Putting Faith to Work: A Guide for Congregations and Communities is a practical guide for congregations to connect people with disabilities with meaningful employment. The unemployment rate for people with disabilities is more than double the rate for people without disabilities. Those who are employed are often underemployed and underpaid. Congregations can help people with disabilities who are seeking employment by focusing on their gifts, strengths, and passions, and tapping into the network, creativity, and commitment of the congregation.
People often find their jobs through personal connections. Congregations have large, complex and robust networks and are fertile ground for making these kinds of connections. Putting Faith to Work outlines how to do this in detail.
This guide offers a step-by-step process: creating a team, having person-centered conversations about work with those who are seeking employment, creating a profile for job seekers, connecting to employers, and supporting job seekers along the way. It also offers templates and outlines, as well as stories of congregations and people who have been through the process.
Jeanne Davies serves as executive director for Anabaptist Disabilities Network and has a passion for disability advocacy and inclusion. She is ordained in the Church of the Brethren, has a Master of Divinity from Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Indiana, and in May 2022 will complete a Graduate Certificate in Disability and Ministry at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan.
