“The primary problem for the church is not how to ‘accommodate’ disabled persons. The problem is a disabling theology that functionally declines inclusion and justice for many of God’s children.” – Nancy Eiesland
Disability theology encompasses theological perspectives that pertains to disability and faith. More specifically, disability theology includes interdisciplinary fields that expresses disability-related theological perspectives on Imago Dei (image of God), liberation theology, disability justice, Christology and disability, ecclesiology and disability, and more. While most theologians would agree disability theology leans heavily toward liberation theology, it is often nuanced that supports the view that people with disabilities are made in the image of God. In essence, disability theology is the study of Christian theology through the lens of disability, exploring how disability shapes our understanding of God, humanity, and the Church. John Swinton defines it as “the attempt by disabled and non-disabled Christians to understand and interpret the gospel of Jesus Christ, God, and humanity against the backdrop of the historical and contemporary experiences of people with disabilities.”.
Scholarship around disability theology is becoming more common. One journal article is found here.
God’s image and human dignity
We believe that every person bears the image of God. Disability is not a barrier to God’s love, grace, or calling. Every member of the church is gifted for servant ministry, whether pastoral ministry, diaconal ministry, or lay ministry, and everyone belongs fully in the life of the Christian community.
The body of Christ
Scripture teaches that the body of Christ is incomplete when any members are excluded. Persons of faith with disabilities are essential (vital) participants in the church’s worship, leadership, and mission. The body of Christ is made up of many members and we need one another to be fulfilled and to better experience koinonia (fellowship).
Diverse experiences of disability
We honor and value the diversity of experiences by people with disabilities. Some seek healing, some embrace disability as part of who they are and/or a part of their identity, and many hold both hope and acceptance together. We respect these journeys without prescribing a single faithful response.
Justice and inclusion
God calls the church to stand alongside those who experience barriers and discrimination. We seek communities where people with disabilities can flourish as equal members, leaders, and witnesses to God’s grace.
Accessibility as discipleship and hospitality
We understand accessibility as an expression of Christian love and justice. Removing barriers enables the whole church to worship, serve, and grow together. It’s a part of our Christian responsibility to ensure we welcome people with disabilities into the life of the Church – a biblical directive from Christ himself (Luke 14:21-23).
Disability Inclusion and Beloved Community
We believe God calls the Church to become a Beloved Community—a community of people with disabilities and abled-body people – where every person is welcomed, valued, and empowered to participate fully in the life of Christ.
As members of the body of Christ, disabled people are not guests or recipients of ministry; they are indispensable members whose gifts, leadership, wisdom, and experiences strengthen the whole Church. The diversity of human bodies, minds, and ways of communicating reflects the richness of God’s creation.
Disability accessibility and inclusion is more than providing accommodations. It is a commitment to justice, mutuality, and belonging. We seek to identify and remove physical, communication, attitudinal, and systemic barriers so that all people can worship, learn, serve, lead, and grow together.
Beloved Community calls us beyond charity toward genuine relationship. We reject assumptions that disability is a sign of spiritual failure, punishment, or lesser faith. Instead, we affirm that every person is created in the image of God and called into the shared life and mission of the Church.
Following Jesus, we seek to build congregations where accessibility is a spiritual practice, inclusion is an expression of love, and every person’s gifts are recognized as essential to the flourishing of the whole body of Christ.
In this vision of Beloved Community, no one stands at the margins. Together we bear one another’s burdens, celebrate one another’s gifts, and witness to God’s reconciling love in the world.
Wesleyan Theology and Disability Justice
Our commitment to disability justice is grounded in the Wesleyan understanding of God’s grace at work in the world. We believe that God’s prevenient grace is present in every person, inviting all people into relationship with God and one another. Every person bears the image of God and is called to participate fully in the life, leadership, worship, and mission of the Church.
Following the example of John Wesley, we understand holiness as both personal and social. Love of God is inseparable from love of neighbor, and authentic discipleship calls us to confront the barriers and injustices that prevent people from fully participating in community. Accessibility, inclusion, and equity are not simply matters of hospitality; they are expressions of Christian justice and social holiness.
We affirm that disabled people are not objects of charity or ministry but co-laborers in God’s work of redemption. Their wisdom, gifts, leadership, and lived experiences are essential to the Church’s witness and to the flourishing of the whole body of Christ.
We reject theological interpretations that equate disability with sin, punishment, or a lack of faith. Instead, we understand the Gospel accounts of healing as signs of God’s reign—a kin-dom where exclusion is overcome, dignity is restored, and communities are transformed to reflect God’s justice and love.
Inspired by Wesley’s commitment to serving those marginalized by society, we seek to become a Beloved Community where barriers are removed, diverse gifts are celebrated, and every person has the opportunity to answer God’s call. We believe that the work of disability justice is part of God’s ongoing transformation of the Church and the world through grace.
Ableism and Sin
In the Wesleyan tradition, sin is more than individual wrongdoing. Sin also takes shape in attitudes, individual, national, systemic, and practices that deny the dignity of God’s children and prevent people from flourishing in community.
Ableism—the belief that disabled people are less valuable, less capable, or less fully human, and the barriers that exclude them from full participation—is one expression of sin. It distorts our relationships with God and one another by denying the gifts, leadership, and sacred worth of disabled people.
Through God’s grace, the Church is called to repentance and transformation. Repentance means more than changing individual attitudes; it requires removing barriers, confronting discrimination, sharing power, and creating communities where disabled people participate fully in worship, leadership, discipleship, and service.
Wesley taught that holiness is expressed in love of God and neighbor. Social holiness calls the Church to challenge injustice wherever it is found and to build communities that reflect God’s kingdom. Disability justice is therefore not an optional ministry but part of the Church’s calling to embody the Beloved Community, where every person is welcomed, valued, and empowered to use their God-given gifts.
We believe God’s grace is continually transforming both individuals and communities. As we confront ableism and embrace accessibility, belonging, and justice, we bear witness to God’s reconciling work in the world.
- Learn more about disability theology at the Institute on Theology and Disability and Collaborative on Faith & Disabilities.
* These theology statements were developed with assistance from AI and reviewed, and heavily edited.