Larger churches are more likely to have made accommodations
Eleven percent of pastors at churches with 250 or more attendees said they had made no modifications during the previous year, compared with 18 % at churches with 50-99 attendees and 25 % at churches with fewer than 50.
CHURCHES BELIEVE THEY’ RE WELCOMING TO THOSE WITH DISABILITIES
LIFEWAY RESEARCH— Nearly all U. S. Protestant pastors and churchgoers believe people with disabilities would feel welcomed and included at their churches, according to a new Lifeway Research study. However, pastors are less confident than they were in 2019 that their congregations are fully prepared to meet the needs of people with disabilities. Among Protestant pastors, 98 % say people with disabilities would feel welcomed and included, including 73 % who strongly agree. That figure is down from 81 % who strongly agreed in 2019. Lifeway Research Executive Director Scott McConnell said the decline might reflect growing awareness among pastors of the varied needs associated with disabilities and the work required to provide meaningful inclusion.
Beyond physical accessibility, 95 % of pastors say their churches are taking at least one tangible step to care for people with disabilities and their families. Seventy-five percent provide financial assistance to families with ongoing disability-related needs, 64 % encourage volunteering at community events serving people with disabilities, 58 % provide an additional teacher to assist people with disabilities in classes, and 57 % provide respite care for family caregivers. Thirty-one percent offer classes or events specifically for people with disabilities. Compared with 2019, churches are more likely to provide financial assistance and additional classroom support but less likely to encourage volunteering at community events. Jana Magruder, who serves with Lifeway’ s NextGen area and participates in a special needs advisory group, says churches can create opportunities for people of every ability to belong, grow in their faith and serve according to their gifts. While the findings indicate broad confidence in churches’ willingness to welcome people with disabilities, Lifeway Research says the data also points to continued opportunities for congregations to improve their preparedness and inclusion efforts.
For more information, view the pastors report and the churchgoer report.
Churchgoers are similarly optimistic Ninety-seven percent say someone with a physical disability would feel welcomed at their church, while 96 % say the same for someone with dyslexia or other reading challenges and 96 % for someone with a cognitive or developmental disability. Strong agreement was highest for physical disabilities at 82 %, followed by reading challenges at 78 % and cognitive or developmental disabilities at 75 %.
Church size also affects perceptions Churchgoers at congregations with 50-99 attendees( 98 %) and those with 500 or more( 99 %) are more likely than those at churches with 100- 499 attendees( 94 %) to say people with developmental disabilities would feel welcomed.
Pastors overwhelmingly support making churches more accessible
Ninety-eight percent agree churches should make necessary facility modifications for people with physical disabilities, even when such changes are not legally required. However, strong agreement has declined from 82 % in 2019 to 76 % today.
Most churches are taking some action Eighty-three percent of pastors say their churches made changes to facilities, activities or volunteer assignments during the past year to accommodate someone with a disability. The most common modification involved someone using a wheelchair( 66 %). Churches also reported accommodations for people with mental health diagnoses( 50 %), intellectual disabilities( 48 %) and sensory processing disorders, including autism( 46 %). Fewer made changes for people who are deaf( 27 %) or blind( 21 %). Only 17 % of pastors said their churches made no such changes.
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