Deaf Church Plants 100 New Deaf Churches

Almost one in five people have hearing loss. But many churches don’t effectively minister to Deaf and Hard of Hearing. That’s because they use tools that work for a hearing audience. The music, preaching and even the fellowship is designed for hearers—which makes it difficult for Deaf people to participate.

Deaf people live in an oral world, which means they think best in stories rather than concepts. So, Bible stories are the best way to present God’s Word to them. Instead of verse-by-verse or chapter-by-chapter translations, IMB missionaries translate biblical stories into heart sign languages. They then share the stories with their Deaf Southeast Asian communities to test for naturalness. The results have been phenomenal: Thousands of Deaf have professed Christ, and more than 100 new Deaf churches have been planted.

IMB workers Victor and Madeline Hawthorne* invited Sombat and Alisara to a new church for the Deaf called Story One. They taught Bible stories in their hearts sign language, and they helped Sombat and Alisara understand the Scriptures in a new way. The church meets on Saturday nights, when members eat dinner and fellowship together before the service begins. One member signs the story, and another narrates the dialogue.

As a child, Sarah* was forced to read lips in church and other social gatherings, but she felt like she was intruding on conversations and wanted to stay quiet. But IMB worker Naya Wilder* invited her to a Bible storying camp and Sarah realized Jesus knows her language—Sign Language. That understanding changed her life. Now she’s a bold evangelist among the Deaf and the hearing, proclaiming that Jesus created all languages—and He knows every one of them.