Some people’s gifts are easily seen, but what about the ones in our churches who are unable to make a clear statement of personal faith?

In 1984, Erma and Wilfred Martens were part of a small group that asked how the church could demonstrate that their daughter Linda was part of the church body. Their other daughter had been baptized, but Linda had developmental disabilities, and her ability to express her walk with Jesus was limited. The group did not see why Linda should be excluded from the faith community.

When approached, pastor Ted Braun felt that both Linda and the church were ready for this step. He and a small group met with Linda to discuss, at her level, what baptism meant. The Mennonite Brethren Church, to which the Martenses belong, practices immersion, but they felt immersion would not work for Linda. The group developed a plan to have her baptized in the baptistry but by pouring. Pastor Braun and Linda’s sponsors practiced the ceremony twice, including the question, “Linda, do you love Jesus?” Linda, whose verbal skills are limited, parroted the question in response. However, during the actual ceremony, when asked, “Linda, do you love Jesus?” she responded with a resounding yes.

Our history as Mennonites, who practice believer’s baptism, has served most of us well. The Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective states that baptism with water not only cleanses us from sin but baptizes us into the body of Christ—a covenant community. Each person is to use his or her gifts for the benefit of the church and enable God to work through us. Some people’s gifts are easily seen, but what about the Lindas in our churches who are unable to make a clear statement of personal faith? How do we include them in our faith community? What impact do our strategies, or lack of them, have on the person’s family?

The West Coast Mennonite Central Committee Developmental Disabilities Committee (DDC) asked ourselves these questions. We wanted to know if churches were finding ways to help families and people with severe disabilities feel a part of the church community. We wanted to know if churches were finding creative ways to include those unable to make a personal faith statement. We also wanted to know if church communities understood the need to make people with disabilities and their families feel wanted and needed by the faith community. We decided to ask.

In 2006, we sent surveys to a pastor and to a lay person in each Mennonite Church USA, Mennonite Brethren and Brethren in Christ congregation in the West Coast MCC area, with a return rate of about 16 percent. For this survey, “cognitive disability” was defined as significant limitations in intellectual functioning, social skills, daily living skills and ability to function within the community. We asked if churches had attendees with cognitive disabilities and asked for pastors’ thoughts on baptizing people with DD.

Over half the returned surveys indicated that a person with cognitive disabilities attended their church. With a moderate return rate, our first impression was that churches with attendees with DD were more likely to return surveys on the topic than those with no attendees. For perspective, we looked at a survey conducted by the DDC in 1980, in which almost 100 percent of the surveys were returned, encouraged by intensive follow-up with churches. The 1980 survey showed slightly less than half the churches reported an attendee with developmental disabilities. There are at least two ways to look at the information from the two surveys. If the current survey faithfully represents the constituent churches, it indicates a slight rise in the number of churches relating to people with cognitive disabilities. However, the low number of responses may reflect a lack of interest in the churches, indicating a drastically reduced number of churches who relate to people with disabilities. With either interpretation, the survey results indicate that the question of how to include people with DD is not a theory to discuss but a need to be addressed.

The current survey showed that if a person with DD were able to communicate a statement of faith in some form, pastors saw no problems with baptism for the person. This was not surprising, as it is consistent with believer’s baptism. Pastors were much less comfortable baptizing someone with DD who was unable to make a clear statement of faith, even if the person or his/her family requested it. Even less likely was baptism of someone with little to no understanding of the ritual, even if the family requested it. Again, considering our strong emphasis on believer’s baptism, this was not surprising, but what message does it send to families?

The committee had high hopes of gaining some strategies for including people in the family of faith, but few ideas were given. Only two churches described a clear plan. One pastor described the ritual as “similar to a child blessing. The individual is recognized in the midst of familial and congregational support. It can be done individually or in conjunction with another event, such as baptism, child blessing or even Communion.” Another church reported, “We provide alternative membership categories, which include small discernment groups and public ceremonies of acceptance.” Apparently, only a few churches have plans in place for including people with cognitive disabilities.

Pastors in the surveys did express a desire to learn ways to help those with DD feel welcomed and included in the community of faith. Here is a task for the church at the national as well as local level. Think of a family whose child or sibling has severe cognitive impairment yet wants to be part of the community. Imagine the joy when the pastor is able to say without hesitation, “Yes, he [or she] is welcome here. This is what we do to signify that [name] is part of our congregation.”

Here is one example of how Albany (Ore.) Mennonite Church (AMC) found a way to include Nancy Schantz (pictured) as a member. Her parents, John and Marge Schantz, believed that Nancy’s cognitive disabilities were too severe for her to understand the ritual of baptism. John says, “All it would have meant to her is she stood up front and got her head wet.” However, John and Marge believed it was important to find some way of saying officially that Nancy was a member of the church. John talked to their pastor, Lynn Miller, who agreed that baptism was not the best choice for Nancy and that although the congregation accepted Nancy she had never been a member. Lynn and John developed a plan. One Sunday morning, the Schantzes brought Nancy to the front of the church. Lynn explained what they were doing and why. Nancy signed, with her own distinctive mark, the membership book.

Later, Lynn wrote Nancy’s name and a brief explanation. In a recent communication, former pastor Miller stated, “In the case of Nancy Schantz, I believe the actual visual ritual (though not baptism) was important, but the result is more important—that is, Nancy is now on the AMC membership list, so when the list was divided among the elders, she ‘got an elder.’ That has resulted in another meaningful bridge between her and people in the congregation.”

It is unlikely that one approach would fit all churches and all situations. But what does it take to help churches be prepared? We as Mennonites provide resources for churches online at the Anabaptist Disabilities Network (ADNet). What about our leadership? Are our seminaries helping their students think about including people with DD? One thing we know: Prevalence figures show that any possible lack of participation in congregations is not due to a low number of people with DD. When a family who has a child with DD comes to church, that family may be sensitive, maybe overly sensitive, to feeling merely tolerated or even unwelcome. A congregation that discusses and makes a plan for including children and adults with DD will demonstrate not merely tolerance but welcome.

When Jesus said, “Come,” did he mean everyone? Is Christianity about IQ? In 1 Corinthians 1:26a-27a, Paul writes: “Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise” (NIV). By the world’s standards, those with DD number among the foolish. Are we judging others by the world’s standard? Can we learn to see the marvelous gifts those with DD bring to the church? The gift of loving without question. The gift of compassion. The gift of a smile. Churches who treasure the gifts of people with DD have learned that Christianity is not about IQ. It is about loving others.

Karen Smucker is program director of Exceptional Child for Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho.