An incredible story involving Kian Answer who is a member of New Community church, a Nurturing Care partner working with minimally-speaking and non-speaking autistic kids. A reminder that the “voice” of neurodivergent children can change the nature of worship… when we listen.
Courtesy Stephanie Answer and original story created by Common Hymnal
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Across the West Coast, congregations are reshaping children’s ministry with creativity, empathy, and collaboration. From Chandler, Arizona, to Palmer Alaska, the Nurturing Care initiative continues to grow—fostering inclusive, compassionate spaces for children through worship, art, and play. The October West Coast Meeting, facilitated by national coordinator Dr. Dana Preusch, revealed a movement not just of ministry, but of mutual care and transformation. The gathering prepares the way for PLNU Dr. Ross Oakes-Mueller January 6 Day of Learning with special webinar sessions on the Virtue of Compassion, January 6, from 10:30 to 1:30 Pacific Time.
In Sonoma Valley, California, Pastor Elaine Briefman shared a story that encapsulates the heart of the movement. A woman who had recently joined the church through its recovery programs took a spiritual gifts test and discovered her passion for working with children. When she saw the church’s unused preschool room—filled with forgotten toys and supplies—her eyes lit up. Within days, plans were underway to launch a Friday-night prototype program for the children of parents in recovery. “We want parents to feel secure leaving their kids in a space where gratitude and worship can grow together,” Briefman said .
Down south in Chandler, Arizona, Vanessa Hernandez and her team at SWLA Church of the Nazarene hosted an ice cream social to introduce their children’s band project. Ten children eagerly joined the initiative—one with a grin asked if ice cream would be served at every meeting. “Maybe,” Hernandez replied with a laugh. The moment captured the joyful, relational energy driving these congregations’ work .
At the October West Coast Nurturing Care Meeting, participants reflected on how their ministries are shifting in both spirit and structure. Others, like Monica Gaige, shared challenges and breakthroughs in balancing grief, volunteer coordination, and program sustainability. Fellow leaders like Christy and Dana encouraged a pastoral response rooted in empathy and patience, reminding everyone that “not everything has to happen immediately.”
Lucia Babb, working on a youth supported outreach project, voiced challenges over waning enthusiasm among participants and inconsistent adult support though youth appreciated the engagement. Dean Blevins advised focusing on meaningful stories rather than attendance expectation: “The prototype phase is about learning, not proving.” The conversation reinforced a shared truth: transformation takes time, but faithfulness multiplies.
Much of the meeting centered on leadership development and trauma-informed ministry. Patti Rivas, Marilyn, and Pastor KayGene have been leading training sessions across the Southwest Native District, teaching virtues such as compassion, trust, forgiveness, and gratitude. Their sessions emphasize that leaders must embody these virtues before teaching them to children. Plans are underway to launch the “Crafted for Care” program in three to four churches—blending art and spiritual formation as tools for healing and growth.
Technology and media are playing an expanding role in West Coast congregations’ efforts to reach children. Jason reported progress on a Spanish and bilingual kids’ worship video project, an initiative to reflect the linguistic diversity of their communities. The first audio recordings are complete, and plans to film choreography are in motion once parental consent forms are secured.
While each congregation faces unique challenges—from scheduling conflicts to grief, from volunteer shortages to prototype growing pains—the unifying theme is resilience through compassion. These ministries are not defined by perfection but by presence: being with children, families, and volunteers in ways that honor their stories and neurodiverse experiences.
As the meeting closed, Nurturing Care Director Dean Blevins offered a reflection that summed up the spirit of the network:
“Every act of care, no matter how small, is a rehearsal for the Kingdom. What we are building together is not a program—it’s a culture of belonging.”
With the new year’s Day of Learning approaching, West Coast leaders are poised to continue transforming worship and children’s ministry—one compassionate experiment at a time.
Across the Midwest, congregations are quietly redefining what it means to worship and pray together. From sensory-friendly sanctuaries to inclusive playbooks for volunteers, the Nurturing Care project is helping faith communities create spaces where every child—neurodivergent or not—feels they belong.
During a recent meeting of the Nurturing Care cohort, facilitated by national coordinator Dr. Dana Preusch, participants shared progress on prototypes funded through a Lily Endowment, Inc. grant, that soon will be replicated through a new Maker’s Space in Nashville Tennessee, March 6-7. In addition both groups will be invited for a “Day of Learning” scheduled for April 13. The event, featuring Dr. Melody Escobar, will be live-streamed to broaden the impact of these groundbreaking initiatives.
Rev. Alex Oliver of New Vision Church of the Nazarene reported a powerful “God sighting” during a Trunk or Treat event, where a family with a child on the autism spectrum was moved to tears by the church’s commitment to inclusion. His gradual rollout of a mobile worship kit has already yielded moments of transformation: one student with ADHD joyfully exclaimed, “I can get my sillys out now!” after trying a wiggle seat for the first time.
At Christ Community Church of the Nazarene, Amy Schlepp and Rayanna Perryman shared how even small adjustments, like swapping out a rectangular rug for a circular one, have made profound differences in children’s engagement. Schlepp’s reflections on the story of Zacchaeus—how a tree provided the accommodation that allowed Zacchaeus to meet Jesus—resonated deeply with the experience. “It’s a perfect image,” she said, “of how accessibility can create sacred encounters.”
Meanwhile, Nathan Jenkins of Norman Community Church of the Nazarene shared how his congregation’s experiment with environmental changes led to an unforgettable moment. When a nonverbal teenager was given solo time in a bounce house set up in the sanctuary, his AAC device voiced the words “Nice, nice, people.” Jenkins reflected, “That one phrase told us everything we needed to know about belonging.”
A recurring theme across reports and the oral discussion was collaboration—how churches are sharing tools and learning from one another. JoBeth Crank from The Light KC expressed challenges about creating a training playbook from scratch; group mentor Dean Blevins encouraged using existing resources like the Church of the Nazarene’s Wonderful Works Adaptive Library. Others, including Merry Sickel of New Hope Church, shared how those same Wonderful Works icons are helping children navigate worship routines.
Tiffany Solum at Living Hope Church is developing “Sensory Sundays” and tandem teaching models to help volunteers practice introducing sensory tools in real-time. Similarly, Hope Keimig of 8th Street Church described her “Sacred Belonging” prayer tapestry—an interactive spiritual exercise that allows children to weave prayers with colored threads. One child’s prayer for her ailing grandfather, she said, “reminded us that belonging begins in the heart.”
At Hosanna! Lutheran Church, Pastor Michael Kern is expanding the reach of neurodiversity awareness beyond the church walls. His presentation at a Rotary Club struck a chord when he compared sensory overload in autistic children to the challenges faced by those with hearing aids in noisy spaces. Kern’s church is also developing neurodiversity.church, a website dedicated to offering theological insight, educational materials, and practical resources for congregations nationwide.
Samantha Murphy of Second Presbyterian Church, Kansas City, described how her congregation’s intergenerational services have become a laboratory for inclusion. From inviting children to pass offering plates to using visual bulletins with checkboxes, her team, including Patrick Landau, has seen unexpected joy and engagement. “If the church isn’t crying, it’s dying,” she reminded her congregation during one chaotic but spirit-filled morning.
Similarly, Kerrie Tatman shared how her grant work is birthing a fifth Sunday service designed specifically for families with special needs. Early collaborations with nurse practitioners and families are shaping the service’s design, while a beloved photo booth has already become a favorite spot for one autistic child—proof that small details can create deep comfort.
Nate Owens at Olathe Westside reported: “The leader of our Wednesday night ministry, who also serves on our children’s council and has an autistic daughter, was particularly excited about the grant proposal. Before we had even submitted the final application she began implementing some of our proposed changes to worship. She started using a “roadmap” of icons on Wednesday night, to show kids what is coming up next in worship and prepare them for the transition. She also has experimented with alternative seating in a rudimentary way, using resources we already have in our kids area”
Across all reports, several patterns emerged:
As Nurturing Care Director Dean Blevins reminded the group, “Our playbooks will evolve through trial and error. The important thing is that we’re learning together.”
With both a new Maker’s Space occurring in Nashville March 6-7, and the April “Day of Learning” on the horizon, these congregations continue to model a faith that listens, adapts, and embraces difference—not as a challenge to overcome, but as a sacred invitation to community.
NTS Nurturing Care announces the next step in our ministry to autistic children, but also to youth and adults on the spectrum. With the help of the facilities staff at Nazarene Theological Seminary and in partnership with Camp Encourage consultants, future participants now have access to a sensory room for respite, regulation, and reset.
Located on the third floor near the chapel, the seminary repurposed one of the classrooms for strategic use during NTS events or to support other gatherings. Originally open during our Preachers’ Conference for pastors and other attendees, the room will now open during the seminary’s intensive class days, known as Convene, with a similar design for adults who need a break.
The room includes varying resources such as:
light displays that students can try,
comfortable furniture and space to rest,
white noise available for calming,
sensory devices from fidgets to stress balls,
and art resources to stimulate graduate students who need a break from course content, or just activity to turn their mind to a new direction.
While the first two offerings focus primarily on adults, Nurturing Care also arranged for an array of sensory devices specifically with children in mind.
In collaboration with Camp Encourage, who oversees the sensory rooms at Kauffman Stadium, the room will ultimately offer several “floor plans” for children drawing upon a range of resources already purchased by Nurturing Care and stored in a support closet. In the future, the room can serve ministries as a “laboratory,” so different groups might explore varying sensory resources as they explore creating their own spaces. The room can also serve as a resource for church or community gatherings at the seminary. Before children can be admitted, Nurturing Care will finalize a set of videos to orient children’s workers and parents to proper use of the facility.
During Convene, adult students are free to try out the various resources to create the environment that accommodates their needs. The room’s creation serves NTS as part of www.nuturingcare.org focus on autism ministry.
Nurturing Care participated in the 2025 Hugh C. Benner Preachers Conference at Nazarene Theological Seminary hosted by NTS Praxis. The event gathered pastors, educators, and advocates around the theme “All God’s Children”—a focus on engaging and supporting neurodiverse and disabled people through preaching and ministry.
Throughout two days of plenary preaching and workshops, speakers explored how churches can embody inclusion not as an afterthought but as a reflection of the gospel itself. The workshops exemplified the heart of this mission, each offering theological grounding, practical models, and deeply personal witness to how the Church can become a community of true belonging.
Pastor and community developer Stephanie Answer offered one of the conference’s most moving sessions, exploring communication, worship, and prayer through her experience parenting a nonspeaking autistic son. In “Can I Still Pray if I Can’t Speak?” she demonstrated alternative communication methods—partnering with a speller to welcome participants letter by letter .
Answer re-read Luke 5’s story of the paralyzed man, asking, “What if this isn’t a story about healing, but about access to Jesus?” Her church, structured around inclusive micro-communities, practicing “family-style” worship at tables, integrating sensory items, art, and movement. For her, accessibility is not accommodation but theology: the church’s task is to ensure Jesus remains reachable for all.
Ryan Nelson, disability ministry coordinator for the Church of the Nazarene, addressed leaders who feel unequipped to start. Using the story of friends lowering a paralyzed man through the roof (Mark 2), he asked, “What are the obstacles today keeping families from reaching Jesus?”
Nelson encouraged pastors to become “cheerleaders” for disability ministry even when they lack expertise. He highlighted practical resources like the Adapted Discipleship Library, a free online collection of training videos, Bible stories, and social narratives created with Wonderful Works Ministry. Sharing testimonies of families who encountered Christ through these tools, Nelson offered a simple message: revival begins when the church removes barriers to belonging.
Rev. Bill Gaventa, a pioneer in disability theology, led participants through the language and ethics of preaching about disability. Drawing on fifty years of experience, he warned against portraying disabled persons as either victims or heroes and urged preachers to avoid using disability as metaphor for sin or moral failure.
Gaventa proposed that every sermon can speak to people with disabilities—not by singling them out, but by recognizing that “about a quarter of people have some kind of disability.” He emphasized listening: pastors should “ask people with disabilities to tell their stories” and learn from them as teachers of faith. His reading of biblical figures—Moses’ stutter, Jacob’s limp, Paul’s “thorn in the flesh”—revealed that experiences of limitation and vocation often coexist. In Gaventa’s theology, disability is not an obstacle to holiness but a context for grace, one that reframes how we understand embodiment and divine image.
Dr. Stephen “Doc” Hunsley’s session, “Why Disability Ministry: Becoming a Biblical Church of Belonging,” offered a sweeping vision rooted in Luke 14. A former pediatric ER doctor and father of a child with profound disabilities, Hunsley shared how personal tragedy transformed his calling. After losing his son Mark, he founded SOAR Special Needs Ministry, which now supports hundreds of families .
Hunsley wove data and Scripture into a passionate call for inclusion: only 11% of evangelical churches welcome families with disabilities, even though nearly one in three Americans possess a diagnosis. “The church,” he said, “cannot be complete without them.” He distinguished between inclusion and belonging—the latter meaning people are “present, invited, known, accepted, supported, cared for, befriended, needed, and loved.” His theological argument proved compelling: if 68% of Jesus’ miracles involved healing those with disabilities, then to imitate Christ is to welcome them. Hunsley’s mix of biblical mandate and ministry models reframed disability ministry as essential to the Church’s identity.
Therapist and ordained elder Kris Mitchell delivered an energetic and pastoral introduction to neurodiversity, helping preachers understand ADHD, OCD, Tourette’s, and autism as neurological differences, not deficits. Using vivid case studies from his counseling work, he explained how misunderstanding communication styles or literal thinking can alienate neurodivergent individuals in church life.
Mitchell urged pastors to rethink language—avoiding metaphors, idioms, or theological phrasing that confuse or shame. He modeled empathy by showing how language can wound or heal, emphasizing that Jesus’ ministry was characterized by asking questions and meeting people where they were. His appeal was deeply pastoral: “The gospel must be communicated in ways people can actually receive it.”
Rev. Jesse Briles, himself an autistic pastor, spoke with candor and humor about neurodiversity in clergy life. His workshop, “Called to Lead, Wired Differently,” blended testimony with theology. Diagnosed at 33 after years, while in ministry, Briles described the freedom of discovering that he was “not broken, just operating with a different system.”
Briles introduced a practical model of inclusion, accommodation, and integration through the metaphor of eating together. Inclusion defines having a seat at the table, accommodation invites adjusting expectations, and integration requires participating in making the meal. He urged districts to examine credentialing and interview systems that unintentionally exclude neurodivergent leaders. His metaphor of the deer separated from the herd by a small fence captured the invisible barriers that prevent gifted people from crossing into leadership. “Some fences we can go around, some we can help others over, and some we just need to tear down,” he said—providing a vision for both courage and community.
From the practical to the procedural, Barb Stanley and Leah Wicker’s “Wonderful Works” session tackled policies that support inclusion. They argued that accessibility fails when church systems assume all members are neurotypical. Reviewing examples from restroom policies to volunteer training, they urged leaders to test every procedure by three questions: “Is it safe? Is it dignified? Is it sustainable?” .
Their tiered “buddy system”—from universal design for all classrooms to specialized support for a few—showed how inclusion can be scalable without exhausting volunteers. Stanley’s refrain, “This is kingdom work,” reminded attendees that thoughtful policy is pastoral care in practice.
Rev. Brad Lee, a marriage and family therapist and father to a son with Down syndrome and autism, invited participants to consider how a medical diagnosis itself can be experienced as trauma. In his workshop, “A Call and Vision for Special Needs Ministry,” Lee challenged the Church to understand that trauma is not only physical but also emotional and spiritual. When parents receive a life-changing diagnosis, he argued, “the delivery of that diagnosis can be traumatic” because it upends expectations of what life will be.
Lee described how cumulative stress over years—medical appointments, social isolation, and family misunderstanding—can mirror symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Yet his message was not despairing. Instead, he called the Church to respond with empathy and structure: to create ministries that attend to marriages, siblings, and parents, not only the child. His insight that “diagnosis as trauma” bridges psychology and theology offered ministers a new lens for compassionate, sustained care.
Across disciplines and stories, three themes emerged:
Belonging Over Inclusion – From Hunsley’s theology to Answer’s worship tablets, participants agreed that being present is not enough. In the spirit of Briles’ message, people must be needed, loved and included in leadership.
Language and Listening – Mitchell and Gaventa emphasized that how we speak about disability shapes whether people feel valued. Asking questions, using respectful terms, and inviting testimony create a theology of mutual learning.
Structures of Support – Lee, Nelson, and Stanley all underscored that compassion requires systems: trauma-informed care, accessible discipleship resources, and clear policies that protect dignity.
Together, these workshops painted a portrait of the Church as a community where every body and every mind reflects the image of God. As one participant summarized, “To preach to all God’s children, we must first make room for all God’s children.”
In designing the ministry, part of the Nurturing Care initiative included a commitment by Nazarene Theological Seminary and its professional development team, NTS Praxis, to commit the seminary’s Preacher’s Conference to highlight the need for churches, and particularly lead pastors, to advocate for ministry to neurodiverse children. The emphasis grew alongside the initiative much like other conversations around autism and children. In an early conversation with consultants, Nurturing Care realized that insights developed through the KC/autism emphasis would overlap with 90% of all disability special needs.
The spectrum of care that emerges in ministry engagement from the mildly neurodiverse, to the deeply disabled, appears much like the surface of a lake. You never know how deep you might go until you decide to wade out into the water. Yet the church, in this case, must learn to swim because the range of kids, youth, adults, and families in this community represent a vast gospel mandate. In this case, every person across the spectrum provides a unique opportunity to receive care and also provide fresh gifts to the church.
This year’s Preacher’s Conference, preaching to All God’s Children, served as a microcosm of that reality. Gathered in person and online, the conference highlighted five preachers and six sermons anchored in scripture and the myriad experiences of those preaching. Each sermon included Worship was lead by Craig Adams, executive director of the Center for Commercial Music in the School of Music and Worship at Trevecca Nazarene University.
Presenters included national leaders such as Lamar Hardwick, known as the autism pastor; and Bill Gaventa, an international leader in disability ministry who served as a moderator and author of a new book on preaching and disability.
Each sermon included a time for questions both by moderators but also from the audience using text messaging to keep both in-person and online audiences engaged with the preacher and his or her craft.
In addition eight workshops lead by disability specialists such as SOAR Special Needs, neurodivergent pastors, and parents of autistic kids reflected the wealth of possible ministry engagement. The following account provides a snapshot of the sermons presented. In a separate story, we will review the workshops that occurred as well.
Each Sermon offered an opportunity to engage different scriptures with a new perspective.
Lamar Hardwick – How to Handle Your Here
Hardwick reflects on John 17 and Jesus’ prayer that his followers remain in the world, even when “here” feels unbearable. He speaks candidly from his own life with autism and stage-four cancer, naming the “trauma of trying” that many face when struggles have no expiration date. His pastoral word is that even in “here,” we are still God’s, still beloved, and called to resist despair with hope and joy .
Tara Thomas Smith – Sent to Sit
Smith draws from Acts 8 and the encounter between Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. She frames ministry as walking wilderness roads—uncertain, disorienting paths where fruitfulness depends entirely on the Spirit. Through her own story of befriending a woman with disabilities, she shows how the most faithful act is sometimes simply to sit with another in awkward, unpolished presence. Her key highlight: God sends us to roads and people we may least expect, and nothing—no condition, no exclusion—separates anyone from the love of Christ .
Amy Jacober – Them Bones: Rise Up
Jacober preaches from Ezekiel 37, envisioning God breathing life into dry bones. She weaves personal stories of ministry with people with disabilities and testimonies of resilience. She challenges leaders to embrace awkwardness as the price of true inclusion—“I’ll be awkward so you don’t have to.” With Ezekiel’s vision, she calls preachers to proclaim that hopelessness is never the final word: God’s Spirit raises people and communities to new life .
Brad Lee – A Call and Vision to Special Needs Ministry
Lee recounts the dramatic birth of his son, later diagnosed with Down syndrome and autism, and his own wrestling with grief and prayer. From John 9, he emphasizes Jesus’ redefinition of disability—not as punishment but as a stage where God’s glory is revealed. He challenges churches to confront barriers and embrace special needs ministry as a conduit of revival. His central insight: healing may not always be for the disabled person alone but also for the church and its leaders .
Diane Leclerc – conDescending to Jesus
Leclerc reflects on Mark 2, where friends lower a paralyzed man to Jesus. She contrasts the scribes’ contempt with Christ’s empathy and radical condescension—descending into human suffering. She warns of the subtle ways disgust shapes exclusion, urging the church to repent of othering. Communion, she argues, becomes the counter-ritual where Christ embraces all and calls us to embrace one another. Her most poignant contribution: Jesus’ condescension shows holiness as holy love, not separation .
Lamar Hardwick – Let’s Trade Shoes
In Galatians 4, Paul asks the church to put themselves in his shoes, a metaphor Hardwick extends from his experience as “the autism pastor.” He calls the church to reciprocity and justice: to recognize the barriers it creates and to learn from the perspectives of people with disabilities. His prophetic plea is that inclusion requires not token presence but shared power and enduring love. He concludes that Christ’s response to human vulnerability is never rejection, but resurrection .
Together, these sermons press the church toward care, toward practicing a deeper empathy and fuller inclusion. Taken as a whole the sermons challenge us acknowledge:
As participants gathered at the Lord’s table at the close of the conference, participants realized just how broad the spectrum of care can become when we are willing to wade into the water. Nurturing Care, alongside Nazarene Disability Ministry, Wonderful Works, and other leaders remain committed to advocate and empower congregations ready to make a difference.
Professor of Practical Theology and Christian Discipleship, Nazarene Theological Seminary
Discipleship Commons 