Joyce Meyer Brings 'Message of Hope' to CMT
Charismatic Christian author and speaker Joyce Meyer will have more hearts to pursue and more lives to change through the widely-popular Country Music Television channel.
Her organization, Joyce Meyer Ministries, has "enthusiastically accepted" an invitation to launch the ministry's television program, "Enjoying Everyday Life," on CMT, according to an announcement Monday.
"The invitation of Enjoying Everyday Life to air on an additional non-faith based network is an illustration that now, more than ever, many television networks are realizing the importance and value of offering programs that integrate family values and appeal to a great percentage of their viewing audience," the ministry added.
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Currently, "Enjoying Everyday Life" is available to two-thirds of the world's population — in over 30 languages worldwide and on almost 500 television and 400 radio stations nationwide. The program can be seen each day on faith-based networks including the Inspiration Network and the Trinity Broadcasting Network, as well as popular secular networks such as the Discovery Channel and ABC Family.
"Enjoying Everyday Life is uniquely relevant and connects people with practical, life-changing messages," explained Ginger Stache, Joyce Meyer Ministries' chief media officer, in the ministry's announcement.
While Meyer is a highly sought-after speaker whose best-selling books have reached millions of people in search of hope and restoration, she and her "prosperity through faith" messages have also been subject to criticism.
Most recently Meyer and five other "prosperity preachers" were the targets of a Senate investigation led by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, who has been seeking their financial records to see if they comply with IRS rules on nonprofit spending and compensation. Like the other five preachers, Meyer has been criticized by some of her peers for living an excessive lifestyle.
Meyer, in response, has told reporters that she and her ministry "teach and preach and believe biblically that God wants to bless people who serve Him."
"So there's no need for us to apologize for being blessed," Meyer, who is only one of two preachers out of the six to have fully complied with the Senate investigation, told reporters during a 2003 interview, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Despite the criticisms, Meyer and her books and program continue to push forward in their effort to reach beyond traditional Christian media.
"We are excited about this new opportunity to share these messages of hope and encouragement on CMT," Stache stated.
As part of the CMT family of programming, "Enjoying Everyday Life" now has the potential of reaching more than 87 million additional households.
Owned and operated by MTV Networks, CMT features country music videos and concerts, country lifestyle-oriented shows, and old shows and movies that prominently feature country or Southern-rock music. Much like sister channel VH-1, CMT has become a sought-after pop-culture channel in the last few years, with added emphasis on specials, countdowns, and reality programs as well as music videos.
Beginning this month, "Enjoying Everyday Life" will air daily nationwide on CMT at 5:30 a.m. Eastern and Pacific.
