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Training a Special People Group

Bill Amstutz, President, Shepherds Ministries

Shepherds Ministries is celebrating 50 years and now developing Shepherds College.

Usually, we think of people groups as having a common language and culture. Therefore, in a very special sense, people with developmental disabilities would qualify as a special people group. Since our inception, Shepherds was designed to be a mission agency to reach people with developmental disabilities and their families for Christ.

Shepherds is celebrating fifty years of ministry. We are a nationally recognized ministry, providing spiritual, residential, vocational, and recreational programs to people with developmental disabilities. During our early years of ministry, we were a wonderful place where both pastors and missionaries could have their children in a boarding school setting so that they could continue on with their ministries. We still have a number of those same people with us today, now in their adult years. God has been blessing this ministry so faithfully through the support of a marvelous network of individuals and churches around the country.

While continuing to minister through our longer-term care services, we have seen the opportunity to answer the question, What more can we do for people with developmental disabilities? In a nationwide study of this population, we found that there are ten times more people in the upper-functioning range of this people group. We have found that the transition from high school to a first job and from the family home to independent living has often been difficult for many. To continue to reach people with developmental disabilities who are often marginalized by our society, we are developing a three-year, college-like experience for training these young adults. In addition to our long-term residential services, Shepherds is now uniquely leading the way through the development of the Shepherds College for young people with cognitive disabilities and life-coach training for people in the local church. The first year will have training in life skills, household management, and transportation skills. The second year will offer our two specialty majors: culinary arts and horticulture. The third year will be on-the-job training, helping students to be prepared to go back to their own communities and churches and to become productive members of their churches and society.

In order for Shepherds College to be most effective, we see the need to train volunteer life coaches in local churches. When the students graduate, they will return to their home churches and will need to be assisted as they assimilate into the church, community, and the workforce.

Here at Shepherds, our philosophy is that people are designed on purpose and for a purpose, and they are created as individuals for community. We are in the process of training people for life, and we want to see them empowered to serve—to serve at their job and in their community, wherever God might have them residing.

This new venture is consistent with our evangelistic and local church emphasis. Please pray for us as we continue to be a mission agency reaching this underserved and unreached population—people with developmental disabilities.

For more information on Shepherds Ministries, contact us at (262) 878-5620 or visit us online at www.shepherdsministries.org.