Deafchurch 21

Deaf churches and ministries today face a crisis in reaching Deaf and hard of hearing young people. As the end of the twentieth century approached, we stood at the brink of a dispersed and completely secularized Deaf culture. The influence and impact of the Christian faith—any religious belief system for that matter—had been greatly diminished. Fortunately, this is not the end of the story. With the advent of the twenty-first century, a renewed, growing spirit of spirituality and unity spread across the Deaf community, particularly among youth and young adults, that resulted in what could be described as a revival like one not seen in decades. The question in this book is presented and addressed: what are the essential principles for ministry with and to this next generation?

DEAFCHURCH 21: Vision for a New Generation is designed to create space for the Holy Spirit to work in your heart and ministry by asking the hard questions and encouraging you to act upon the answers you discern. This book is designed to be read as an individual, studied in a classroom or small group, or used by church or ministry leadership for strategic planning. Whether you are reading this as an individual seeking ideas for establishing a faith community, a Pastor or church leader in search of a meaningful model for church, a study group thinking strategically, or a student using this as a textbook, our hope is to broaden the possibilities for the emergence—by the power of the Holy Spirit—of a vibrant faith community that offers wholeness and purpose for those in the Deaf Community. Our prayer is DEAFCHURCH 21 will provide a legitimate framework in creating vision for reaching future generations in your ministry context. • Section one contains excerpts of comments from a two-year discussion board on Facebook on the topic of 21st Century Deaf Church. • Section two offers the theological underpinning for effective ministry in the highly secularized context of the twenty-first century. • Section three presents the conclusions of the think-tank and interpretations of this research by the authors. • Section four presents the "Declaration to the Deaf Church" with insights and explanation provided by the authors. • Section five provides biblical foundations for the calling and responsibilities of the Deaf Church as part of the historic Christian faith.