IFD Certification in
In order to serve or minister to people with disabilities, family members and church members and leaders must look above for God’s direction, look within for inner reflections, and look ahead with the people they serve. In this certification program, students are provided a Biblical, theological, and practical foundation for the practice of ministry, related to relevant issues of disability and faith development.
Develop tools to make a big impact in your ministry and gain a network of other Christians in ministry with people with disabilities from around the country!
Certification Details
The IFD Certification in Ministry with People with Disabilities requires just four 6-week courses of $125 each — a total of $500.
- Certification courses must be completed in order. Courses will be taught on a yearly rotation.
- Once you begin, you can complete all the courses you need for certification in just one year!
- First courses in the certification cycles are offered in either January or August, with some certifications relaunching at both times.
- This program is taught online via Blackboard Learn. Courses are mostly asynchronous, meaning you can complete the work at the time most convenient for your schedule. Daily engagement on the Discussion Board with peers, required reading, and assignments ensure a quality learning experience. Some courses offer a required or optional live video-based session – see individual course descriptions for more details.
2024 Course Dates:
January 15 – February 23, 2024
March 11 – April 26, 2024
(No class during Holy Week, 3/25 – 3/31)
August 19 – September 27, 2024
October 14 – November 22, 2024
Certification Course List
Enroll in the first course!
If the first course is full, or is not currently enrolling, you will be able to sign up for course opening notifications.
Meet the Instructors
Jenn W.
Jenn W has been walking with the Lord and serving in various church leadership roles for over 20 years. She owned a successful tech company for 16 years and is a technologist for churches, non-profits, and businesses. She is a current member of the United Methodist Church and has been a member of UM Women. She is a member of the Disabilities Concerns subcommittee of the Michigan Conferences and a member of various UMC tech support teams. Jenn also provides leadership to UMCDMC.org, which distributes the annual accessibility and hospitality audit for all UM churches. She is a special education advocate for families of children with special needs and has technology expertise in Google Workspace (personal through enterprise/nonprofit) and Microsoft Office Suites, as well as hundreds of other products including virtual reality, 3D printing, and e-design.
Jaclyn Galvan
Jaclyn Galvan earned her master’s degree from Grand Canyon University and her Biblical studies degree from Life Pacific University. She currently is an academic office support specialist for LPU and works with the traditional undergraduate faculty. She is also the residency coordinator for the LPU master’s programs. Before moving to her current job, Jaclyn worked with disabled adults for three years and was both a personal and a community advocate for her clients. She learned how to minister to this demographic by installing independence and teaching reading, writing, and communication skills. She is involved in The Well Foursquare church community as a worship leader and young adults group leader.