Mission Statement of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
The mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) in North America is to reach all people within its assigned territory with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In accordance with our mission, Disabilities Ministries is a service of the church that sensitizes its members to reach out to people with disabilities with the gospel and incorporate those individuals in all areas of church life.
Biblical Rationale
Disabilities Ministries is Biblically based. Matthew 28:19 reads
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost…”
Every member of the SDA church has good news to share with all people. The story of the birth, life, death, resurrection, and return of Jesus is a lesson book for the classroom of life. Matthew 28:20 states
“…teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…”
Jesus gave two great commandments that hang all the law and the prophets. First, we are to love God with all our hearts, minds, soul, and strength. Second, we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. Everyone outside of one’s self is “Our neighbor.” Therefore, we are instructed to teach our neighbors to observe all things. We believe that observation indicates something that is worthy to be understood. People should see in our behavior the same contributions to society that were exhibited in the interaction of Jesus with those around Him.
As one considers this ministry for his or her church, pause for a moment and pretend to be “our neighbors” while considering the following questions.
- Can you imagine meeting Christ on Judgment Day without knowing Him as your personal Savior?
- What if the reason for not knowing Him is because the nearest Seventh-day Adventist church was not accessible or accommodating to your disability?
Those two questions help to answer the question: Why Disabilities Ministries? Every man, woman, boy, and girl should have the opportunity to accept or reject the Savior. As Christ’s ambassadors, we should provide the vehicle to ensure that all have equal access to the gospel. The command to go includes with it the provisions of accommodating, encouraging, and accessibility.