Centering Children’s Voices: A Picture‑Supported Survey of Children’s Experiences In Faith Communities

Background and Purpose: Children with disabilities, particularly those with communication or behavioral differences, are less likely than their nondisabled peers to regularly participate in congregational worship services. Existing research on inclusion in faith communities has primarily relied on adult informants, resulting in limited empirical attention to children’s own perspectives. The purpose of this study is twofold: (1) to examine how children experience participation and inclusion in congregational worship alongside adult assessments of inclusion, and (2) to demonstrate the utility of a picture‑supported survey method for centering children’s voices, including the voices of children with disabilities, in social work research.

Methods: This study presents a secondary analysis of cross‑sectional survey data originally collected by a faith‑based nonprofit organization serving Christian congregations. Parallel surveys were administered to adult congregational stakeholders (N = 117) and to children ages 2–12 (N = 26), with and without disabilities. Adult respondents included parents, clergy, ministry leaders, volunteers, and congregants representing 11 Christian denominations. Among respondents, 33% identified as parents of children with disabilities. The child survey was administered by caregivers to their own children and employed developmentally appropriate, picture‑supported questions to assess children’s experiences of congregational worship services. An adapted version with printable picture cards was available to support participation among young children and children with disabilities; 73% of children completed the adapted version, and 77% of child respondents had a disability. Descriptive and comparative analyses examined worship participation, perceived inclusion across worship elements, and children’s expressed preferences and challenges related to congregational worship services.

Results: Adults rated congregational inclusion lower for children with disabilities than for children without disabilities and identified music and baptism as the most inclusive worship elements, while the sermon and communion were identified as least inclusive. According to adult respondents, commonly cited barriers to child participation in congregational worship services included children’s behavioral and sensory needs, the length of worship elements, and children’s understanding of worship content. Children reported generally positive experiences of church and identified singing songs as the most enjoyable element of worship and listening to the sermon as the least enjoyable. Across surveys, adult perceptions of inclusion closely aligned with children’s reported preferences, with convergence around both strengths and challenges in worship participation.

Conclusions and Implications: Findings demonstrate the feasibility and value of picture‑supported survey methods for eliciting children’s perspectives on participation and inclusion, including perspectives of children with disabilities who are often excluded from research. The alignment between adult and child responses demonstrates the value of centering children’s voices through accessible survey methods to corroborate and extend adult‑reported data. Methodologically, this study underscores the importance of accessible research tools that treat children as informants about their own experiences. These findings have implications for social work research and practice focused on disability inclusion, participatory methods, and accessible community and faith‑based settings.