Empowering the Deaf

The Czech Republic (Czechia) is one of the most atheistic countries in the world, despite a rich Christian heritage. It’s a beautiful and diverse country in the heart of Europe, with a vibrant culture. The easiest way to describe Czechs, is as “hobbits”. They love food, beer, nature, and their privacy. There is, however, openness to foreigners and to Jesus, especially among the young people of the country. Recently, we’ve had the opportunity to begin work within a different demographic: the believing deaf of the Czech Republic.

Within this context, the Christian deaf are very missional, though often very isolated. They need training and tools to be able to reach their deaf friends and neighbors, and to be able to build communities within the small pockets of believing deaf which often exist within cities. Our goal is to be able to pour into that community, training them to use Discovery Bible Studies and the Simple Church model (since they are often in communities of 3-5 people/families). This model allows them to use sign language and simple pictures as their main communication tools, allowing them to own and distribute the message of Jesus in their own way to their own people. We want to support and equip the deaf community to become disciples of Jesus who make disciples independently. This position is open for a hearing or deaf person, however that person would need to be ready and willing to learn Czech sign language (which isn’t compatible with ASL)

An applicant for this position would primarily work between two cities, our home city (Hradec Kralove) and a city about 2.5 hours away (Valasske Mezirici). They would work with our Czech co-director (who is a sign language interpreter) and help adapt training/teaching material to meet the expressed needs of the deaf community. Teaching English in a school with youth is a possibility but not required. There are outlets here to work with youth in a school or extracurricular position, and if you’re interested in youth ministry/work it’s a plus. We’d love to be able to work with youth from two large deaf schools.

Note: We work frequently with LGBTQ+ individuals, and you will too if you’re here.