Cripping* Youth Ministry
An Intersectional Vision for Working with Disabled Youth
A groundbreaking resource that centers the voices, wisdom, and leadership of disabled young people to transform how we practice youth ministry.
About the Book
What does it mean for youth ministry to be shaped by the voices it has too often silenced?
Cripping* Youth Ministry brings together scholars, practitioners, and disabled young people to reimagine ministry through the lens of disability justice. Organized around four movements—Lament, Protest, Praise, and Prophecy—this collection offers both theological depth and practical guidance for creating ministries where disabled youth don’t just belong, but lead.
From mental health and neurodiversity to the intersections of disability with race, gender, and sexuality, these chapters challenge the assumptions that have kept youth ministry spaces inaccessible. More importantly, they point toward a prophetic vision where the gifts of disabled young people transform the entire community.
This is the right book at the right place at the right time.
Whether you’re new to disability ministry or have been doing this work for decades, Cripping* Youth Ministry offers the resources you need to build communities where every young person can flourish.
Meet the Contributors
Justin Forbes
Director, Center for Religion and Culture | Assistant Professor of Religion, Flagler College
Justin Forbes is Director of the Center for Religion and Culture and Assistant Professor of Religion at Flagler College. His work focuses on youth ministry, practical theology, and the experiences of young people who have been marginalized by society and the church.
Erin Raffety
Practical Theologian, Princeton University
Erin Raffety is a practical theologian and anthropologist who teaches at Princeton University. She is a Presbyterian pastor, disability advocate, and author of Families We Need and From Inclusion to Justice.
Plus over 20 contributing authors and artists bringing expertise in disability justice, neurodiversity, mental health, intersectionality, and inclusive ministry.
Meet all contributors →What is "Cripping"?
“Cripping” is rooted in disability justice movements and the fields of disability studies. It begins with the truth that disabled young people already carry wisdom, creativity, leadership, and theological insight.
Rather than adjusting the margins of ministry so that disabled youth can be included, cripping invites ministry to be reshaped by their perspectives from the start. It is a practice of collective transformation—where everyone’s flourishing becomes possible because access and belonging are not afterthoughts, but the very heart of faithful youth ministry.
Practical Tools for Ministry
Cripping* Youth Ministry is more than a book—it’s a companion for transformation. Each chapter includes practical tools, discussion questions, and resources you can use immediately in your ministry.
Discussion Guides
Guiding questions for personal reflection or group study
Journaling Prompts
Reflective exercises to deepen your engagement
Worship Resources
Prayers written by disabled contributors
Application
Practical tools for immediate ministry use