Last week, our friends at Mission Network News highlighted DOOR International’s role at the Finishing the Task (FTT) conference. Today, we’ll take a closer look at how hearing people can be involved in Deaf ministry.

There are 70 million Deaf people worldwide, and less than 2% of them have ever been exposed to the Gospel message. Furthermore, there’s little-to-no Bible translation work underway in the world’s 400 sign languages.

These realities qualify the Deaf as one of the world’s largest unreached and unengaged people groups.

“These are groups where there are no workers; nothing is going on among these groups,” Myers explains.

“The focus of FTT is to bring [together] ministry groups like DOOR International, marketplace individuals who are interested in funding [work among] unreached people groups, and local churches who would love to see some of their work happen not just on a local level, but on an international level.”

On their website, Finishing the Task maintains a list of the world’s unreached and unengaged people groups. The Deaf of Nepal are on that list, says Myers, and constitute about 280,000 people. DOOR staff recently traveled there to do a needs assessment.

“Out of all the contacts that they made with local churches, with the Bible Society, with others…there was almost no work being done (among the unreached),” Myers shares.

“We began to meet with Deaf leaders and help form a strategy for how initial engagement could happen there, and we’re partnering with the Issachar Initiative and with several other ministries to see that people group begin to be reached.”

We believe Deaf Christians are best-suited to bring the Gospel to unreached Deaf people. That’s why, as a Deaf-led ministry, we focus on sign language Bible translation and Deaf church planting. DOOR employs over 200 Deaf staff in full-time ministry.

But, you don’t have to be Deaf to get involved, Myers explains.

“God uses us (hearing people) as advocates for the Deaf community.”

Fulfilling the Great Commission cannot be done alone. That’s why the Body of Christ needs to work together, carrying the Gospel to both hearing and Deaf unreached communities, until the whole world knows His name.

There are many ways you can help equip and empower the Deaf to “finish the task” of the Great Commission. We’ve listed a few of them here.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Pray that God will raise up Deaf and hearing Christians to help reach the Deaf world.
• Pray for the funding needed to translate God’s Word into sign language and plant Deaf churches.
• Pray for the provision of resources needed to equip and empower Deaf believers to reach their own people for Christ.