Who Gets On The Platform?

Everybody’s got a story, and we heard many amazing personal experiences on Rich’s Ride.

One of the inspiring people we met was a pastor in a wheelchair. He fell from a ladder while painting a house. His injury left him totally paralyzed below his neck with absolutely no use of arms or hands. But his physical limitations didn’t paralyze his heart or his spirit, and he’s served as senior pastor of his church for several years.

It’s an awesome testament to God’s faithfulness, but one particular aspect of our meeting impacted me. We met at a pastors’ retreat, but this inspirational man couldn’t have addressed the conference. Why?

The relatively modern church building hosting the conference provided no wheelchair access to the platform. Four steps provided an impossible obstacle for his heavy mechanical chair.

Am I the only one who perceives a problem?

Every church has a mission that includes calling people to faith in Jesus, helping them discover their unique gifts, and supporting them in the use of those gifts.

I don’t make accessibility my personal mission. (As I explained on Monday (Anniversary) I’m writing about my injury more than usual this week. This is the last in a series that includes What Would You Change?, Who Belongs?, and An Able Bodied World?)

But when someone solicits my perspective, I ask if they believe God can use folks with physical limitations as teachers, preachers, leaders, or musicians.

A church building is a “facility.” Its purpose is to “facilitate” the central mission. What message is conveyed by an inaccessible platform? I’d argue—if anyone asked—that those steps block the church’s ability to fulfill its central purpose.

Whenever this discussion arises, the response involves funding. “We can’t afford it.”

I get that. Resources are limited. But if an issue prevents progress toward your primary mission, how can you afford NOT to address it?

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