HCJB Utilizes Latest Technology for 'Radio Planting' Ministry

The world’s oldest missionary broadcast organization is keeping up with the latest technology to spread the Gospel to as many people as possible.

By Jennifer Riley, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, January 12, 2006

The world’s oldest missionary broadcast organization is keeping up with the latest technology to spread the Gospel to as many people as possible.

HCJB World Radio is helping local ministries worldwide reach listeners by using innovative technology and adapting to the needs of the community, the organization announced Tuesday. Podcasting (audio programming distributed via the Web), satellite radio, digital local radio, and livestreaming are some of the latest broadcasting technology used by the organization for “radio planting.”

The term “radio planting” was coined by Ron Cline in the early 1990s when he served as president of HCJB World Radio. The term refers to the use of local radio ministries in native languages as an outreach to local communities around the world.

According to Curt Cole, vice president of international ministries, digital local radio is doing well in Europe and livestreaming is reaching a new audience. For example, streaming Spanish and Arabic programming 24 hours a day allows the ministry to reach a newer, younger audience that in some cases are in limited-access countries.

“Shortwave will continue to be the only way to reach some limited-access countries,” Cole said. “The bottom line is that we will continue to seek the best ways to reach people with quality Christian content, regardless of the medium, and we will do that more and more through our network of partners. We believe that radio still reaches people where they live, but the message is most important. It’s critical that we are constantly evaluating ministry in light of the intended audience.”

HCJB radio planting has its roots in Bukavu, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) in 1992, and has since developed into one of HCJB World Radio’s major outreaches with more than 300 outlets in more than 100 countries and broadcasting in some 100 languages. Radio plants are on the air in all five of HCJB World Radio’s regions: Latin America, Euro-Asia, North Africa/Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia Pacific.

“Radio planting has matured into what we now call radio planting and development,” Cole said in a news release. “We see this ministry as much more than just helping with an antenna. In reality, we want to see long-term relationships develop where we partner with local groups around the world to make local radio available in an appropriate context. It’s strategic that we take full advantage of the opportunities which are before us.”

“We’re sharing our passion to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ to all nations so that people are transformed and become an active, vital part of the body of Christ,” said Cline, the current chairman of the board. “Our partners around the world are catching the vision to use the radio to share Jesus Christ. Many churches are growing because of these new radio ministries. In other cases, churches are being planted as a direct result of the broadcasts.”

Moreover, HCJB noted that local radio ministries are starting in some of the world’s most unlikely locations. Auschwitz – once infamous for its Nazi concentration camps where an estimated 2.5 million people were sent to their deaths – and Ustron now reportedly reaching thousands of listeners in southern Poland.

“The city of death has become a beacon of light in Poland,” said Cline. “This is a very strategic station for this day and time in Poland.”

As HCJB World Radio President David Johnson noted, “radio is an effective means of spreading the gospel, discipleship and training.”

“As we have become increasingly international in our radio planting, we realize that radio is also an effective tool of communication that is available to the local church. We have opportunities coming at us from every direction. All around the world people are asking for help to start local Christian radio. And most of these believers live in countries that never would have allowed Christian broadcasts even a few years ago,” he said.

In recent months, HCJB helped plant the first 24-hour-a-day Christian radio station in Kiev, Ukraine.

HCJB World Radio was the world’s first missionary broadcast organization and for the past 75 years it has broadcasted the Gospel around the world. HCJB World Radio has ministries in more than 100 countries and broadcasts the Gospel in more than 120 languages and dialects.