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Article
Being Needed, Cared for, and Present: Belonging and Disability in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in North America
Journal of Disability and Religion
  • Shannon M. Trecartin, Andrews University
  • Mikelle Wile, Andrews University
  • Terrance P. Trecartin, Andrews University
  • Petr Činčala, Andrews University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2021
Keywords
  • Belonging,
  • caring faith community,
  • church attendance,
  • disability ministry,
  • leadership,
  • Seventh-day Adventist
Abstract

Many Christian churches seek to be places of belonging, yet present barriers to inclusion. The present research focuses on disability and belonging in members of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church in North America. Data from the SDA Global Church Survey (2017–2018) were used to measure attendance, perceived care, and sense of being needed. Results: Differences in attendance, leadership, and “feeling cared for” were observed. The findings of this study suggest that the SDA Church has had both successes and room for growth in terms of creating opportunities for belonging among people with disabilities. Implications for other denominations are also discussed.

Comments

Accepted for publication in this journal but not yet published in a volume/issue

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/23312521.2021.1933675
First Department
Social Work
Second Department
World Mission
Acknowledgements
Open access article retrieved July 29, 2022 from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23312521.2021.1933675
Citation Information
Shannon M. Trecartin, Mikelle Wile, Terrance P. Trecartin and Petr Činčala. "Being Needed, Cared for, and Present: Belonging and Disability in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in North America" Journal of Disability and Religion (2021)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/petr_cincala/169/