Embodied EcclesiaA Fundamentally Inclusive Theology of the Church

Topher Endress, MDIV

What We KnowParticipation Gap ~ 40% (87-47%)1

Lack of Welcome/Inclusion

Lack of Preemptive Preparation

Some Obvious ExamplesOur liturgies ask for standing, kneeling, sitting, genuflecting, etc. at various points in the service.

50% of religious buildings in St. Louis have inaccessible bathrooms.2

The narthex of Vanderbilt’s chapel is not wide enough for a wheelchair, yet the narthex is the only accessible entrance from inside the building.

Potentially Less Obvious Examples

Not accommodating different needs for learning in Sunday School curriculum.

Harsh lighting in rooms/hallways.

Choir sings from inaccessible loft.

Children must be potty-trained to attend VBS.

True AccessibilityBarriers exist far beyond the scope of traditional checklists. Architecture is constructed for and used by individuals, and the truest test of accessibility is whether the form of a space allows for the intended function, regardless of embodiment.3 No study can determine physical accessibility or barriers present because each are dependent on the manner in which they are inhabited by participants in that space. Space that would be functional, but is utilized in ways that perpetuate barriers, remains inaccessible.

The Real ProblemAs Nancy Eiesland states, “disability has never been religiously neutral, but shot through with theological significance.”4

The real question is not, “where are all the people with disabilities,” but rather, “what does it mean that they aren’t in the Church?

FrameworkChurch: the actual embodying of “God’s presence as Spirit, and its mission is to spread this faith consciousness into all of history.”5 A dis/abled ecclesiology must allow for this to practically be expressed, and it must begin with the notion that theology is necessarily modeled in action.

Framework, Cont.This is the meta-purpose of the Church - to imagine a love of life which can cope with suffering, a practice which will find beauty in real experience and model the transcendence which connects the sacred and profane. Every act, structure, and sacrament of the Church must flow from this method in order to escape the inherent flaws of past ecclesiologies.

Problem, RevisitedWith this as our framework, what is the answer to our initial question?

What does it mean say about our belief in God that people with disabilities aren’t in the Church?

Check Your TheologyDoes your theology account for the presence of people with disabilities?

What is your official position on theological anthropology? Is your worship service reflective of that?

An Example: My OntologyStarting with the premise that God is Love, a definition which undergirds and frames all other descriptions of God, we are capable of loving others in thought and action only by exposing a truth about the nature of God.

Ontology to Missiology- Loving presence is a service and

witness to others, which is a physical embodiment or breaking into of our lives.

- We are called to serve others because we are called to make disciples through our work, our teaching, our love, and our witness (Acts 1, every Gospel)

Missiology to Ecclesiology- Service in community reflects the

qahal/ ecclesia.- Community reflects mission - go out to

make disciples with God’s power, turn back to worship God.

- Community also prevents transactional interaction.

Ecclesiology Embodied- In order for the invisible assembly

(ecclesia/qahal) to worship visibly and tangibly together, the space must be immersive, educational, and inclusive.

- Must address needs of any potential worshipper.

- Must address theology via every decision - from architecture to liturgy.

Theological ArtPietro Belluschi (architect, St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco) claims the the mission of his blueprints was “...to create an environment where the average man may find spiritual shelter; a place where he may draw strength for his daily labors, and courage in his battle and temptations; a place where he may join others in worship and meditation.”6

Theological SpaceThe Church is called to bring into the world the Good News of Christ’s triumph over death, and the burden of Christ is light, whereas the weight of the world oppresses and condemns. With this in mind, the physical church must embody the freedom that communing with Christ brings. In a very literal, yet highly symbolic way, resting in a pool releases us from the crushing weight of gravity.While I had never thought about how gravity truly affects my body, a camper with cerebral palsy who used a walker and wheelchair when on dry ground loved pool time because the water made him free from the world which held him down.

Theological DreamAfter these things I looked (or listened), and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing (and sitting in their wheelchairs) before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands (and being held by their attendants); and they cry out with a loud voice, saying (or signing), “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! Rev. 7:9-10, NASB, ed. T. Endress 2014

References1. Hendershot, G. (2006). A Statistical Note on the Religiosity of Persons with

Disabilities. Disability Studies Quarterly, 26(4). Retrieved from http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/813/988.

2. “Accessible Worship: The Receptivity of Religious Buildings in St. Louis.” Katherine Vierkant. Disability Studies Quarterly Vol. 26, No. 3, 2006.

3. “Cross-Disability Experiences of Barriers to Health-Care Access Consumer Perspectives.” Mari-Lynn Drainoni. Journal of Disability Policy Studies Vol. 17, No. 2, 2006.

4. Eiesland, Nancy L. The Disabled God: Toward a Liberatory Theology of Disability. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994. 69.

5. "Church." In Constructive Theology: A Contemporary Approach to Classical Themes, edited by Serene Jones, by Amy Platinga Pauw. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005. 216.

6. “The Anatomy of Transition: Cathedral-Building and Social Justice in San Francisco, 1962-1971” James P. Gaffey. The Catholic Historical Review, Vol. 70, No. 1 (Jan., 1984), pp. 45-73.

Creative Frameworks and Practical Strategies towards

Inclusive MinistriesMr Zachariah Duke

The Broken Bay Institute, Australia

Maria’s story Group home

Not of her choice

No friends or family

Paid workers

Inability to speak clearly and intellectual disability

New parish

Paul’s story Lives with his family

Employed

Many friends and family

Valued member of the local parish and choir member

The question that will transform Maria's life...

Would you like to join the parish choir?

Can you think of three things a person with no voice could do to contribute to a parish choir?

Photocopy music

Set up and pack up microphones

Fill the music book folders

Hand out hymn books

Set out and pack up music stands

Other...

What transformation?

Transformation came about because Paul had the confidence and capacity to

make a difference.

Paul was able to recognise the capacity that already existed in the community.

Getting to know Maria meant that some in the parish developed their confidence

and capacity to know and support people with disability.

WHAT TO

DO?

Inclusion is a planned and intentional activity●Parishes don’t plan to

exclude they fail to plan to include.

●20% of the population has a disability.

●Maybe they can’t get in?●Maybe they have

experienced hurt and exclusion in the past.

●Maybe they don’t know you want to include them.

Plan for access●Access is only one issue

but a complete audit of accessibility for all areas is essential.

●Inclusion is much, much more than ramps and toilets.

●There is no access without planning.

Engage in advocacy●Meet with local

disability groups●Learn from them●Find out about the

issues and challenges faced.

●Join with them as allies and advocates

●Parish social justice group

Invite and offer valued roles ●Ministers of communion●Altar servers●Readers●Collectors●Greeters●Others...

Your turn to reflect...what roles?

●Ask through the parish newsletter.

●Ask through the school newsletter.

●Ask parishioners directly: do you know of any one with a disability in the parish community?

●Advertise that you want to include people living with a disability.

We don’t have anyone with a disability here!

Parish as a potential employer or work

experience provider

Parishioners as potential employees

and advocates

Who in your parish runs a small business who can provide paid work or work experience to an individual living with a disability?

Parish

What are some options for valued work in a parish context?

Principles to guide our work●Plan with, not for, people

with disability.●Its not about disability its

about Maria and Jose, and Miriam and Aaron...

●Its not something we are doing for them (people with disability), but for us-the Catholic community.

Invite others and prepare●Invite parishioners to

come to know people with disabilities

●Prepare them - positive education and myth busting

●What kinds of things do you already have in place?●What resources exists in the local parish,

community, internet?●How will you name and drive inclusion?●What ‘buy in’ angle can you find?

Your turn to think about planning…

How will you develop the confidence of parishioners?

What capacity already exists?

How will you develop capacity?