The Social Contexts of Disability Ministry

This book provides pastors, seminarians, and interested laity with the background necessary to understand the need for disability ministry and the contexts out of which the church's ministry among people with disabilities must emerge. This is true not only for descriptions of ministries over the past sixty years, but also the challenges disability poses for biblical studies, church history, Christian theology, and ethics.

Insights are gained not only from mainstream secular and religious sources but from evangelical and other conservative materials. The blending of items from different religious resources reveals just how ubiquitous disability is and the need for disability ministry--now and for many years into the future.

The book's format is such that either it can serve as a text for courses on disability ministry, or individual chapters can be employed in various courses on selected topics in biblical studies, history, theology, and ethics. Pastors and lay leaders will enjoy the depth of coverage for each topic. This is a book about a serious subject, for serious readers. Its materials are designed to inform, stimulate, and promote disability ministry as a topic worthy of serious study.


""The Social Contexts of Disability Ministryis a whole lot more than a primer. It is a comprehensive look at provision for people with disabilities in all corners of the Christian church, from denominations to congregations, and from mainline to evangelical. Disabilities of all sorts--physical, mental and sensory--are at issue, and the best answers are not always found where church leaders and sociologists of religion might expect.""
--R. Stephen Warner, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University of Illinois at Chicago

""Herzog argues, persuasively, that disability and issues related to disability in our society are ubiquitous and that while initiatives by churches and champions in this area are valiant, they have only begun to tap the breadth and depth of the presence of disability in God's creation. Just as his subtitle states, he has given us a primer, with the hope and belief that there is much more living water in that well, water that is deeply needed in the lives of people with disabilities and in the wider social discourse about the meaning of disability.""
--Bill Gaventa, Director, Summer Institute on Theology and Disability

""A worthwhilecontribution accessible to the range of people interested in disability and Christianity, including religious professionals, laypeople, people with disabilities, and scholars.""
--Allison C. Carey, Professor of Sociology, Shippensburg University

""This book is on one level what one should expect from someone as intelligent and articulate as Al Herzog. That is not what makes it valuable. Al's understanding of the real issues surrounding sociology, disability, and Christian ministry, combined with his almost relentless quest to synthesize a more healthy understanding of how we can better understand and engage one another positively around these issues is, in a word, priceless. Al takes us beyond understanding, toward enrichment. Here you will find a vision for how faith and disabilities can make stronger social connections. Long ago, Al challenged me with this question: Is there something more for society to strive toward than making facilities 'accessible' to persons with disabilities?I knew that truth was 'Yes!' I also knew that I had no idea what that really meant. It has been nearly 20 years since that conversation, and Al has offered a powerful vision and deeper understanding for anyone interested in disability ministry. Take the time to read this!""
--Russell Ham, Ordained Elder in the East Ohio conference of the United Methodist Church


Albert A. Herzog Jr. is a retired ordained minister, a sociologist of religion, and lecturer in