The Gospel for Every Person: Including Those with Disabilities

People with disabilities are an essential part of the body of Christ. They are indispensable. And yet, people with disabilities are often overlooked in mission.

They are often not included in our gospel outreach, underrepresented in churches, and if they sense God’s call to mission, may encounter many unnecessary hindrances. The State of the Great Commission Report proposes a threefold focus in the church’s engagement with people with disabilities:

In this article, we focus on the first part: reaching people with disabilities with the gospel.

Introduction

Joni Eareckson Tada, who has been instrumental in placing people with disabilities on the global church’s mission agenda, once said:

That is a large vision. So, how are we faring as the global church at this point in time? Are we making any progress in realising this vision?

Lausanne’s fourfold vision begins with the gospel for every person. In an article on this theme, Desmond Henry notes that unreached people groups ‘can extend beyond traditional ethnic, linguistic, cultural, and geographical definitions to include micro-segments of society that are often overlooked or difficult to engage.’¹ One such overlooked segment is people with disabilities, a group the church still struggles to reach effectively with the gospel.

As the global church, if we want to reach all people with the gospel, including those with disabilities, how can we do so?

Gospel outreach among people with disabilities

Many Christians are familiar with the Great Commission (Matt 28:19-20): ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.’ However, how many of us are aware of the more specific commission that speaks of people with disabilities? Luke 14:21 calls us to ‘go out quickly’ to the streets and lanes of the city, and to ‘bring in’ people who are poor, blind, or have disabilities.

Over the past few decades, there has been a growing awareness among churches of the needs of people with disabilities. In many regions around the world, Christians have established ministries that serve children and adults with disabilities, as well as their families.

One such example is Dragos Vlasceanu. Dragos became aware of the challenges that families of children with disabilities faced in Romania, where there is not much support available for these families, and very limited education and services for this group. 

So, eight years ago, he and his wife started an NGO to help children with autism, Down Syndrome, ADHD, and other disabilities, as well as their families. Dragos’ desire was to see these children integrated into and included in society, and to share God’s hope with them. So far, they have been able to provide support to more than 180 children in three cities in Romania. Dragos says, ‘It’s very encouraging to see the way that God is using this ministry to serve almost 200 people and parents.’ However, not every local church has someone like Dragos.

‘Where is the Church?’
The reality is that, as the global church, we are still struggling with how we reach people with disabilities in our local communities. Why is that? We can distinguish different reasons. In some countries, people with disabilities are still hidden in backrooms. Churches and gospel workers may not even be aware of their presence. But if they are, another reason why these people are not reached with the gospel of Christ is that churches struggle with how to engage with this group. My impression is that most churches are willing to reach out to people with disabilities but struggle to know how to effectively engage in gospel outreach. 

Brian Brock, an expert in disability theology, observes in his book Disability: Living into the Diversity of Christ’s Body that most churches are actually willing to reach out to people with disabilities, but do not know how to do that.² The title of chapter 5 formulates it rather accurately: But we don’t know where to start. Brock explains that a lot of Christians don’t know what to do or say when it comes to disability.

Dragos’ experience in Romania illustrates Brock’s point quite clearly. As he was trying to share the gospel with a colleague, he was talking about Jesus and invited her to the church. She responded, ‘You know, Dragos, tell me, where is the church in this area? Why does nobody want to step into our story? Why does nobody see us? Where is the church? Where are the Christians? And why are we so at the back, at the tail end of the society?’ Obviously, Dragos’ colleague was disappointed in the church’s response, or lack thereof.

What can you do in your context?

So, how can we change this reality? How can we, as individual Christians or as churches, reach out to people with disabilities and give them a chance to become part of God’s kingdom? Dragos suggests several actions we can take that don’t require specific expertise or resources but are within the capacity of each of us.

He says, ‘So if you know a child with autism, Down Syndrome, or another disability, it is a great opportunity for you. Go and just listen to their story. Just talk with their parents. Sometimes these parents are doing an enormous job in helping and supporting their children. You can be with them. You can simply go and say, ‘Hey, I’d love to look after your child for two hours, so that you can have some time for yourself, have a nap, or do some shopping.’ That’s such a great ministry.

Dragos suggests the following responses:

Get to know people with disabilities and their families.
If there is a person with a disability, or a family that has a child with a disability, in your community, get to know them. Take that opportunity to connect with them. Make friends. 

Listen to their stories
Go and sit down with people with disabilities. Ask them about their lives and listen to their stories. In Scripture, Jesus models this listening posture. He takes people with disabilities seriously. He does not assume he knows what they think or feel but genuinely asks them about their perspective. For example, when encountering two blind men at the side of the road, Jesus asked them, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ (Matt. 20:29-34). Many people would assume that these men, of course, wanted to be able to see.

Provide practical help
Dragos mentions looking after a child with a disability, so that the parents have some time to do something else. We can offer practical help in different ways. If we start a conversation with a person with a disability or the parents of a child with a disability, we can simply ask what kind of support would be helpful for them.

Conclusion

There is still a way to go before Lausanne and Joni’s vision is realised— to see every person with a disability in our world reached with the gospel. But, by the Lord’s grace, we all can take some small steps to head in the right direction. Let’s join Dragos and other believers, who are already actively engaging with people with disabilities. Dragos himself encourages us to step out, to get to know people with disabilities and their families in our community, and to share God’s love with them. He concludes, ‘I encourage you to find time to be a light and to serve children with disabilities.’

Dragos Vlasceanu’s Testimony

Dragos’s story was recorded in the Storytelling Booths at the Fourth Lausanne Congress in Incheon, South Korea, in September 2024. These booths served as a sacred space for global participants to share testimonies, prayer requests, and offer ministry insights from their unique contexts. We are honoured to pass this along as a glimpse of how God is moving amongst people with disabilities and their families

Endnotes

1. Desmond Henry, “The Gospel for Every Person,” Lausanne blog, April 29, 2024.
2. Brian Brock, Disability: Living into the Diversity of Christ’s Body (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2021), 135.