San Antonio's Community Bible Church Announces First Deaf Pastor on Staff
Community Bible Church in San Antonio has announced the appointment of a pastor of a deaf ministry for the first time ever. Pastor Ashton Luff, the new deaf ministry pastor, is scheduled to start in June.
“We’re thrilled to announce that Pastor Ashton Luff has been called to serve as our new Deaf Ministry Pastor at CBC! He will officially begin in June, and we are full of expectation for how God will continue to move through this powerful ministry,” the ministry announced on Instagram.
“As we celebrate our May We Honor series, this weekend we took time to honor our church and that includes the faithful leaders who helped launch and sustain our Deaf Ministry.”
He was presented on the May 4th Sunday service by lead pastor Ed Newton.
“The third most unreachable people in the world is deaf people,” Newton explained.
The pastor also pointed out that San Antonio has a deaf population of 78,000 but had lacked a dedicated deaf church. He went on to present Luff as a “full-time deaf pastor” who will be leading services for the deaf Saturday evenings beginning in June.
Despite meeting Luff “many years ago,” Newton explained how he had spent three years “begging” for him to come, but Luff would reject the offer, and gave the names of other deaf pastors.
“And I said, no, no, we want you,” Newton said in response.
He also prayed for healing for anyone in the congregation who was deaf and had been asking the Lord for healing, while Luff provided ASL interpretation.
“Jesus lives in us in our hearts here. That power is living inside of us now, and that power can heal us right now. That power can resurrect us and calls us to walk in newness.” Newton prayed
He added, “So Lord, we just need to believe that you can heal us.”
According to the church’s website, the CBC’s deaf ministry is described as “a vibrant and inclusive community where Deaf individuals of all ages can learn about Jesus and build meaningful relationships without the barriers of language or culture.”
“Our ministry is dedicated to providing a welcoming environment that embraces American Sign Language (ASL) as the primary mode of communication, ensuring that everyone can fully participate in worship, fellowship, and learning,” the church added.
“We understand that not everyone is fluent in ASL, so we offer voice interpreters to bridge the gap for those who are not familiar with sign language. Whether you are Deaf, hard of hearing, or hearing, our ministry is designed to bring people together and foster a deeper understanding and connection to the teachings of Jesus Christ.”
Photo Credit: ©Instagram/sbcsocial
Originally published May 12, 2025.
