What is Deaf
Pah?
Deaf Pah is a program of study for Deaf church servant-leaders.
The goal of Deaf Pah is to help students
• grow in their
knowledge of God's Word, the Bible,
• understand Christian doctrine, and
• become effective Bible teachers, church officers, and caring
Christian friends.
All Deaf Pah courses use online videos and study guides. Some
courses also use a book which you should buy.
We designed Deaf Pah for church members and their pastors to work
together, as pastors mentor their students with their own
insight and experience, and give students opportunities to apply what
they learn in their church's ministries. While it is
possible to study some of the Deaf Pah courses on your own, we strongly
encourage you to ask your pastor to mentor you in your Deaf Pah studies.
What does the word
"Pah" mean?"Pah!"
is an ASL expression that means "Success!" The phrase "Deaf
Pah!" affirms that Deaf Christians are able to take the role of
servant-leaders in their churches.
How much
does this program cost?
We offer Deaf Pah lessons for free. There is a cost
to purchase books for some of the classes. Your main expenses are
your
time and commitment. However, the seminary level program is
not free.
In what order should I
take Deaf Pah classes? What class should I study first?
Discuss this question with your pastor-mentor.
Click here for our recommended class
schedule.
Some of the videos
have "DIT" in their titles. What does DIT mean?
DIT stands for Deaf Institute of Theology. This was the original
name for the Deaf Pah program. When Concordia Seminary
developed the second phase of this program -- training Deaf people for
professional ministry as pastors or deaconesses -- they chose to apply
the DIT name to the seminary level only. So we have changed the
name for the lay leadership training program it
"Deaf Pah!"
What is the connection
between Deaf Pah and the Lutheran Church?
The Deaf Mission staff of the Lutheran Church -- Missouri Synod (LCMS)
originally created Deaf Pah and DIT specifically for LCMS Deaf
congregations. You can see this connection most clearly in the theology and doctrine classes.
We have opened access to Deaf Pah course materials to people of all
faiths. However, enrollment in the seminary level Deaf Institute
of
Theology is limited only to Deaf Christians who are active members of
an LCMS congregation.
Is everything I need
to learn in the video? Do I really need to buy the book?
That depends on how much benefit you want to receive from the
course. You can get the main points of the book by only watching
the video. However, when we refer to specific pages in the
book, we expect you to read them to get more information than we are
able to discuss in the videos.
If you provide the
answer keys, why do I need to answer the study guide questions?
And why do I need a mentor?
Your goal for studying any Deaf Pah course is to learn. We trust
you to use the worksheets to test yourself to see what you have
learned, and then can check your answers. Your mentor can offer
you further insights, specific feedback, and answers to questions you
may have about any of your lessons.
The city where I live
has no Deaf church. Can one of your Deaf pastors be my mentor
through email and Video Phone?
Yes, we can offer that service for some of the classes. Contact our
Deaf Pah Director and he will refer to
someone who can serve as your mentor.
When I finish a class,
will I receive a certificate?
If you want a certificate of completion for any of the Deaf Pah
courses, your pastor-mentor needs to send your information to the Deaf Pah
Director.