How should we handle “Special Needs” in Junior High Ministry (1)

I would like to share with you something that is very close to my heart.  I want to share with you about some personal situations that we have dealt with in our ministry concerning students with handicaps and/or learning disabilities.  I do know we put a lot of energy into making good choices about how to best meet the needs of these students, but I also want to tell you that I am by no means an expert on this subject.  I am always looking for insight and feedback from others.  If these Ideas work for you then that is great, but if they don’t then I encourage you to never give up.  God has the power to overcome even the most difficult of situations. 

Having students with special needs in your ministry can be looked at in a couple different ways.

1.  Some people see this as a burden. 

In ministry we try to prepare and focus on the students that we feel we can connect with the Gospel, and direct them into ministry opportunities of their own.  It is kind of difficult to deal with what we may consider an interruption or an inconvenience that may change the attention or focus of our group from where we want it to be.

I would challenge those of us that are thinking this way to realize that maybe God has a different plan for your group than you do.  Maybe God is placing a Ministry opportunity for your students right in front of you.  We just need to step back and take a deep breath and realize that God is in control.

2.  Some people see this as a challenge.

A lot of people see each student as a personal challenge.  A new student comes in and they feel like their number one goal is to get that student to make a decision to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.  This is obviously what we want for all of our students, but this attitude can derail you from the work that God might want you to be doing.

When working with a student with special needs we need to realize that he or she may be several years behind your other students in mental physical and social development.  We cannot expect all students with special needs to fit in the box we try to put all our students in.  They might not fit.  It isn’t that they can’t or won’t ever understand and fit in that box.  It just may take them longer, or possibly God has a little different box to fit them into.

3.  Some people see this as a blessing.

In junior high ministry it can be a blessing to have a student with special needs involved.  I know in our ministry there are many opportunities for our students to put their faith into action when it comes to having a student with special needs in class.  Over the past several years I have seen many of our students not only reach out and talk to our students with special needs, but they want him or her in their small group.  Our students want to have the opportunity to minister with and too our special needs students.

This has caused our ministry to flourish.  Several years ago part of our focus was on staffing our students with special needs.  We wanted to make sure we had a person assigned to each one of these students to help them through the class.  Over the past few years we have found that our special needs students respond so much better when they have other students helping them with projects, games, and activities.

I must tell you that there are few things that excite me more than seeing one or some of our students assisting a special needs students with an activity.  Our students aren’t trying to get these other students to FEEL like they are a part of the group.  These students are letting our special needs students know that they ARE a part of the group.

I am not here to tell you or anybody how to best minister to your students, but I know that the more we allow our special needs students to grow, learn, and be students along with everybody else the more they seem to enjoy being a a part of our ministry.

Have I felt a burden in this area at times?  Yes!   Have I felt challenged at times?  Yes!  Do I feel blessed to be used by God to meet all kinds, shapes,and sizes of students?  Absolutely!!

Share your story here.  We would love to hear how God is blessing you through your ministry!