MICHAEL D. WATSON
about engaging people in the life of church community, not just making sure they get news announcements. In addition to bumping up against assumptions and
stereotypes, it’s almost impossible to begin this conver- sation without wrestling with fears and prejudices. Now add general ignorance about what churches are required to provide under the Americans With Disabilities Act (see resources) and there’s a whole lot of educating that needs to go on. I’ve seen more than one church community go into
complete collapse around this, in large part because it hasn’t acknowledged that this deep work needs to be done on so many levels—practical as well as theological. Still, this predictable messiness shouldn’t stop church
leadership from moving forward. Digital technology in general and social media in
particular completely change the form of this ministry from passively delivering covered dishes and eucha- rist, to active engagement in church community by the homebound and/or congregant with a disability. I’ll also add that the disability community is gener-
ally in the lead when it comes to fi guring out how to use technology, so this ministry must include them. Simply acknowledging that digital technology enhances the probability of participation is an important fi rst step.
In the ELCA, 6,007 of our 9,580 congregations have an average worship attendance of fewer than 100 people. What is one thing—or the fi rst step—that small congre- gations can do? It all begins with strategy—know your audience. First, fi nd out how many of your members are physi-
cally unable to attend worship and/or meetings at the church. Next, fi nd out whether that’s because they’re aging or disabled in some way or are busy giving care or working jobs that prevent them from attending. You absolutely cannot craſt a tactic for digital
outreach and delivery until you know this basic information. Meanwhile, you might want to rip out pews in the
front and mark the parking lot so there are parking spaces to accom- modate people with disabilities, including those who drive vans since those spaces need to be confi gured in a special way.
Author bio: Lang is an ELCA pastor who serves ecumeni- cally as a leadership retreat facilitator and church consultant in
Perkasie, Pa. (
www.revwriter.com).
Resources • Americans With Dis- abilities Act: This civil rights legislation prohibits discrimination against people with physical and mental disabilities. Its website (
www.ada. gov) provides informa- tion about regulations and enforcement, detailed guidance for creating accessible design and tech- nical assistance materials. Search for “revised ADA requirements” or “eff ective communications.” •
www.disability.gov: A federal government web- site with a wealth of infor- mation about programs and services for people with disabilities and their caregivers. • ELCA: A biblical and theological overview of the church’s commit- ment to inclusion. See especially “A Message on … People Living With
Disabilities” (
www.elca.org/ disabilities).
Ecumenical resources
• National Council of Churches, USA: Down- load the Equal Access Guide to ensure accessibility for meetings, conferences, large assem- blies and wor-
ship (
www.ncccusa.org/ elmc/disabilitiesmanual. html).
• The Episcopal Church: Links to other networks and resources (www.episcopalchurch. org/page/people-living- disabilities).
• United Methodist Church: Created by its Disability Ministries Committee, the site includes quick links, especially those from Methodist Women, on transformative educa- tion and mission (www.
umdisability.org).
• Tweet: Since July 2011, an ecumenical community has met on Twitter (Tues- days, 9 p.m. ET) using the hashtag #ChSocM to chat about using social media tools and the church. All are welcome. For more information, visit: http:// churchsocmed.blogspot. com.
June 2014 21
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