What We Do
Pastor Training
Training pastors and local churches to love and serve the disabled community
Harmful Beliefs About Disability
Some cultures—even within the Christian church—hold false and harmful beliefs about people with disabilities. These misconceptions can lead to discriminatory attitudes and behaviors while reinforcing structural barriers that exclude people with disabilities and deny them their rights.
Training Churches to Reflect God’s Heart
Using our Theology of Disability curriculum, CURE trains pastors and equips local churches to reach out to people with disabilities and minister with the love of Jesus. Our goal is to help communities dispel harmful myths and understand that children are not cursed because of their disabilities; they are deeply loved by God. These pastors and church communities become powerful advocates for people with disabilities, identifying children in need of medical care and referring them to CURE for treatment.
“Through this training, I learned a lot. Today if I see a child with a disability, the first thing I think is, that’s God’s image.”
—Pastor Blessings, Malawi
More About Pastor Training
CURE’s spiritual ministry teams—including the directors, assistants, and outreach coordinators—facilitate and lead pastor trainings.
CURE currently works with more than 400 churches and 800 pastors in the communities where we serve. We connect with pastors and churches through many different avenues, including former/current patients and caregivers, outreach events, and people who hear about CURE’s mission and invite us to engage with their leaders and congregations.
There are many inaccurate beliefs about disability, and they are all detrimental to people living with disabilities. In the places where CURE serves, it is not uncommon for people to believe disability is caused by evil spirits, curses, or other supernatural forces. Parents of children with disabilities are often blamed for their conditions and told the disability is punishment for their wrongdoings. Some communities even believe disability is contagious or that interacting with a person with a disability is bad luck. These misconceptions lead to those with disabilities and their families being discriminated against, stigmatized, and excluded from their communities. When people with disabilities are treated this way, they do not have equal access to school and work, forcing them deeper into poverty. They also may be hesitant to seek treatment because they feel the condition is somehow deserved.
Theology of Disability curriculum and training emphasizes that all humans are created in God’s image. He loves every person deeply and has a purpose for their lives—no matter their ability. From God’s Word, pastors and church leaders learn how to dispel harmful myths and misconceptions about disability within the local church. Attendees are also trained to identify and reach out to children in their communities who could benefit from life-changing surgery at CURE hospitals. These trained pastors and church leaders have a profound ripple effect within their church communities as they become advocates for those with disabilities, share what the Bible says about disability, provide counseling, and refer patients to CURE. When these communities adopt gospel-based beliefs, they serve as the true hands and feet of Christ, welcoming and caring for people with disabilities and their families. Through the training, leaders/pastors get to enhance the participation of people with disabilities in churches, making them part of God’s big family.