ABSTRACT
The author wanted a positive focus, so the emphasis was on churches that were already welcoming and including people with intellectual disability. Without welcome and acceptance as an adult my daughter would not be happy to attend church, and church is important to her as she has a personal faith and wants to be involved in the ministry of the church. Defining welcome and inclusion is difficult, and even contentious. The five churches involved in the study came from four different denominations. They varied in size from large, with over 600 people in the congregation and multiple services on a Sunday, to the smallest church, which had approximately 100 people in the congregation and one service on Sunday. A welcoming attitude was the reason pastors felt their church included people with intellectual disabilities.
