What does inclusion, really mean in the church?
Most people, think of ramps, accessible bathrooms, and automatic doors.
While that is obviously a very important, essential part, a lot of places, tend to do some, or even all of those things and stop thinking they have done the work, and that's all they need to do.
But in terms of real inclusion, those things, are the bare minimum. Those are the things that legally have to be done. (at least where I live)
If you don't have an accessible sanctuary where people and mobility devices, aren't crammed in spaces people don't usually sit, you're not accessible. If you don't have accessible hymnals, and service books or bulletins then you're not accessible.
If you don't have a way to include disabled people, in programs AND in running programs in your church then you are not accessible.
You're also unable to claim inclusion.
In fact, I would go as far to say if you don't have a way to include disabled people in programs and in running programs in your church then you are merely tolerating them in your space, you're not actually including them.
And they're going to know. A church can only hide its truth for so long. It will come out. Maybe not all at once. But it will become obvious. People's attitudes always expose themselves.
And when it does, it's not going to be pretty.
I learned that myself.
It wasn't all at once, and it caught me off guard when it began.
People were blunt about how much they didn't agree with me taking on roles. Acting like I couldn't possibly know my own abilities.
The worst thing an able bodied person can do, is to treat a disabled person like they can't possibly know their own abilities. We are the ones that live with our disabilities. We're physically disabled, not stupid.
When I was new, I felt a lot more accepted and welcome then I do now. Now, that I have years under my belt, I've settled in, and I've taken on tasks that I was the only one who had the skills to do. But now that some of those tasks are done, I've noticed that I am slowly being pushed out.
I've been discerning a call to the diaconate for a few years now, taking classes, and praying about ministry. At first, everyone was on board. But I've realized it was solely because everyone assumed I was going to be just like our deacon.
How they thought that with a physical disability and no drivers license is anyone's guess.
The attitude shift I caught easily enough.
But I didn't realize I was being phased out at first.
Until I noticed other things.
Tasks I normally did were advertised in the bulletin without talking to me about it. I only know because they asked me to print and fold the bulletin. Instead of talking to me. And I started getting silence, or no to things I asked about.
Especially when it came to expanding on tech and the ministry we do. As well as doing church differently to include others that can't do church in typical ways.
I heard a lot of "find a younger church, a different denomination, a church more in line with your ministry, jump ship"...and of course, silence, over the summer.
I no longer feel supported in my journey and I don't know where that leads me.
Church in it's current form does not include everyone that is seeking God.
It includes people who can physically get to the church that day sure. And that's great.
But what about families with young kids struggling to get out of the house for that early in the morning. Or people who work nights, disabled people or chronically ill people who can't get out whether because of weather, health, or other reason? What about people who get over stimulated, in some environments? People sensitive to scents..
There are a million reasons people don't come to church or feel they belong in church. Some of it is related to ability or disability and others are not. But they are just as valid.
The church reaches the people who have more or less already found God, and who come to church but we're called to reach out to everyone. Not just the ones most convenient, or the ones that take the least amount of effort.
But they don't like to be reminded of that.
Church isn't inclusive unless everyone is not only included, but allowed to participate how they are called, and see themselves represented in Christ.