practical resource helps us more fully understand what Jesus does as he heals and how he points the way for relationships with people with disabilities.