Liturgical Practices for Full Participation: Creating Opportunities for Engagement in Corporate Worship for People Living with Intellectual Disabilities at the Mooroolbark Salvation Army

Author

Catherine Jane SpillerFollow

Date of Award

5-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Primary Advisor

Dr. David Kneip

Secondary Advisor

Dr. Virgil Fry

Committee Reader

Dr. Richard Wright

Abstract

The Mooroolbark Salvation Army is a place of welcome and acceptance for people with disabilities. However, people with intellectual disabilities often have limited opportunities for engagement in corporate worship. The act of worship is a practice everyone should be able to participate in, but barriers often limit engagement for people with disabilities. This project thesis explored and sought to address these barriers and create opportunities for full participation for people with intellectual disabilities. A small diverse group of people from the Mooroolbark Salvation Army came together for ten weeks commencing in February 2022 to consider how to attend to engagement opportunities in worship. During the weekly sessions, the group explored the topics of worship and liturgy. Theological themes such as the body of Christ and the imago Dei were also discussed in relation to full participation. The group also spent time participating in a variety of liturgical practices. These practices were then reviewed, and consideration was given to how each could be used or adapted to facilitate full participation for people with intellectual disabilities. The group then constructed twelve liturgies that seek to provide a variety of ways for people to engage in worship. These liturgies are the beginning of a journey to foster full participation for the people of the Mooroolbark Salvation Army who live with intellectual disabilities.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Spiller, Catherine Jane, "Liturgical Practices for Full Participation: Creating Opportunities for Engagement in Corporate Worship for People Living with Intellectual Disabilities at the Mooroolbark Salvation Army" (2023). Doctor of Ministry Theses. 53.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/dmin_theses/53