Disabled Christian Leaders in Conversation: Podcasts and Videos
We have created a series of five video podcasts with disabled leaders, and three short videos. These resources share findings from our 2025-6 research project, Learning from and Enhancing Disabled People’s Christian Leadership. They were developed through workshops with disabled leaders in the US and the UK, and they feature interviews with those leaders. They are free for anyone to watch and use.
The podcast series
In Disabled Christian Leaders in Conversation, we talk with five disabled Christian leaders from the UK and the US. Guests are ordained and lay leaders from different churches and denominations, and are all disabled or neurodivergent. Across the five episodes, we talk about barriers to leadership, the myth of an “ideal” leader, why belonging is important for disabled people who want to lead in their communities, and the gifts disabled leaders bring to churches.
Each episode is available with captions. There are versions with British Sign Language (BSL) and with American Sign Language (ASL). There is a Plain English summary for each podcast.
We are currently releasing one episode a week (Oct 2026 and Nov 2026). New episodes will appear below as they are released. You can also watch them all on the project’s YouTube channel.
Episode 1: Revd Kt Tupling
Revd Kt Tupling (she/her), a Church of England priest and co-founder of Disability and Jesus, joins us to talk about her journey to ordination, from deciding at the age of seven that she wanted to be a vicar, to meeting people who questioned her calling. She reflects on why disability should not be a barrier to ministry, and how a diverse church can model love and acceptance.
Plain English Summary with questions for discussion.
Episode 2: Avery Arden
Avery Arden (they/them), a minister in Georgia and programming chair for More Light Presbyterians, joins us to talk about becoming a proud, openly autistic person at seminary, and why dismantling barriers to disabled leadership needs an intersectional approach. They describe the enabling, collaborative leadership model developed by More Light’s board, and remind churches that disabled leaders are already among them.
Plain English Summary with questions for discussion.
Episode 3: Deacon Jon Miller
Deacon Jon Miller (they/them), a neurodivergent Methodist minister in Wales, joins us to talk about the barriers facing disabled and neurodivergent ministers, from paperwork-heavy recruitment processes to the myth of the minister who can do everything alone. They share why disability theology belongs at the heart of the church, and describe the creative community where they can lead as themselves.
Plain English Summary with questions for discussion.
Episode 4: Bailie Gregory
Bailie Gregory (they/she), who works with disabled students in higher education and preaches in Presbyterian churches, joins us to talk about the barriers they met in the ordination process. They reflect on why sustainable leadership, where the whole community supports each other, is better for churches than the “rock star” leader model. They also share how asking disabled people about their support needs can make churches more accessible.
Plain English Summary with questions for discussion.
Episode 5: Emily Richardson
Emily Richardson (she/her), communications manager at a large Church of England church in London and co-author of the book At the Gates: Disability, Justice and the Churches, joins us to talk about authentic leadership and how she has grown as a leader. She explores the prophetic leadership of disabled people speaking from the edges of the church, and talks about why whole communities can miss out when disabled people’s gifts are not nurtured.
Plain English Summary with questions for discussion.
Coming soon: Short videos for churches
After the podcast series is released, we will share three short videos, here and on our YouTube channel. These videos, aimed at churches, explore barriers to ministry for disabled leaders, our ideals about ministers and leaders, and the gifts disabled leaders bring to churches. They’re freely available to show in communities. You could use the discussion prompts to talk how you could encourage disabled leaders in your churches.
The short videos are dedicated to the memory of Revd Dr Lamar Hardwick, who passed away in May 2026. Known as “The Autism Pastor”, Lamar was an autistic pastor, scholar and disability activist, and the author of How Ableism Fuels Racism (2024). We had been looking forward to welcoming him as a podcast guest. The videos include material recorded with him.
Why we made these resources
Disabled people are rarely recognised as leaders in their communities, including in churches and other faith communities. We wanted to share our research beyond academic journals, and to create resources for churches and disabled people of faith.
When we shared our findings with disabled leaders, they told us that they often feel isolated and want to connect with other leaders. This podcast series brings disabled leaders together to share their experiences of leadership — the barriers they have faced as leaders, and the gifts they bring to their communities. We also made short videos to help churches recognise and support disabled people’s leadership.
Each episode comes with questions for discussion (in the show notes on each video on YouTube), if you are watching them together in community groups or churches.
What our guests said
Podcast guests told us that they were glad to be involved in codesigning resources and sharing research with disabled people and their communities. One guest said:
“I hope that the voices amplified by this podcast series will open churches’ minds to the gifts disabled leaders can share, and challenge them to make real, material changes that better enable our leadership.”
Funding
This research project was a collaboration between Manchester Met and Princeton Theological Seminary, New Jersey. It was funded by a Calvin Teacher-Scholar grant (TS25A-11). The podcast series was also funded by Manchester Met’s ENGAGE fund.