Hero’s Club, the nonprofit parachurch ministry enabling local congregations to better serve those with disabilities and their families, is riding a wave of “beautiful chaos,” as founder Nate Wertz puts it.
The ministry was officially launched at the end of April 2025 with a goal to partner with two churches before year’s end. As the calendar turned to a new year, Hero’s Club had officially partnered with 19 congregations in six states – with more on the way.
Hear about the "beautiful chaos" of Hero's Club's rapid growth, and how it sparked December's worship night in our full conversation with founder Nate Wertz:
“I’ve only reached out to one of those 19 churches and God has brought the rest,” Wertz said. “It’s not about growing Hero’s Club. It’s about empowering the church that is already there, that’s already serving, to equip them to step into another part of their community that sometimes they just don’t even know is there.”
Wertz previously laid out the problem Hero’s Club was created to address, a marked lack in the local church’s ability to care well for the disabled. Many believers who are disabled or care for someone with a disability lament a lack of space for them, often meaning the families feel they have no choice but to stay home on Sundays.
Census data shows that one in 10 U.S. families have a dependent with disabilities, while an estimated 90% of families with an “additional needs” dependent do not attend church at all.
NATE WERTZ HAS "GOD-SIZED GOALS" TO CONNECT CHURCH AND UNDERSERVED SPECIAL NEEDS FAMILIES
But in the first 8 months of Hero’s Club’s existence, the desire to bridge the gap is clearly felt by both the church and those searching for care.
The growth has been humbling, Wertz says, but he knows there is more to be done. In a conversation with Ian Thomson, a Denver-area worship leader and executive director of Grace Mountain, another nonprofit that serves the disabled community, a new idea began to form.
“Me and him were just dreaming, how do we do more for this community?” Wertz recalls. “What experiences can we create to draw families in?”
Worship, the two decided, was needed.
An event that many might take for granted, but that many families long to have access to in a way that accommodates their unique needs, was the next step for Hero’s Club and its partners.
To be sure, it wasn’t the first sensory-friendly worship night, but it was a first for many who attended. For many, even stepping into a church building where they could worship God with freedom was a novel experience.
The night was a hit, and the worship was powerful.
“We don’t want the perception that it’s some sort of watered-down experience,” Wertz explained. “It was an amazing experience that brought me and others to tears.
“You can scream, jump, shout, run, sit, cry, be quiet, anything that you want. And all expressions were welcome without fear of somebody watching. It was everything goes. Interact with our Lord and Savior how you see fit for yourself and for your child. It was amazing.”
Accommodations included spaced-out seating, lower volume and dimmed lights, multiple rooms where worshippers could find a different level of stimulation or complete silence, and a lowered stage where all were welcome to join in praise.
“It’s weighty, but it was just so pure and beautiful for these families to come in, to worship, to sing, to laugh and shout and enjoy the music, some just to sit and take it in and cry and be able to pray with people and just worship together,” Wertz said. “It was perfect.”
It wasn’t without hitches, of course. Wertz explained that the event was something of a “note taking” experience to set the table for bigger, better worship nights.
Many joined hands with Hero’s Club to pull the service off in short order, including LifeGate Denver providing the building and audio-video volunteers, Thomson and his wife leading worship, Camp Barnabas, The Bridge Church, Young Life Capernaum, and multiple other churches.
Wertz hopes the worship night, along with the larger work being accomplished through Hero’s Club and its growing partner network, is only the beginning.
“My heart is to equip the church to be doing this on a regular basis and that we normalize accessible worship,” Wertz said. “That it’s not a rarity. That it is the norm.”
Learn more about the work God is doing through Hero's Club here.
