Collaborative Partners Blog Series: Key Ministry

In April and May we are going to introduce several of our very experienced collaborative partners in our community who have come alongside us, our friends, their families and churches to train toward excellent inclusion of our friends and their families.  You as Young Life staff and volunteers being aware of these key co-laborers is quite critical for excellence in transition.  Historically, as you will read in these blogs, our community "partners” have been the link not just for our Capernaum friends but also for their family members.  

We often lead with I Corinthians 12:4-11 as a call toward inclusion of our friends into the body of Christ. What if we read I Corinthians 12:4-11 through the lens of being inclusive of excellent community co-laborers to move us all toward the fullness of the body of Christ? What kind of vision could this give your area? Imagine organizations working together and our friends thriving.

 

We invite you to introduce yourself to the staff of these ministries if they have a location in your area, and begin to set up potential ways to collaborate as you continue to develop your transition plan with your friends. Have questions? Contact your Capernaum Divisional Coordinator for additional information.

What Key Ministry Does

Contributor: Dr Stephen Grcevich

I'd like to thank Pam Harmon for the opportunity to introduce Key Ministry to Young Life Capernaum staff and volunteers everywhere. Our team recognizes the excellence of the ministry you provide to teens and young adults with special needs.

Our ministry was launched in 2002 to help churches minister to families of kids with "hidden disabilities" - emotional, behavioral, developmental or neurologic conditions - that would not be visible in a still photograph of the child. Historically, our point of entry with many churches has been to help them serve families in the church with "that kid"— a child with severe emotional or behavioral issues AND significant intellectual disability.

Since we were led to this ministry, the disability ministry movement has grown by leaps and bounds in its capacity to help kids with intellectual or developmental disabilities or medical conditions associated with significant physical or cognitive impairment. YL Capernaum has certainly been a leader in the field. Given the number of outstanding ministries serving youth with intellectual disabilities, we find ourselves uniquely called and positioned to serve churches seeking to become more intentional and effective in ministry with children, teens and families impacted by mental illness, trauma or developmental disabilities associated with typical to high intelligence.

We've found ourselves called to a new phase of ministry in which we seek to help families affected by disability to become connected with local churches where parents and children can worship and grow in faith alongside other Christ-followers. 

In a nutshell, Key Ministry promotes meaningful connection between churches and families of kids with disabilities for the purpose of making disciples of Jesus Christ.

Essentially, our ministry has two divisions. Our church division provides training, consultation, resources and support to pastors, staff and volunteers serving families impacted by disability. Nearly all of our services to churches are provided free of charge, Some resources we offer include...

• hosting Inclusion Fusion Live, a two day disability ministry summit April 20-21 in suburban Cleveland. Over two dozen speakers are being offered free of charge, but advance registration is required.
• a Special Needs and Disability Ministry Leaders Facebook Group composed of over 1,100 members from across North America and beyond.
• hosting a monthly Special Needs and Disability Ministry Video Roundtable at Noon Eastern time on the third Wednesday of each month. Follow our Facebook page for registration prompts and links.
• Mental Health and the Church, a book that provides a model for churches seeking to minister with children and adults with common mental health conditions and their families.
• consultation services to churches serving kids with disabilities.

Our Key for Families division seeks to come alongside families of kids with disabilities by providing a place where they might find faith and friendship for their journey.

• Our special needs parenting blog, Not Alone offers encouragement and inspiration from our team of over two dozen writers who are parents of kids with disabilities who share a strong faith in God. The parents who create Not Alone seek to pass on the comfort they have received to comfort others.
• We offer communities on Facebook for parents built around common interests - organized around specific conditions such as mental health, trauma, parents serving in ministry, parents involved with adoption, foster care, homeschooling or parents of adult children with disabilities. We also offer opportunities to connect through book studies, Bible studies, and other educational activities for parents and caregivers. 
• Most importantly, we’ve established a nationwide database of churches prepared to welcome families of kids with common disabilities, and our team is delighted to introduce parents to disability ministry leaders of churches in their home regions where their families might attend worship services and grow in faith in the physical presence of other Christ-followers.

One of our ministry's guiding principles is the value we place upon collaboration with like-minded ministries. We look forward to supporting you in any way we can, and hope to meet many of you in person on April 20th and 21st in Cleveland!

Dr. Stephen Grcevich (MD, Northeast Ohio Medical University) serves as the founder and President of Key Ministry. He is a child and adolescent psychiatrist who combines over 25 years of knowledge gained through clinical practice and teaching with extensive research experience evaluating medications prescribed to children and teens for ADHD, anxiety, and depression. Dr. Grcevich has been a presenter at over 35 national and international medical conferences and is a past recipient of the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). He regularly blogs at Church4EveryChild and frequently speaks at national and international ministry conferences on mental health and spiritual development.