Multi-campus churches solve many problems, but disability ministry is harder: how do you keep a ministry built on deep, personal knowledge of individual families consistent across locations with different staff, volunteers, and facilities? The answer: one theological foundation, one set of core practices, adapted for local context.

Start With Theology, Not Logistics
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Before building an org chart, get every campus pastor and ministry director aligned on what you believe about disability and belonging. At SOAR, everything traces back to Luke 14 — the banquet where the host sends his servant to compel the poor, crippled, blind, and lame to come in “so that my house may be filled.” That's who the table is for. Without a shared theological center, you'll get disconnected — people become projects to manage, not persons to know. Disability ministry isn't a program for people with disabilities — it's a ministry with and by them.

Build One Philosophy, Many Expressions
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Centralize: theological language, intake forms, volunteer screening and safety protocols, and core training.

Localize: physical space, recruitment strategy, specific accommodations, and pace of growth.

Think hub-and-spoke: the hub owns consistency; the spokes own relationship and local adaptation. A central office that micromanages room layouts burns out; a campus that improvises its own theology drifts.

Appoint a Point Person at Every Campus
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Families don't call a central office — they show up on Sunday. If no one there knows their child's name and story, the ministry doesn't exist for that family. This person doesn't need a paid role — just authority for local decisions, a line to the central leader on safety, and visibility with campus leadership. If a campus is too small for a dedicated role, assign it to an existing children's or students' leader and train them properly.

Plan the Handoff — Always Be Recruiting Your Replacement
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Smaller campuses rarely have bench depth, so when a point person leaves, their knowledge often leaves too. Train a second, “assistant” point person, and keep a simple transition document ready. Every point person should always be developing their own replacement — not planning an exit, but building capacity ahead of need. A well-trained assistant is often exactly the leader a new campus needs — replacing yourself is how the ministry grows.

Use a Consistent, Simple Volunteer Ask

Keep it disarmingly simple: “Can you be a friend?” Not a clinical background — a willing heart, basic training, and support. This lets volunteers serve across campuses and gives families a familiar rhythm wherever they attend. Pair it with a short training under an hour — ideally a video recorded by your best-staffed campus, so every site can use it. This removes the need for a live trainer at every site while keeping the language and heart consistent.

Create a Shared Information System

Build a simple, access-controlled system holding a one-page profile per individual (communication style, sensory needs, triggers, strengths), emergency/medical information, and notes from past serve dates. This tool does more to unify a multi-campus ministry than any org chart — it makes the individual known everywhere they go.

Budget for Physical Accessibility, Campus by Campus
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Philosophy travels between campuses; buildings don't. A legacy campus may have years of retrofits; a new plant in a rented gym may have none. Audit accessibility at every campus — entrances, restrooms, noise levels, quiet space — and fund improvements centrally, so no campus has to choose between a sensory kit and its next hire.

Measure What Matters, Centrally
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Have each point person check in monthly: families served, active volunteers, families gone quiet, and what’s slowing things down. This isn't about ranking campuses — it's knowing where to send help before a family quietly disappears.

Give a New Campus a 90-Day Starting Point
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Don't wait for a family to ask before disability ministry exists at a new site. Before launch:

1. Name a point person, even one wearing a second hat.
2. Publish a clear point of contact in guest communications and online.
3. Complete basic training using your recorded video.
4. Train everyone who might meet a first-time visitor — children's and student ministry, greeters, ushers, welcome team, security — on one core principle: we adapt to the family's world, not the other way around.
5. Run the physical accessibility audit.
A campus that does this before its first Sunday tells every family: you were expected.

Expect Uneven Growth, and Whole-Church Ownership

Campuses won't grow at the same pace — celebrate each site's next faithful step rather than forcing parity. Disability ministry shouldn't live only inside its own team: the Luke 14 vision belongs to the whole congregation. Campus pastors reinforce it locally, membership classes mention it, and greeters and ushers carry the same awareness buddies do. When the whole body understands whose table this is, inclusion becomes the character of the church — at every campus, not just the one with the microphone.

The Bottom Line
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Success isn't every site looking identical — it's every site rooted in one conviction: the table isn't full until everyone has a seat. Centralize theology, training, and safety. Localize relationships, pace, and space. Put a known person at every door, and a second one behind them. Budget for the building, not just the program. Give new campuses a plan before their first family arrives. Keep the ask simple enough that anyone, anywhere, can say yes to being a friend.

Stephen “Doc” Hunsley, M.D., is the Executive Director and Founder of SOAR Special Needs, based in Lenexa, Kansas. SOAR operates the nation’s largest disability day camp, consults with 800+ churches in 26 countries, and mobilizes 1,500+ volunteers annually. To learn more about bringing inclusion ministry training to your church or region, visit SOARspecialneeds.org or contact info@SOARspecialneeds.org.