Anabaptist Disabilities Network Publishes Baptism Curriculum for People with Intellectual Disabilities

Anabaptist Disabilities Network (ADN) has published “Believing and Belonging: An Accessible Anabaptist Membership Curriculum” for youth and adults with intellectual disabilities. The source describes it as an important new tool for communities working toward full inclusion. The curriculum is available for purchase at www.BrethrenPress.com.

It was written by Jeanne Davies, ADN executive director and an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren. According to the source, the curriculum addresses a growing need for material written specifically for youth and adults with intellectual disabilities. Congregations that want to include people with disabilities in their faith communities can use it to welcome those with intellectual disabilities into full membership in the body of Christ.

The curriculum has 36 lessons covering God’s first people, the story of Jesus, the story of the early church, Anabaptist beliefs and practices, and baptism and membership. Each story features an illustration by Dona Park or real-life photos. Lessons include a “do” portion with action items, which the source says provides a learning-through-doing approach. The curriculum is designed as a year-long preparation for a decision about baptism and church membership. The teacher’s edition includes teaching tips and a guide for discerning next steps if the ability to choose baptism seems unclear. Teaching the Bible stories to learners of every age keeps the faith passing from one generation to the next (Psalm 78:4).

Joan L. Daggett, project director for Shine: Living in God’s Light, which is co-published by Brethren Press and MennoMedia, said that churches now have an accessible membership curriculum to welcome people with intellectual disabilities into fellowship. She said the curriculum focuses on creating a loving community where people with disabilities are welcomed and their gifts honored.

Keith Dow, manager of organizational and spiritual life with Christian Horizons, said it is rare for denominations and faith traditions to provide resources that are easily understood and engaging, and rarer still for such resources to be made for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities without seeming reductive or juvenile. He said he was pleased to recommend the curriculum to members of his own Anabaptist tradition, to people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, and to anyone seeking to learn about the way of Jesus. The source notes that the Church of the Brethren and other Anabaptist denominations are among those expected to find the curriculum valuable.

ADN is a small organization based in Elkhart, Ind., that serves the Anabaptist community in North America. It connects and supports people with disabilities, their families, and faith communities in order to build a culture of belonging for everyone.

Emily Hunsberger is communications director for the Anabaptist Disabilities Network.

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