David Morstad is the author of Whole Community: Introducing Faith Communities to People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. A Fellow of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD), he received the AAIDD Religion and Spirituality Network’s Henri J.M. Nouwen Award in 2010.

David spent more than 38 years with Bethesda Lutheran Communities, serving in a variety of leadership roles, including Educational Resource Development, Corporate Director of Staff Training, Vice President for Communications, and Executive Director and Senior Fellow of the Bethesda Institute.

A widely published author and respected speaker, David has lectured to professional organizations throughout the United States, Europe, and the Baltic nations. His work focuses on building more welcoming and inclusive communities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, with particular attention to the role of faith communities. In 2026, he received the AAIDD Sesqui Award in recognition of merit, impact, and contribution to the disability field.

David currently serves as Chair of the Governor’s Committee for People with Disabilities in Wisconsin. He also serves on the boards of AAIDD/Wisconsin and Creative Community Living Services, among other organizations.

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Welcome!

My blog, Larger Table, is a collection of thoughts inspired by five decades of work in faith-based services among people with disabilities, work with the Institute on Theology and Disability, and countless relationships with people who have disabilities – friends, students, family, and coworkers.

This much needs to be clear: I am not a person with a disability. I fully and freely admit that the story of disability is, to a great extent, not mine to tell.  Further, I am neither clergy nor theologian.  For all these obvious reasons, I beg forgiveness in advance for what are certain to be theological and perceptual errors that are at the very least silly, and perhaps even offensive.  I invite correction in the comments.

I am an observer, a writer, and a student of relationships among people with diverse abilities. Though I write from a Christian perspective, I am most grateful for the influence, patience, and abundant kindness of my friends in the Jewish and Muslim communities.

I look forward to our conversation. Welcome to the table.

David