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Infinitus Ministries, encompassing the Infinitus Community and Infinitus Explorations, intentionally lives and moves within and serves the neurodivergent communities, including but not limited to autistic folks.
Autistic folks are somewhere between 4.5 to 8 percent more likely to be LGBTQ+ than their neurotypical cohorts, with about 19 percent of autistic people identifying as asexual.
Autistic people are 3 to 6 times more likely than their neurotypical counterparts to be nonbinary or trans.
Approximately 75 to 85 percent of autistic people are considered unemployed, with another study estimating only about 22 percent in employment (16 percent full-time), while those in the workforce are likely to be underemployed.
36 percent of autistic undergraduate students drop out of college, while 29 percent of the general population does.
In general, autistic adults lack critical social, economic, and spiritual support; many of them, especially women, are misdiagnosed or undiagnosed due to institutional biases.
A large plurality of the autistic community has negative experiences with religion and faith communities and feels alienated from them. Autistic persons are far more likely to consider themselves atheists. Another study indicates that many autistic individuals reject organized religions and tend to develop their own systems of beliefs.
Intentionally championing solidarity, mutual aid, and economic development among the neurodivergent people within our community and beyond. We do this through promoting networking, collaboration, facilitation of mutual aid programs, and cultivation of entrepreneurial, community-based social enterprises.
Creating an open and welcoming environment for people of all genders, familial configurations, and sexual orientations, actively countering sexist gender norms and cisheteronormativity.
Cultivating an intentional space where one is free to think critically and explore one’s intellectual and spiritual curiosities.
Advocating for alternative educational opportunities and leadership development processes for church leadership.
Aiming to create and cultivate a space for inclusion, belonging, repair, and healing at all stages of our development and growth as a community.
Infinitus Ministries does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic or cultural backgrounds, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression, which necessarily emanate from our social relations with sex), pregnancy, age, disability, socioeconomic class, nationality, citizenship or immigration status, religious traditions or lack thereof, veteran status, familial status, political affiliation, or political philosophy. As a faith-based community, Infinitus Ministries reserves the right as part of the constitutionally and statutorily guaranteed religious liberties to select or appoint to its covenanted membership, community leadership, and ministry positions those whose faith, commitment, theology, and values align with those of Infinitus. While Infinitus Ministries strives to create a welcoming, equitable, and accessible environment for all and to provide reasonable accommodations or alternative programming whenever possible, this may be limited due to our financial, personnel, time, and resource constraints, and/or any limitations and restrictions imposed by external parties (for example, our meeting or gathering location may not always be fully accessible to everyone). Furthermore, Infinitus Ministries reserves the right to create and offer programs and group activities geared toward a specific target population or shared lived experiences, which may be open only to eligible individuals who meet a specific criterion related to the purpose and intentions of such programs or groups. Infinitus Ministries reserves the right to be the sole interpreter of this statement should the need arise.
Brown, L. (2021). ‘Shocking’ data reveals only one in five autistic people are in employment. People Management. (2021, Mar 11.) https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1742978/shocking-data-reveals-only-one-in-five-autistic-people-are-in-employment
Cage, E. (2020). Dropping out and moving on: A qualitative study of autistic people’s experiences of university. Autism 24:7 (2020, May). https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361320918750.
Caldwell-Harris, C., et al. (2011.) Religious belief systems of persons with high-functioning autism. Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society. (2011.)
Cusack, J. (2021). Autistic people still face highest rates of unemployment of all disabled groups. Autistica. (2021, Feb. 18.) https://www.autistica.org.uk/news/autistic-people-highest-unemployment-rates
Dattaro, L. (2020). Largest study to date confirms overlap between autism and gender diversity. The Transmitter. (2020, Sep 14.) https://doi.org/10.53053/WNHC6713
____ (2020). Gender and sexuality in autism, explained. The Transmitter. (2020, Sep 18). https://doi.org/10.53053/YBTA7630
Hutson, M. (2012). Does autism lead to atheism? Psychology Today. (2012, May 30). https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/psyched/201205/does-autism-lead-to-atheism
North East Autism Society (n.d.) Autistic students most likely to drop out of university: investigation. North East Autism Society. https://www.ne-as.org.uk/news/autistic-students-most-likely-to-drop-out-of-university-investigation
The fifth commitment is in part inspired by the "Q+ Framework" (https://seattlequest.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Q-Framework.pdf) of Seattle Quest Church, though we expand this framework beyond sexual orientation and gender identity. Infinitus Ministries is neither affiliated with Quest nor with the Evangelical Covenant Church (Quest's former denomination) in any way, however.