Caring for Autistic Children in Church (with Sophie Killingley)

How can church leaders make church welcoming and accessible for autistic children and their families? In this episode, Phil Topham (Executive Director) is joined by Sophie Killingley (Send Evangelical Church) to talk about her experience as the mother of autistic children and serving in ministry as the wife of a pastor. 00:00 - Introduction 02:28 - Terminology of autism 05:26 - The impact of having autistic children on church ministry 08:57 - How can the church serve autistic children? 14:06 - Breaking down barriers 18:53 - Welcoming visitors with autistic children 21:41 - Autistic children in youth and children's work 24:13 - pitfalls to avoid 29:13 - Normalising autistic behaviour in church Resources mentioned in this episode The Life You Never Expected, Andrew and Rachel Wilson (thegoodbookcompany.co.uk, 10ofthose.co.uk) On the Spectrum, Daniel Bowman Jr (danielbowmanjr.com) You can watch a video of this episode and access further resources for church leaders on the FIEC website. About In:Dependence: In:Dependence is FIEC’s official podcast, where you’ll hear teaching and resources for church leaders from the FIEC Ministry Team and guests from FIEC churches and partners. You can access video podcasts by subscribing to the FIEC YouTube channel. About FIEC: We are a fellowship of Independent churches with members of the family across England, Scotland and Wales. Our mission is to see those Independent churches working together with a big vision: to reach Britain for Christ. Being part of FIEC links you to a growing number of Independent evangelical churches and there are now more than 50,000 people who are part of churches affiliated to FIEC. Follow FIEC on social media: Instagram Facebook Twitter