Top 10 Posts & Blog Update
Today’s post is just about this blog and the readers. As of today, September 16th, 2010 this blog is/has…
- 5 months old
- 75 posts
- Regular readers from the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia
- Received an estimated 20,000 reader views
Many of the blog’s readers have reached out to me providing great encouragement as well as help with the blog’s content. Not every post is credited with all the influencers and brainpower lent to its development. Most weeks I do two or three interviews with a church special needs champion from anywhere in the U.S. to develop my writing for the blog, K! Magazine, and a handful of other publications. Through these interviews, I have made a number of incredible new friends. This blog and the special needs church related writing have provided me one of the most rewarding and satisfying personal endeavors outside motherhood and my own church service.
Special thanks goes out to the children’s ministry community who has so warmly accepted me and promoted this blog. Tony Kummer is one of those people. Tony runs the ministry-to-children blog, which is an amazing online magazine, dialogue forum, and resource provider for children’s ministry. Tony was one of the first people to give me coaching for this blog and to promote its content by running links to the articles. Just last week he invited me to be his first podcast guest. The crew at Kidzmatter.com has also cheered me on, helping me navigate new territory on a number of fronts. Many other kidmin bloggers and influencers have so kindly helped me…please know how much I appreciate you! This blog really is the product of many people who love children with special needs.
A word to the special needs champions inside your church…you have a whole army of people with the same heart and passion! Two of the biggest “discoveries” I’ve had since launching this blog are:
#1 A tremendous number of Christians love special needs ministry!
#2 Church special needs champions often work in isolation.
Because this type of ministry is still emerging, organizations or publications devoted to connecting and equipping special needs focused ministers are far and few between. Unlike the associations and resource websites for church administrators, ministers of music, pastors, women’s ministry directors – special needs champions are mostly wondering “Am I the only one doing this?” And the answer is “You are not alone!” Through this blog I hope to connect many of you to each other. Nothing replaces the value of offline and candid conversation. Special needs ministry teams need each other to share ideas as they pioneer new territory for greater special needs inclusion.
Top 10 Reader Favorite Posts
#1 Curriculum Ideas and Other Resources for Special Needs
#3 Just the Facts! Special Needs Statistics
#4 Starting a Special Needs Ministry
#5 Implementing a Special Needs Program in a Small Church
#6 Special Needs Policies & Procedures (+ Link to Example)
#8 Special Needs Ministry Intake Forms
#9 How Temple Grandin can Change Sunday School
#10 – Tie – Create a Variety of SN Ministry Opportunities for Volunteers
#10 – Tie – Politically Correct Wording
#10 – Tie – Church Staff: A Team Approach to Special Needs Ministry
Amy’s Picks
Addressing Aggressive or Unsafe Behavior
Should the Church Address Special Needs Testing or Treatment for a Child?
Avoid Controversial Topics and Remain Focused on the Mission
Stay tuned for next week’s posts…two “meaty” and resource rich posts are in queue!
– Amy Fenton Lee
The Inclusive Church 
Not to put another project on your plate, but an Inclusive Church forum might be an awesome addition to your site. That would be a great way to connect people who are involved in this type of ministry with each other.
Looks like some great articles. I think we all have that kid “who won’t sit still”. I’ll have to check that one out for sure!
Trish –
Below are 5 children’s ministry forums in which I participate. Each one below has a section of their forum devoted to special needs issues. All of these are pretty good! And while some may not have as many “conversations” on special needs, the people who are participating are really good contacts (think quality over quantity). I have developed some of my content from these forums and I’ve made a couple of “golden” connections thanks to these websites’ conversations.
CMConnect.org
kidology.org
Ministry-to-Children.com
lifewayextra.ning.com
incm.circlebuilder.com
Hope this helps!
Excited to see your blog grow.