ARNOLD, Mo. – First Baptist Church of Arnold hosted the Southern Baptist Conference of the Deaf (SBCD) to bring the gospel to more of the deaf community. “The Deaf are one of the least reached people groups in the world,” Kenny Qualls, senior pastor, said. “It is heartbreaking that of the 11.5 million deaf in the United States, only 4% claim personal faith in Jesus.”
Brance Long, president of the SBCD and bi-vocational pastor of Charlotte First Deaf Church in Charlotte, NC, agreed with Qualls. “My wife and I were sitting at the Southern Baptist Convention in Orlando and we noticed only three or four other deaf in the huge auditorium,” Long said.
Long made a motion to encourage churches to address the need to reach the Deaf, “the largest unreached people group, and to expand discipleship efforts and resources.”
A major goal of the Conference at FBC Arnold was discipleship. “We wanted to live out 2 Timothy 2:2,” Long said. “We want to share with the younger generation, so that they can use what they learn to reach others.”
“We had three tracks during the conference,” Long continued. “We wanted information for the deaf as well as classes for interpreters. We wanted to encourage continued training because the need is there. Interpreters provide access to life for the deaf. Good communication is vital.”
“We are into translating the Scripture and the Baptist Faith and Message,” Long explained. “We are a culture and not a disability. We want to minister and to be an asset, not a burden or liability. That’s why resources from the Conference are important.”
The International Mission Board (IMB) also participated in the Conference. “We are grateful at First Arnold that we not only have a deaf ministry in our church, but we also have a strategic global partnership with the IMB and the Deaf in Southeast Asia,” Qualls added.
Doyle Snead, member of FBC Arnold and coordinator for the interpreters, participated in a mission trip to Southeast Asia with the Deaf. “American Sign Language is not universal, each country has its own deaf language,” he said. “We wanted to spark more people to become church interpreters during the conference. We also offered credit for interpreters earning certification.”
Snead also stressed the need for believers to be interpreters in church. “It is difficult to get the meaning of Scripture,” he said. “They may be signing correctly, but they must understand the meaning of the Scripture.”
Snead also reported that workshops were held for the Association of Southern Baptist Interpreters of the Deaf (ASBID). “Workshops were open to all, and interpreters provided if needed,” he said.
“I can tell the Arnold members were excited,” Snead continued. “Several volunteered during the week to do whatever was needed.”
Pastor Qualls expressed the motive of FBC Arnold. “By hosting the national Southern Baptist Conference for the Deaf, we hoped to play a role in advancing the gospel to the Deaf and their families in our nation and to the world.”
