Would You Like to be a Hospitable Church?

Asbury Seminary has been awarded a grant to develop and implement a research-based children’s program titled Hospitable Church. Rooted in the Wesleyan tradition, Hospitable Church will seek to meet the spiritual formation needs of neurodivergent children and children with special needs within the life of the Body of Christ. As 15-20% of the population is neurodivergent, and yet research shows that children with a neurodivergence like autism are almost twice as likely as their neurotypical peers to never attend church, this makes for a serious mission field in our own backyards.

We desire to partner with 12 pilot churches to develop this kingdom-minded, research-based children’s program rich in Wesleyan theology that believes the grace of God is actively working in all people. 

Our plan is designed to put neurodivergent and special needs children at the center of our program and build a limited-screen, sensory-rich, tactile, visual, and embodied worship and prayer structure that will meet the needs of all children and be fully integrated into the life of the church. 

We will do this intentionally because most children’s church/Sunday school programs and resources are developed with neurotypical, able-bodied children at their core, and then afterward, they may add adaptations if children with special needs come. These children are often an afterthought, not the focus. However, in a Hospitable Church, we believe if we start with children with special needs first and work outward, we will serve everyone.

Churches that participate in the program will receive training, free curriculum for the next four years, a designation as a Hospitable Church, our full support and more. In addition, once churches have achieved Hospitable Church status, we will offer communication tools to aid congregations in “getting the word out” that they are sensory-friendly and neurodivergent-aware. 

To apply for the Hospitable Church pilot program, please click on this link. For more information on the program you can contact Deb Adams, Program Director for Hospitable Church, at deb.adams@asburyseminary.edu