Dreaming of ‘accessibility pastors’

CC: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your new job?

Henderson: My name is Carl; I started in June 2024 as the executive director here at Friendship Ministries Canada (FMC). We create spaces for inclusivity and accessibility for people with disabilities all over Canada to experience faith, friendship and belonging. It’s a fantastic organization!

CC: I think people assume Friendship Ministries is Christian Reformed (CRC) but it isn’t, is that right? That happens to Christian Courier too!

Henderson: Yes, very much like yourself, we have roots in the CRC. Friendship Ministries started in Grand Rapids, Michigan, connected with the CRC, and then became an international ministry. There were a few Canadian members on the board, but the Canadian side of things didn’t receive as much support as they would have liked. And so about three years ago, when Friendship Ministries decided to merge with another organization and become With Ministries, it was the perfect opportunity for our Canadian board to branch off and get their own designated charitable status. We’re not tied to a denomination, and we’re able to meet with multiple churches all over the place in different denominations.

CC: What strengths do you think that independence gives your organization?

Henderson: I’m a seminarian, and in another life, I was a pastor. And as a disabled person myself – I have hereditary spastic diplegia, which manifests very similar to cerebral palsy – and a person of African American and Indigenous heritage, I bring a lot of intersectionality within different cultures and different marginalized people groups. FMC being an independent organization, allows us to reach marginalized people in an inclusive sense, which I feel resonates with the heart of Jesus.

On the very practical side of things, being independent allows FMC to have more access to Canadian social systems. So that’s a big benefit. Another benefit is that socially and culturally, the United States and Canada are very different. I am from the States; I grew up in New York. My father’s side of my family is from Brooklyn and Harlem. I immigrated here to Canada in 2020. In that relatively short time, I’ve seen stark differences between the culture I grew up in and Canadian culture.

CC: Do you see differences between Canadian and U.S. church cultures too?

Henderson: In some ways, the church in Canada is positioned to make healthier strides than the States because there isn’t as much of a celebrity focus. However, it comes down to individual church communities being open and willing to make room for everyone, specifically for marginalized people. If we don’t do that, we don’t model the heart of Christ well.
I feel like historically, people with disabilities have been seen as people who are only there to receive, without realizing that people with disabilities have a tremendous opportunity and potential to give.

CC: Yeah, I like that tab on your website called “Giftedness for Service.” That seems important. What is in your definition of disability? How big is this tent?

Henderson: I think the tent is massive. There’s an entire population of people who struggle every day with invisible disabilities. And there’s so much stigma around being a person with a disability. How can we as the church, as followers of Jesus, be sympathetic, empathetic and compassionate towards people who oftentimes feel very alone? FMC tries to come alongside church communities and help them figure out how to do that. When you’re planning your Sunday morning service, what lens are you planning it through? How can we think creatively to involve everyone in our service? I have a sympathetic heart for people trying to do that. Of course, you’ll make mistakes, but at least you’re trying! You might not know the best ways to do it because you don’t live with a disability, or maybe you don’t have someone in your direct circle who has a disability. Finding creative and practical steps forward takes a lot of compassion on both sides.

CC: Imagine if churches had accessibility pastors alongside the youth pastors!

Henderson: That is ultimately my goal! My biggest dream is that a Friendship coordinator or Friendship pastor is as normative as a worship pastor in churches – someone specifically thinking about people with disabilities. I’m working on a church partnership tool so churches can develop that person and team within their communities. And so that is a dream of mine, for sure.

CC: I love that. And it makes me think about seminary. What are pastors learning in seminary? Are there any courses, continuing education or ways that you could specifically train leaders

Henderson: Absolutely. I think about my own seminary experience and the things that we had to learn – how to preach, how to be great storytellers – but also how to connect with people. How do you walk with people through big moments of celebration and big moments of loss? To your point, what methods and modalities would intentionally include people with disabilities? How can we move forward in a way that respects the sacred autonomy of our Friends [people with disabilities] and understands that we shouldn’t be treating them like children? People with disabilities are able to do more than what society often tells them that they can.

CC: Is mental illness a disability?

Henderson: I think that that is a very poignant and personal question. I know people who would say, “oh, no, it’s not a disability.” I also know people who will say, “absolutely, yes, it is a disability.” I know for myself as a disabled person, my hackles always go up when I hear other people trying to put a label on me that maybe I haven’t adopted or accepted for myself. So I’m always very cautious because I know how isolating it can be when somebody else says, “This is who you are.”

That being said, if there’s a person who says, “I have a significant challenge that hinders me from participating in my own life in the ways that I would like to,” it’s essential that especially within the church community and as people who follow Jesus, we can come alongside and say, “I hear you. I validate your experience.”

I can’t remember a single place in the Bible where someone comes up to Jesus with a problem, and his response is, “That’s not really a problem.” Jesus always takes a posture of listening and being so present with people.

CC: Thank you for that. I appreciate that reminder of the posture of Jesus. I guess it came to mind for me because mental illness can be invisible in the same way as some disabilities.
Before we wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to add?

Henderson: Yes. Although we’re a new organization, we’ve been around for a long time. There’s something so beautiful about Friendship Groups because many of those leaders have been there for 20+ years. There’s a consistency in these long-term Friendship Groups that is very unique and, again, communicates that profound spiritual truth of the imminence of who Jesus is – that throughout your life, its ups and downs, Jesus is with us and invites us to be with each other.