Pentecostal Belonging Must Not Wait for Healing

Pentecostal Christians know how to pray for healing. We also need to learn how to belong together when healing is delayed, partial, different from what we expected or not given in the form for which we prayed. A person with cerebral palsy or another disability must never be made to wait outside full congregational life while the Church waits for a miracle.

This is not an argument against divine healing. It is an argument against making cure the price of dignity. The gospel does not require a person to walk unaided, speak in a dominant way, sit still, process quickly or fit an able-bodied pattern before receiving friendship, discipleship, baptism, communion, theological formation, ministry responsibility or a voice in decisions.

A mature Pentecostal theology holds prayer and access together. It prays with faith and consent, honours clinical and rehabilitation knowledge, removes barriers, receives the gifts of disabled believers, supports families and tells the truth about outcomes. Present belonging is not a consolation offered after healing ministry has failed. It is a work of the Spirit in the body of Christ.

World Cerebral Palsy Day is observed on 6 October. Its 2026 campaign, Unique and United, asks people living with cerebral palsy to name the change they want and invites leaders and organisations to respond. The campaign describes itself as a global movement for people with…