Many Christian families want to be actively involved in church life. They want their children to be known, loved, and growing as disciples of Jesus.
But for families with neurodivergent children, Sunday mornings can bring particular challenges.
Sensory overwhelm, unpredictable routines, social expectations and the simple logistics of getting to church can make participation genuinely hard. If you serve children or youth in your church, you have probably asked some version of this question: what do we need to do to enable neurodivergent children and their families to fully participate in church life?
It is tempting to look for a simple checklist. But Kate Morris suggests a better starting point: the children in your care.
If you’re involved with children or youth in your church community or are someone who wants to help build a culture of welcome in your church, this Spotlight Session is for you.
What to expect:
This session will combine biblical reflection together with practical, research-informed insight and lived experience, as Kate Morris explores with us how neurodivergence can shape people's experiences of church life. We'll consider sensory processing, regulation, communication, and other often-overlooked embodied experiences, and how these can shape participation.
Together, we’ll look at how to collaboratively shape church cultures that reflect the truth that neurodivergent people and their families belong and are deeply valued within the body of Christ. We’ll reflect on how all of us are invited into the mutual love, support, and service that shapes life together in Christ.
A guest speaker will share his lived experience as a father of neurodivergent children, who has spent a lot of time navigating what church means for their family. He’s also a neurodivergent person, who has served as a children and youth minister and spent considerable time helping Neurodivergent kids and their families with their church experience.
Our speaker:
Kate is a writer, speaker, podcaster, and Honorary Research Fellow at Mary Andrews College. She has lived experience as a mother of neurodivergent children.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts/Education (specialising in Gifted Education, UNSW), a Diploma of Bible and Missions (Moore Theological College), and a Graduate Certificate in Autism and Neurodivergent Studies (University of Wollongong). She has also engaged in long-term cross-cultural mission in France with CMS, working with children and young people.
Kate equips families and churches with practical, Bible-shaped resources about neurodiversity.
A neurodivergent guest speaker will also share his lived experience as a father of neurodivergent children, who has spent a lot of time navigating what church means for their family. He has also served as a children and youth minister, and spent considerable time helping Neurodivergent kids and their families with their church experience.