Meet Dr. Lamar Hardwick of Tri-Cities Church in East Point

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Lamar Hardwick.

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Growing up, I always knew that there were significant differences between me and my peers. I often felt as though the world was in on an inside joke that I never understood. I had a few friends but I struggled in making relationships. My mother once told me that one of my elementary school teachers told her “Lamar is very smart but there is something wrong with him and I can’t quite put my finger on it.” As a kid, I often heard comments about my personality, my lack of facial expressions, and what others believed to be an anti-social demeanor. The older I got the more pressure I felt to perform and to conform to what society said made me more of a “people person.” By the time I reached high school, I began to use drugs and alcohol as an attempt to manage the pressure and trauma of trying to desperately fit in.

After graduating high school I enrolled in college in Wisconsin were I would eventually meet my future wife and I learned how to live without substance abuse, but I still struggled silently with issues such as social anxiety, sensor processing, and executive functioning challenges. After graduating college and relocating to Atlanta, I found myself becoming heavily involved in church and eventually felt a call to ordained ministry. I began my career as a pastor by enrolling in seminary and finding jobs in youth and young adult ministry. I had some success but still struggled with the social demands of being a pastor until everything finally came crashing in on me in 2013. I was employed as a youth pastor at a church in Lagrange and was being considered for the lead Pastor position at the same church and I experienced a mental breakdown. I was once again experiencing the overwhelming pressure to perform as well as hearing the same language about my social skills that I had heard all of my childhood. I decided to seek help and to try to determine the cause of some of the challenges that I had silently struggled with my entire life.

In December of 2014 I finally got an answer. I was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome, which is defined as an autism spectrum disorder. Realizing that I had finally been gifted with an understanding of who I am and how my brain processes the world gave me a new purpose and calling in life. Since being diagnosed with a developmental disability I have used my platform to advocate for the inclusion or persons with disabilities of all types in the local church. In 2017, I released my first book “I am Strong: The Life and Journey of an autistic pastor” which became a best-seller on Amazon. It was then I became known to the world as “The Autism Pastor.” As a result I have been blessed to travel the country teaching and training pastors and churches on the importance be becoming more disability inclusive. My next book about creating disability inclusive churches will be published by Intervarsity Press and is set to be released next fall. More than anything I want to be known as a husband, father, pastor, and advocate for those on the margins and to inspire the church to be at the forefront of what our faith is all about.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It hasn’t always been smooth. What is most challenging about my work is overcoming the stigma, stereotypes, and the silence of the faith community as it relates to disabilities. Often times people lack education about the disability community as a whole and about autism specifically. The faith community can be challenging to navigate because there has been no real conversation about how to include people with varying abilities. There is still a lot of stigma that needs to be overcome.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
My primary focus is diversity and inclusion. Our culture is coming to terms with the need for a rich variety of diverse ethnicities, genders, backgrounds, etc. in the marketplace, and yet the faith community is still attempting to catch up. The disability community is the largest minority group in the world and the reality is that the diversity discussion has to include this population. This is especially true in the faith community. My ministry has become known worldwide for disability inclusion. Inclusion not just in being invited to houses of worship, but inclusion in seeing the gifts and skills that the disability community has that enhance the life of the faith community. As a pastor of a local church, an author, a scholar, and a person living with a developmental disability, I have been able to cross the lines between the two worlds and bring a message of hope for a better and broader understanding of faith communities.

What were you like growing up?
I would probably best described as shy, quiet, awkward, and introverted. I enjoyed reading and would often read myself to sleep every night. I loved history and enjoyed reading the biographies of famous and interesting people as well as watching documentaries of famous events.

Contact Info:

• Address: 2619 Ben Hill Rd
  East Point GA. 30344
• Website: www.autismpastor.com
• Email: info@autismpastor.com and lamar@tri-citieschurch.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamarhardwick/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/autismpastor/ https://www.facebook.com/tricitieschurch/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/autismpastor
• Other: www.tri-citieschurch.com

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