HOW TO DEVELOP A DEAF MINSTRY/CHURCH GUIDE

Why Deaf Ministry?

Deaf people experience a natural barrier to receiving and responding to verbal communication. One biblical reference to deafness is found in Isaiah 29:18, NIV:

"In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, And out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see."

Why have a deaf ministry? God loves the deaf and wants them to have the same opportunity as all people to respond to Him in a faith commitment.

“Deafness is defined as totally or partially unable to hear...”

The deaf population in the United States is approximately twenty million. These individuals can be categorized in numerous ways.

1. Hearing impaired – A blanket word, used by hearing persons to explain the hearing loss of a person. This term is considered to be “politically correct” by hearing people; however, it is offensive to those belonging to the deaf community. They prefer to be identified as "Deaf" or "Hard of Hearing."  It is best not to use this term.
2. Hard of Hearing – This term is used to explain that a person can hear sounds if they are made louder. They have hearing which is usable. For this reason, these people are rightly called “hard of hearing."
3. Congenital deafness – This phrase describes deafness which begins at birth. The deafness may have occurred before or during childbirth. ‘Congenital deafness is caused either by illness in the mother (e.g. rubella during pregnancy), heredity, or injury sustained at birth’.
4. Adventitious deafness – ‘Is deafness which occurs in the individual born with normal hearing but who later loses his hearing through sickness or injury.’  When a person with normal hearing loses his hearing this is called "adventitious deafness."  It is also called "acquired deafness" or, as the deaf would sign "became deaf."
5. Accidents – Childhood accidents, such as a blow to the head, can possibly cause deafness. Explosion and other loud noises are also possible causes of deafness.
6. Prelingual deafness – This term refers to deafness which comes before normal verbal language development occurs. If a person becomes deaf before verbal language develops, this gives the deaf child a difficult beginning in acquiring language through his ears. Many times a deaf child develops no, or almost no, language before he enters school. Trying to make up for the years lost is difficult. Spoken language is difficult for the prelingually deaf person. It is acquired with much difficulty, if acquired at all. If it is possible for the prelingually deaf person to communicate clearly verbally, then it is good to encourage him to communicate verbally as much as possible.
7. Postlingual deafness – This term refers to deafness occurring after normal verbal language has developed. This child has developed a reservoir of spoken language, English syntax, and grammar. Communication is much easier and clearer for him and with him than with the prelingually deaf child. With the postlingually deaf child or adult, it is important to work to retain as much of his speech as possible.
8. Profound deafness – Profound deafness means a hearing loss in the normal speech range so severe that even with a hearing aid a profoundly deaf person cannot hear speech.
9. Community – Is a general social system in which a group of people live together, share common goals, and carry out certain responsibilities to each other.
10. Deaf Community – A Deaf community is a group of people who live in a particular location, share the common goals of its memberships, and in various ways, work toward achieving these goals. A Deaf community may include persons who are not themselves deaf, but who actively support the goals of the community, and work with deaf people to achieve them.

Note: The hearing loss is writing as little “d” deaf. The Deaf culture is written as big “D” Deaf.

Characteristics of Deaf People

1. Communication breakdown with hearing people.
2. The personal effects of hearing loss are as varied as the causes.
3. Factors that influence the social development of a deaf child who has deaf parents is very different from the factors that influence the hearing family and their deaf family member, such as lack of communication.
4. The general public’s lack of understanding of a Deaf person’s situation and lifestyle.
5. The Deaf do not want a hand out, but a fair opportunity and treatment in education, guidance, and work.
6. Since Deaf are visually oriented, it is important to remember to be sensitive to their needs, such as a room’s set-up.  It is also important to understand that language can only occur when they are looking and can see.

Language of the Deaf

Dr. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet brought American Sign Language to the United States in 1816. It was first introduced at the American Asylum for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb (currently known as the American School for the Deaf) in Hartford, Connecticut.  American Sign Language (ASL) was initially brought to the United States from France -- the language reflects French syntax.

1. Oralism – the educational philosophy that the Deaf should be taught to communicate only through speech and speechreading, without sign language.
2. Manual communication – stresses the use of both sign language and fingerspelling in communication.
3. Signed English – developed at Gallaudet University in their preschool program to help teach English to Deaf preschoolers.  It is important to note that this is NOT a language. It is merely a manual form of the English language.
                   a. Signed Exact English
                   b. Signed Essential English
4. Total communication – the use of sign language and voiced English.
5. ASL – the abbreviation for American Sign Language. This is the official language of persons involved in the Deaf community. No voice is used with this language. It is strictly a visual language. American Sign Language has all of the grammatical features that any other language would have such as semantics, syntax, morphology, and pragmatics.

Biblical Basis for Deaf Ministry

1. Isaiah 35:5
   Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. (NIV)
   
   
2. Isaiah 29:18
   In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. (NIV)
   
   
3. Mark 7:34-35
   34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means, "Be opened!").
   35 At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. (NIV)
   
   
4. Matthew 28:19-20
   19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
   20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (NIV)
   
   
5. John 3:16
   For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (NIV)
   
   
6. Acts 1:8
   But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.(NIV)

Overcoming Preconceived Ideas

1. Respect Deaf people as people of worth and value.
2. Be a friend of Deaf persons.
3. Be honest in your dealings with Deaf people.
4. Keep confidential information shared with you by the Deaf.
5. Do not use the term “deaf and dumb” or “deaf-mute.”
6. Involve the Deaf in the total ministry. They are capable of assuming leadership.
7. Be consistent with what you profess.
8. Don’t assume all Deaf are alike.
9. Often the Deaf person feels inferior to the hearing person because all their lives the hearing have dominated them.
10. What other preconceived ideas are you familiar with that need to be overcome?

Understanding Deaf People

Understanding the difference in Deaf culture and Deaf community is important to those desiring to minister effectively to the Deaf. Culture and community are defined as:

1. A culture is a set of learned behaviors of a group of people who have their own language, values, rules for behavior, and traditions. A person may be born into a culture and his personality and behavior are shaped by his culture values. Or, a person may grow up in one culture and later learn the language, values, and practices of a different culture and become ‘enculturated’ into that culture.
   
   
2. A community, on the other hand, is a general social system in which a group of people live together, share common goals, and carry out certain responsibilities to each other. . . .
   Thus, a person’s beliefs and actions are mainly influenced by his culture, but his work and many social activities are carried out within his community.

Carol Padden one of the contributors to the book American Deaf Culture: An Anthology,  edited by Sherman Wilcox, explains Deaf culture and Deaf community:

1. A Deaf community is a group of people who live in a particular location, share the common goals of its members, and in various ways, work toward achieving these goals. A Deaf community may include persons who are not themselves deaf, but who actively support the goals of the community and the work with Deaf people to achieve them.
   
   
2. The culture of Deaf people, however, is more closed than the Deaf community. Members of the Deaf culture behave as Deaf people do, use the language of Deaf people toward themselves and other people who are not Deaf.

To understand the culture of American Deaf people this will be handled in four parts:

A. Deaf People

1. Deaf people can be born into the culture, as in the case of children of Deaf parents. They begin learning the language of their parents from birth and thus acquire native competence in that language. They also learn the beliefs and behaviors of their parents’ cultural group.
2. Being Deaf usually means the person has some degree of hearing loss. However, the type of degree of hearing loss is not a criterion for being Deaf. Rather, the criterion is whether a person identifies with other Deaf people, and behaves as a Deaf person.

B. Cultural Values

1. Language - Certainly an all-important value of the culture is respect for one of its major identifying features: American Sign Language. Not all Deaf individuals have native competence in ASL; that is, not all Deaf individuals have learned ASL from their parents as a first language. Deaf people firmly believe that hand gestures must convey some kind of visual meaning and have strongly resisted what appears to be “nonsense” use of hands -- one such example is Cued Speech.
2. Speaking - There is a general disassociation from speech in the Deaf culture. Some Deaf people may choose to use speech in community activities that involve non-Deaf people, such as mixed parties, parent education programs, or some larger public function. But on the cultural level, speaking is not considered appropriate behavior. Children who are brought up in Deaf culture are often trained to limit their mouth movement to only those movements that are part of their language. Exaggerated speaking behavior is thought of as “undignified” and sometimes can be interpreted as making fun of other Deaf people. . . . Although more mouth movement is permitted now, exaggerated mouth movement while signing is still not acceptable to Deaf people. . . . …the most fundamental need of Deaf people: to communicate deeply and comfortably in their own language. Deaf people often distrust speech communication for this reason. Speech communication is also distrusted due to the fact that many hearing persons may have insulted or degraded a Deaf person several times in their life and has shown no reason for a Deaf person to trust them.
3. Social relations - As with any minority group, there is strong emphasis on social and family ties when family members are of the same culture or community. . . . Deaf people consider social activities an important way of maintaining contact with other Deaf people. It has frequently been observed that Deaf people often remain in groups talking late, long after the party has ended, or after the restaurant has emptied of people. One reason is certainly that Deaf people enjoy the company of other like-minded Deaf people. They feel they gain support and trusting companionship from other Deaf people who share the same cultural beliefs and attitudes.
4. Stories and literature of the culture - The culture values described in this paper are never explicitly stated; there are no books that Deaf children read to learn these values. Deaf children learn them through the process of training in which other Deaf people either reinforce or discourage their comments and actions.

C. Entering into the Culture of Deaf People

1. An interesting perspective on being Deaf comes from deaf people who are going through a process of becoming Deaf and are beginning to assimilate the values of Deaf people. . For many people who grow up as part of the culture of hearing people, they think of themselves as hearing people with a hearing loss. But when they encounter the new and different culture of Deaf people, they find that not all of their beliefs and values will be accepted. . . . Their success in becoming full members of the culture of Deaf people depends on how they are able to resolve the conflicts they experience. 
2.  A deaf person may value her speaking ability and may have always spoken when communicating with other people. But now he/she learns that speaking does not have the same positive value with Deaf people that it has with hearing people. Even though some Deaf people can hear some speech, and some speak well themselves, speaking is not considered usual or acceptable behavior within the cultural group. 
3.  In ASL conversations, the listener is expected to watch the face of the signer throughout the conversation. Breaking eye contact between signer and “listener” may be interpreted by Deaf people as “rude,” “disinterested,” or “trying to act hearing.”
4. Possibly the very first indication that another person is not a member of Deaf culture occurs during the ritual of introduction and exchanging names. Hearing people often introduce themselves by their first name only, and Deaf people may do the same. However, Deaf people normally introduce themselves by their full names, and it is not unusual to also add which city or state they are from. This information is important to Deaf people because the cultural group is small, and maintaining ties with all members is a means of preserving group cohesiveness.
5. An important behavior to learn is what to call yourself. . . . among Deaf people, the distinctions between hearing loss are not considered important for group relations. “Deaf” is not a label of deafness as much as a label of identity with other Deaf people. A person learning to interact with other Deaf people will quickly learn that there is one name for all members of the cultural group, regardless of the degree of hearing loss: Deaf. In fact, the sign DEAF can be used in an ASL sentence to mean “my friends,” which conveys the cultural meaning of “Deaf.” Although Deaf people recognize and accept members that are audiologically hard-of-hearing, calling oneself “hard-of-hearing” rather than by the group name is interpreted by some Deaf people as “putting on airs” because it appears to draw undue attention to hearing loss.

D. Hearing Children of Deaf Parents

1. As mentioned earlier, being Deaf usually means the person has a hearing loss. But there are hearing children of Deaf parents who have grown up with their parents’ culture and feel a strong personal affiliation with other Deaf people. They are like other Deaf people in that they actively participate in various cultural affairs and consider themselves a part of the cultural group. Hearing children of Deaf parents are referred to as CODAs (Children of Deaf Adults).
2. They may find themselves cast in the demanding role of being “links” between their families and the majority culture. At a very young age, they may learn to interpret for their families and make contact with other hearing people on behalf of the family.
3. Hearing children of Deaf parents are usually given greater access to the culture of Deaf people than other hearing children who do not have Deaf parents. . . . Since they often have been brought up to share the cherished values of Deaf people, Deaf people perceive them as less likely to threaten or try to change the structure of the cultural group, and thus, will allow them to interact more fully with Deaf people. An equally important factor in their being able to become members of the cultural group is their knowledge of the group’s language. Hearing children of Deaf parents may acquire native competence in ASL to the point where Deaf people will say, “he signs like Deaf people.”

E. Understanding the Deaf community

1. Deaf people can understand each other 100 percent of the time, whereas outside of the Deaf community they get fragmentary information or one-way communication. . . . One-way communication can mean an interpreter who can express form voice to sign, but can’t interpret from sign to voice.
2. Deaf people share a common language—American Sign Language (ASL). ASL is the primary communication mode used among Deaf individuals. Everything else—English in different forms—is the secondary communication mode for some Deaf people. There are several variations of communications styles in the Deaf Community.
3. Within the Deaf Community, deaf people have a complex system of evaluating who should be in the core or on the fringe of the Deaf Community. It is important to mention here that the degree of hearing loss is not the most important requirement for being in the core of the Deaf community. Deaf people just identify themselves as Deaf, no matter what their degree of loss is.
4. “Communication is the process of sharing what things mean to us with ourselves and with other people.” Deaf people share what things mean to each other; i.e., the word “Deaf” means different things to Deaf and to hearing people. Also, the word “hearing” has a different meaning for Deaf people. Deaf people communicate those meanings through ASL. Such meanings extend to the following:

a. The bond of communication and strong relationship. Deaf people experience a strong bond of communication because they have common topics to share, which are based on common experiences, family experiences, sports, movies, stories, and jokes. They develop strong relations based on these common experiences with other deaf people.

b. Cultural beliefs and values. These beliefs and values are also related to the complex system of evaluating who should be on the fringe. If a Deaf person behaves like a hearing person, other Deaf people will sign “hearing” on the forehead to show “they thinks like a hearing person – an insult.” Thus, they are on the fringe of the Deaf community, depending on his /her attitudes. If a hearing person wants to meet a Deaf person, the rules of the Deaf community dictate that he/she must be introduced as a “hearing” person in the Deaf community. Then, the Deaf person being introduced will ask questions such as “you from Gallaudet?” or “from Deaf family?’ or “have deaf children?” If the hearing person has something to do with working with Deaf people, or comes from a Deaf family, a Deaf person would be satisfied, since this would meet his/her expectations of a hearing person. But, if the hearing person is just interested in learning ASL as a foreign language and has nothing to do with deafness, Deaf people will become suspicious and on guard.

c. Feeling equal. The bond of communication and strong relationships, and similar cultural beliefs and values are equated with feelings of equality among Deaf people. Within the Deaf community is the only place that Deaf people experience equality with others. Usually, Deaf people do not feel equal with hearing people outside the Deaf community due to the biases and preconceived notions.  However, the knowledge of ASL alone seems not to be enough to qualify a person to be in the core of the Deaf community. Everything else shared, which are attached to ASL, also seem to be important requirements for admittance to the core of the Deaf community. A Deaf person who is in the core of the Deaf community is considered to be “culturally deaf.”

Locating Deaf People

A. Deaf people are the best source of finding other Deaf people.

B. Census data can be helpful in determining the general deaf population. (Contact Gallaudet University the following website can provide the formula used to determine the hard-of- hearing, deaf, and the prevocationally deaf population http://gri.gallaudet.edu/)

C. Schools for the Deaf are a good source of information.

1. State residential schools for the Deaf
2. Regional schools for the Deaf
3. Public school programs; i.e., Mainstreaming/Inclusion classes for Deaf students
4. Vocational schools
5. Technical schools
6. Two year colleges (Especially those that offer interpreter training programs)

D. Organizations that serve the Deaf

1. Vocational rehabilitation
2. Audiological agencies
3. Deaf clubs and fraternal organizations
4. Social service agencies
5. Businesses that provide interpreters for the deaf

E. Government Agencies

1. Utility companies
2. Police departments
3. Fire departments.
4. Schools systems offices – Ask for the Deaf Education or Special Education Services
5. Social Services organizations
6. State Deaf Resource Centers

F. Business/workplace

1. Newspapers and printing companies
2. Shipping companies
3. Computer repair/manufacturing companies
4. Electronic repair companies
5. Post Office
6. Accounting firms
7. Architect or drafting firms
8. TTY networks
9. Internet computer chat rooms for the Deaf
10. National Association of the Deaf and state chapters
11. Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf and state chapters.

G. Religious Organizations

1. Other churches
2. Denominational agencies
3. Religious social service organizations

How to Start, Organize, and Structure a Deaf Ministry

A. Determine the need for a Deaf ministry.

1. How many Deaf are in the community?
2. When and where do you start the ministry?
a. Bring the need to the church staff and/or the attention of the appropriate decision-making person or coordinating group.
b. Begin sign language classes for those who want to work in the Deaf ministry as interpreters or be friends of the Deaf.
c. Discover the Deaf leaders in the community and get their support.
d. Begin training Deaf people who are Christians how to teach the Bible.
e. If there are no Deaf teachers, then find a hearing person who is willing to teach and mentor a new Deaf Christian in teaching a Bible study group.
f. Set the target date for beginning the new Deaf work.
g. Involve the Deaf community in promoting the new ministry.
h. Start the ministry.
3. Determine if there are other churches ministering to the Deaf in the community.
4. Decide if your church can reach those who are not attending other churches and provide a ministry that no one else is providing.
5. Get the church family to support the ministry from the beginning.

B. Interpret worship services for the deaf.

1. Begin a sign language class.
2. Simultaneously locate Deaf people to help with the class.
3. Begin training Deaf people to teach a Bible study class/fellowship.
4. Establish a Deaf ministry team to coordinate the ministry.
5. Work with the assigned staff person, Deaf Ministry Coordinating team, Deaf leadership, and hearing workers to develop vision statements, core values, mission statements, evangelism strategies, and assimilation strategies for new believers. Also, plan to provide different types of leadership training, how to teach the Bible, how to form a new small group, and how to reproduce new small groups and Deaf ministries and congregations.

C. Begin a Bible study or Sunday School class.

1. The goal is to have Deaf people teaching from the beginning the Bible study of Sunday School class.
2. Simultaneously locate Deaf people to help with the class.
3. Begin training Deaf people to teach a Bible study class/fellowship.
4. Establish a Deaf ministry team to coordinate the ministry.

D. Deaf Ministry

1. Multiple classes.
2. Interpreted Ministry (signed interpreted, voice interpreted).
3. Develop Deaf leaders.
4. Discover, equip and train new and existing interpreters.

E. A church within a church

1. This may be a Deaf church inside another church.
2. This may be a Deaf ministry in a hearing church.

F. A Deaf Church

1. A church made up of Deaf persons, with a Deaf pastor.
2. Deaf persons would run the church and be the active members of the church.

How to Reach Deaf People

A. Learn the language level of the Deaf person.

1. American Sign Language level
2. English language level

B. Do not assume biblical knowledge until you know they have some biblical knowledge and background.

C. Witness with concrete pictures of faith.

1. Use concrete explanation.
2. Use picture language.
3. Tell stories in sequence.

D. Use tracts that are written at a 4th grade level (Good News for the Deaf from the NAMB Evangelism Group).

Teaching the Deaf

A. The role of the Deaf person’s eyes in the teaching process. All communication must occur in the front of them, not behind.

B. The correct way to set up a classroom. Semi-circles are most common.

C. Teaching styles.

D. How to find teachers for Deaf classes:

1. Deaf teachers
2. Hearing teachers

E. Qualifications for a teacher of the Deaf:

1. The potential teacher has a growing contagious faith in Christ.
2. The potential teacher loves people.
3. The potential teacher is willing to learn and teach others.
4. The potential teacher has been a Christian for a reasonable time.
5. The potential teacher has cross-cultural understanding and/or is willing to learn.
6. Teacher shares their faith with other people.
7. The potential teacher will commit to attending teacher meetings and training.
8. The potential teacher agrees to seek other potential teachers and mentor them for future teaching roles.
9. The potential teacher supports the church with prayer, time, and finances.

Available Resources

A. A Southern Baptist Association
B. A Southern Baptist State Convention
C. Deaf Southern Baptist Ministries
D. Deaf Southern Baptist Congregations
E. Deaf Southern Baptist State Fellowship
F. National Southern Baptist Conference of the Deaf
G. North American Mission Board
H. Materials:

1. A Manual For Working With The Deaf order from North American Mission Board; 4200 North Point Parkway, Alpharetta, GA 30022
2. Bible Lessons For The Deaf; can order from Lifeway 127 Ninth Avenue, Nashville, TN 37234-0113
3. Daily Devotions for the Deaf; can be ordered from Deaf Missions, 21199 Greenview Road, Council Bluffs, IA 52 503-4190
4. Deaf Videos, for Bible Study; order from Howard Baldwin at Media Evangelism, +1 (804) 276-9083; HBal595802@cs.com; http://www.MultiMediaEvangelism.org

For additional information and assistance with strategy development contact:

North American Mission Board
Church Planting Group
Implementation Team
4200 North Point Parkway
Alpharetta, GA 30022
Telephone: (770) 410-6000
peoplegroups@namb.net