One of the student ambassadors from the 2024 Deaf Missions Conference. The students serve in all different areas behind the scenes to help the conference go smoothly. Photo sourced from Deaf Missions Instagram.
Deaf Missions is an organization equipped to spread the Gospel to the deaf community through their own language, culture and identity, according to their website. At their core, they believe that Deaf people are included in Jesus’ Great Commission in Matthew 28:19.
Duane King, the founder of Deaf Missions, was a hearing person who didn’t have any background with the Deaf community.
His very first encounter with Deaf people was while serving at First Christian Church in Norfolk, Nebraska.
As instructed by his church, King was giving anonymous cash gifts to Deaf people when he first met Emery and Louise Booth, a deaf couple in his community. His conversation with them made him face the challenge of communicating, as they were only able to communicate through pen and notepad. That was when he came to the realization of how inaccessible the church was for Deaf people.
Research shows that “roughly 98% of the worldwide population of Deaf people have never encountered the real Jesus.”
It wasn’t long before King received God’s calling to serve Deaf people full time and ultimately, found Deaf Missions in 1970.
The Communication Barrier
The main problem that ministries face in serving Deaf people is the communication barrier.
Most church services unconsciously focus more on serving the hearing church members. From worship sessions to sermon sessions, the services are communicated through vocalization, which is inaccessible to Deaf people.
Chad Entinger, the CEO of Deaf Missions, further elaborates on the importance of Deaf-specific ministry.
“It’s much like having a Hispanic ministry, children’s ministry or a women’s ministry. Each group has unique needs that are not always met in the larger context of the church.”
Just like any group branched into a ministry, Deaf people have their own culture and own unique language, Entinger said. American Sign Language is not English-signed, it has its own facets and contexts that do not match the English language.
“Deaf people are often raised in the context of a hearing family; only 10% of Deaf children are born into a family with Deaf parents. It is not unusual for hearing parents/siblings never to become proficient in sign language – causing some Deaf children to begin their journey into this world with language deprivation.”
This deprivation can continue, depending on school choices made for them. Not only will they find themselves with a lack of language comprehension, but a feeling of isolation, which is a significant issue in the Deaf community, according to Entinger.
“You do not want the struggle of isolation to also be a challenge in the church, but it often can be, despite well-meaning people who want to serve the Deaf community,” said Entinger.
For more than 50 years, Deaf Missions have tried to break this barrier, and they have kept their ministry sharp by focusing on building upon these three areas: Epic videos, building communities and training leaders.
Outside photo of Deaf Missions at Greenview Rd, Council Bluffs, United States. Photo taken by Vincent Stout.
The ASLV Bible
“Deaf people need high-quality visual tools focused on their language, culture and identity. Our resources engage Deaf audiences in powerful ways,” as stated on Deaf Missions’ website.
One of the resources that Deaf Missions offers to solve this problem is the ASLV Bible.
According to the CEO of Deaf Missions, the main difference that makes ASLV unique from other Bibles is that it is the first complete translation of the entire Bible into any sign language.
“It was translated from the source languages into American Sign Language. This is significantly different than someone reading the English Bible and simply interpreting it into ASL.”
“You can’t read it on the printed page – you must watch it. It is in the visual language of American Sign Language.”
The ASLV Bible is accessible to everyone through the Deaf Missions website and app, as well as other partner platforms.
“It always makes a difference to receive anything – especially the Word of God in your heart language.”
Because as fluent as they are in the English language, for most Deaf people, English is still a second language. “For years, Deaf people had to read the Bible in a language that was not their heart language.”
Thanks to the breakthrough of the ASLV, other Bible translations are being translated into various sign languages worldwide.
People gathering to watch the Beverly Hills Private Screening for a Deaf Missions Film: Jesus. The photo sourced from the Deaf Missions Instagram.
A Deaf Missions Film: Jesus
Deaf Missions brought the vision of creating epic videos to the next level. For the first time, the Deaf community had the chance to dive into the life story of Jesus fully featured in American Sign Language on the big screen –A Deaf Missions Film: Jesus created for the Deaf by the Deaf.
Deaf producer/director Joseph D. Josselyn (of Deaf Missions) and Deaf producer Michael Davis (of GUM Vision Studio) produced the film, and it starred Deaf actors and professionals.
“The Deaf community is one of the largest unreached people groups in the world, so we are praying that God will use this movie to ignite a movement of healing and heart change in the Deaf community,” said Entinger.
“They can finally watch a movie about Jesus without any language barriers and become fully immersed in it with their heart language!” Josselyn, the movie’s director, said.
The barrier will always exist, yet together, we can narrow the gap by creating an inclusive and accessible ministry for everyone to gather, know God and worship in His name.
Elaine Patricia Lukman is a Junior Communication major at Oral Robert University who has a passion to spread the goodness of God through her writing. She hopes that through her writing, people can see how God’s work is still evident to this day.
