April is often recognized as Autism Awareness Month. But awareness, on its own, has never been the goal. The deeper invitation is to experience life together.

These are the words of my friend Michael – words I find myself returning to often. They are simple, honest, and deeply revealing. Beneath them is a longing that far too many autistic individuals carry. Not just a desire to be included, but a desire to truly belong.

And if we’re honest, those are not the same thing.

From the beginning, the Church was designed for belonging. A place where the body of Christ gathers (not in parts, not in categories, not in separate rooms) but together. To worship. To commune. To live life alongside one another.

And yet, for many families impacted by disability, that vision feels out of reach.

Michael has shared his story at Worship As One (our accessibility summit for pastors) not once, but twice. Each time, his words have done more than fill a room. They’ve shifted it.

Most recently, he stood before a room of church leaders and shared:

“But people like me, I am seen as an afterthought. This is why I want to see change in this community. We need to be together. Even if we have autism, we are all human. That’s what we are. I feel like it is time to be equal. No matter what our disability is, I want everyone to be together. That is all I want.”

The room erupted in applause. Not because his words were polished. But because they were true.

Michael didn’t offer a complex framework or a long list of recommendations. He offered something much more powerful: a vision.

A vision of a Church rooted in equality, shared humanity, and togetherness.

This is the heart of Autism Acceptance Month. Not simply recognizing autism, but responding to it. Not just learning, but changing. Not just making space, but reshaping it so that everyone can fully participate.

Because belonging isn’t passive.

It requires intention. It requires listening. It requires us to examine the ways we may have unintentionally built systems that separate rather than unite.

And then…it requires us to do something about it.

At WITH, we believe the call is clear: we are meant to be with one another. Not adjacent. Not accommodated at a distance. But fully, meaningfully, together.

Michael’s words are not just a reflection of his experience. They are an invitation to all of us.

To build churches where no one feels like an afterthought.
To create spaces where differences are not barriers, but part of the beauty of the body.
To move from awareness to action.

Because at the end of the day, the question is not whether we are aware. It’s whether we are willing to change.And whether we are ready to build a Church where everyone can say, with confidence…I belong here.