Worship from the opening session of Disability and the Church, Calvary Orlando, May 1, 2024
Our Key Ministry team is incredibly grateful for the ministry opportunities the Lord presented to us in 2024. We hosted two national conferences - Disability and the Church and Mental Health and the Church, where over 600 pastors and ministry leaders gathered to learn about best practices for welcoming and including individuals and families impacted by all types of disability into the life of the church. We traveled widely to offer training to leaders serving in children’s ministry and student ministry, and consultation and support to leaders in churches working to make their churches more accessible to the communities they serve. We created opportunities for other leaders and organizations serving the disability ministry community to network, form collaborations and build partnerships. Key Ministry entered into new relationships that hold much promise for greatly expanding the impact of our ministry in the years to come.
As 2024 comes to a close, we look back at some of the most impactful events and relationships we were part of this past year, highlight new resources we helped create over the past twelve months and look ahead to opportunities for advancing the Gospel in 2025 through supporting local churches in their ministry with the disability and mental health communities.
Beth Golik leading a breakout at the 2024 Children’s Pastors Conference.
January found Beth and Steve at the Children’s Pastors Conference in Orlando, FL, where their breakout presentations were attended by over 200 pastors and leaders serving in children’s and student ministry. This conference serves as an important time for Key Ministry leaders to network with, and get a better sense of the resources desired by leaders serving in children’s student and family ministry.
January also provided Steve an opportunity to take part in a Breakpoint forum with John Stonestreet of the Colson Center and Dr. Miriam Grossman on The Real Facts About Gender Ideology, in which Steve had the opportunity to discuss the disproportionate impact of gender dysphoria among children and youth with autism, along with persons with a broad range of disabilities.
In February, Steve served as a keynote speaker at Compelling and Credible Witness: The Church and Youth Mental Health, an event hosted by the Gospel Initiative through Denver Seminary. A video library including Steve’s keynote presentation and breakout, along with keynote presentations from Dr. Adam Wilson, Dr. Julie Sadusky and Dr. Josh Packard may be found here.
Steve was part of a panel discussion led by Dr. Mark Young, President of Denver Seminary.
March brought the Key Ministry team to the Atlanta area for the Together Conference, the largest regional disability ministry conference in the U.S., hosted by Together We Care. Several hundred ministry leaders from across the Southeast attend the conference each year. Steve, Beth and Catherine, along with several members of our Board presented breakouts at the Conference.
Catherine Boyle, Key Ministry Board member and former Mental Health Ministry Director, leading a breakout at the 2024 Together Conference at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, GA.
April was an extremely busy month for our team. Steve presented at the D6 Conference for family ministry leaders in Orlando, FL. In addition to presenting a breakout, Steve was invited to record a podcast featured in October by the D6 team on the topic of his breakout, Helping Kids with Anxiety Disorders to Grow Spiritually, which can be accessed here.
In addition to the D6 Conference, Steve was invited to take part in a main stage panel discussion for leaders in mental health ministry hosted by the WinShape Foundation at their retreat center in North Georgia. Many of the attendees from this event were selected as speakers for our Mental Health and the Church conference this past September.
Steve pictured with a friend at the WinShape Retreat Center.
Steve was also invited this past April to serve as a member of Focus on the Family’s Physician Resource Council (PRC). The PRC advises Focus of the Family on medical issues relevant to the ministry, and reviews content for scientific accuracy. While in Colorado Springs, Steve shot this video with Dr. Danny Huerta, Focus’ Vice President for Parenting and Youth on Guiding Your Church through Anxiety.
In May, we hosted Disability and the Church, our national disability ministry conference, at Calvary Orlando from May 1-3. Over 500 pastors, ministry leaders and interested Christians, representing a 40% increase in attendance from 2023, gathered for three days of training, networking and fellowship. One of the highlights of the conference was a “Community Conference” led by the Bridges to Belonging initiative through Baylor University, seeking to research the work churches are doing in disability ministry and to identify best practices in disability ministry. Data obtained from surveys obtained at the conference will be presented at #DATC2025 next Spring in Suburban Washington D.C.
Our networking dinner for speakers at Disability and the Church offers leaders of like-minded ministries opportunities to connect and collaborate around ministry initiatives of mutual interest.
June kicked off with Steve having the opportunity to present at Compelling and Credible Witness, the Colson Center’s Annual Conference in Arlington, TX. With over 1,100 attendees, the conference represented the largest single live, in-person audience for a Key Ministry presentation. Steve’s presentation on Loving Our Neighbors With Disability was well-received and has facilitated valuable connections with other organizations involved with child and family advocacy.
In addition to his main stage talk, Steve was part of a panel discussion with John Stonestreet, Neil Shenvi, and Katy Faust at the Colson Center National Conference.
June also brought Key Ministry’s team, under Beth’s leadership, to the General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church held at Hope Church in Cordova, TN. Beth and Steve led an informational lunch for churches in the denomination interested in disability ministry and collected data to be used in disability ministry research.
Beth manning the Key Ministry booth at the EPC General Assembly meeting at Hope Church in Cordova, TN.
In September, Steve traveled to Nebraska for Voices of Hope, an annual event hosted by Fresh Hope, a like-minded ministry that offers Biblically-based, peer-led mental health support groups in hundreds of churches across the U.S. and beyond. At Disability and the Church, we announced the release of Key to Hope, a Christian support group model for parents caring for a child with disabilities or mental health challenges who need support for their own mental health. Key to Hope was created as a joint project between Fresh Hope and Key Ministry.
Catherine and Pastor Brad Hoefs of Fresh Hope announcing the release of Key to Hope at the Disability and the Church conference in May.
September also brought Mental Health and the Church, Key Ministry’s first national mental health ministry conference. We hosted over 100 attendees from across the country for two days of training and networking at Bay Presbyterian Church in suburban Cleveland. We hope to host similar conferences in the future as staffing and funding permit. In 2025, we’ll be hosting a mental health ministry track within our larger Disability and the Church conference.
Kay Warren and members of her mental health ministry team were speakers at Mental Health and the Church.
In October, Key Ministry was invited to the Annual Meeting of the In His Steps (IHS) Foundation, where our team received a grant to fund a regional disability ministry conference in Northeast Ohio that will serve as the prototype for our Disability and the Church tour stops that will be launched in 2026. These conferences will offer a more condensed version of the content presented at our national conferences in support of our long-term goal of making live, high quality, disability ministry training available to 90% of pastors and ministry leaders in the continental United States within a half-day drive of where they live and serve.
We’ll be working with IHS to establish an endowment to sustain the work of Key Ministry. Through our partnership with IHS, we can provide interested donors the ability to donate non-cash assets (stocks, property) in support of our ministry. Please contact us if you have interest in making a non-cash donation.
Steve represented Key Ministry among grant recipients at the IHS Foundation Annual Meeting.
November marked the release by InterVarsity Press of Ministering to Families in Crisis, an essential shelf reference for pastors and church leaders interested in supporting their community's mental and emotional health. In each chapter, Christian leaders with unique expertise address common ministry challenges, providing evidence-based insights and practical suggestions. The book covers a full range of topics affecting families, marriages, children, and teens—including mental illness, LGBTQ+ issues, divorce, disability, poverty, racial trauma, and technology use. Whatever members' background or experience, the church is a spiritual family that God designed to contribute to their formation and sense of belonging. The book gives ministers the tools and encouragement they need to help family members find hope amid the storms of life. Steve was invited to contribute the chapter on care and support of families impacted by mental illness.
Finally, the year wrapped up with preparation for Disability and the Church 2025, which will take place at McLean Bible Church in suburban Washington D.C. from April 29th-May 1. Our Program Committee was overwhelmed by the 212 proposals we were asked to review from 125 prospective speakers. While the lineup for the conference is still being finalized, stay tuned to Key Ministry’s social media in the coming days for a limited release of “Super Early Bird” tickets at a deeply discounted price before the end of 2024.
We can’t do this work without the prayer and support of lots and lots of faithful people. If you’ve experienced the ministry Key Ministry helps facilitate, would you consider becoming a monthly supporter of our ministry? Monthly support is essential to our ability to continue making our training as affordable as possible to the churches we serve. If you’re unable to commit to becoming a monthly donor, your one time gifts are greatly appreciated!
If you’re a pastor, church staff member or involved with the leadership of your church, would you consider advocating for Key Ministry to become a mission partner of your church? Our team is ready to provide you with printed resources documenting the impact of our ministry and available to meet in-person (when possible) or through video technology with your mission team. A fraction of 1% of the churches we serve provide us with any ongoing financial support.
If you serve on a foundation board or know fellow Christians who have established family foundations to support the type of work Key Ministry does, we would appreciate any introductions you could make with funders interested in supporting special projects, including the Mental Health and the Church conference.
Thanks so much for your prayer and support of the work of Key Ministry! We’re grateful for the privilege of continuing to support the church in sharing the love of Christ and the message of the Gospel with children and families impacted by disability in 2025 and until Christ returns in glory!
Best Wishes from our Key Ministry team to you and your family for a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed and Joyous New Year!
Steve
