Our Vision

“Reaching Deaf and hearing souls for Christ and nurturing them in the Word of Life, equipping them with the spiritual tools they will need as they go out and reach others.”

We serve a great God! He reigns over all, and he loves all men, not willing that any should perish. We are serving in Peru, South America, where I have been serving for most of my life, first as a missionary kid, then as an intern and now as a veteran missionary, to preach the Gospel, disciple new believers, and invest in the lives of others who will do the same.

A missionary goes not to a place, but to a people, and my particular focus is on a little-reached group of people who cannot hear the Gospel… in fact, they can’t hear anything at all. I’m called to reach and teach the Deaf.

Joseph S Kotvas

Ministry Principles and Goals

Team Missions

Throughout the book of Acts and the entire New Testament, we see the Scriptural pattern of teamwork in missions. Jesus sent out His disciples two by two; Paul traveled with other missionaries as well as a group of young preachers who learned from him and ministered alongside him.

In Peru, I work with a team of dedicated missionaries to accomplish the great commission there in our generation. The Efata Ministries team is focused on reaching all of Peru, deaf and hearing, with the Gospel of Christ.

Training Leaders

It’s not enough to win the lost; our Savior commands us to make disciples and teach them to obey his Word. As missionaries we have a responsibility to develop and identify faithful men, able to teach others, and invest in their lives so that they may continue the work.

This is a key focus of my ministry; training qualified individuals to walk in the Lord and do the work of the ministry. I teach Bible Institute and Bible College classes, but even more importantly, I take young men alongside me and do ministry with them.

Church Planting

The Lord’s church should be constantly birthing new assemblies of believers, establishing lighthouses in the darkness where men and women can learn the truth and meet the Lord. And of course, church planting requires church planters. “How shall they hear without a preacher?”

The Efata missionary and pastoral team has demonstrated a commitment to church planting around Peru, and with them I have had the opportunity in investing in several church plants. Our goal is to train men to plant Biblical churches all across Peru; churches that will reach both the Deaf and the hearing for the glory of God.

Christian Education

Children and teenagers are the most receptive to the Gospel, and they are also the most likely to surrender to the Lord and to his calling. For the Deaf, a good education means a dramatically increased ability to think critically, communicate effectively and function in a predominantly hearing world. Remember, the Christian minister must be “apt to teach.”

Because of the impact education will have on the future of our world and our ministry, I specialized in high school education. In Peru, I’ll work with veteran teachers to develop effective curriculum for the deaf and strengthen key communication skills. I’ll also recruit and train new teachers who share our burden.

Unified Churches

Deaf people have hearing family member and neighbors, and hearing people have deaf family members and neighbors. The Lord’s church should minister to everyone’s needs, and its members should learn to reach those who might not otherwise be reached.

In my experience, the strongest model of church ministry is a united body, Deaf and hearing together serving the Lord, led by a pastor who cares for all his sheep and by leaders who invest specifically in each side of the ministry in the languages that the people best understand.

In Peru, I will pursue this model, working with churches across the country to develop outreaches for the Deaf in their areas and providing training in sign language and deaf ministry.

Loving the Unloved

The Bible says that caring for orphans is a fundamental part of Christian ministry. It’s a way we show the world that the love of God is truly flowing through us. The orphaned and abandoned Deaf children of Peru need someone to love them enough to show them Jesus.

I’m proud to represent and minister in the Efata Children’s Home where we minister to abandoned, neglected and orphaned Deaf children and care for their physical needs as well as their spiritual needs. If we don’t love them, who will?