Making Providence Church in Duluth, Georgia, a More Welcoming Place to Persons with Disabilities

Abstract

The aim of this project is to equip church members to be more welcoming to persons with disabilities. Chapter 1 shows how the church has unwittingly become an unwelcoming place to persons with disabilities. Statistics and surveys of persons with disabilities consistently indicate that they see the church as unwelcoming. To change this, we need to examine and refine the way we see disabilities and persons with disabilities. Chapter 2 provides a biblical and theological framework for understanding disabilities. Chapter 3 explores the social and cultural influences that have shaped the church and led it away from a biblical mindset. Chapter 4 outlines the steps we took in the project to move the church toward being a more welcoming place by emphasizing whole-person change, consisting of reforming beliefs, changing values, and developing relational skills as it pertains to persons with disabilities. Finally, chapter 5 assesses the results of the project.