Pastors wanted – in spite of adverse conditions!
How do you see persecution? According to Open Doors, 1 in 8 Christians worldwide experiences persecution for their faith. That’s 1 in 8 of us whose faith can come at great cost — in some cases, even at the cost of life itself. This month, in response to this painful statistic, we will be sharing stories in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who so often live out their faith in the shadows. We pray this would shine a light in the otherwise-darkened corners of our world and connect us all to these hidden members of the body of Christ.
China – Life has always been hard for Christians in China. Believers suffered severe persecution for decades, especially from the 1950s to the '70s. For a while, things seemed to be getting better. Churches were established, and Bibles were even printed on the mainland.
China – Life has always been hard for Christians in China. Believers suffered severe persecution for decades, especially from the 1950s to the '70s. For a while, things seemed to be getting better. Churches were established, and Bibles were even printed on the mainland.
But now, Bibles cannot be purchased online. And while enforcement varies by area, we have learned of churches being demolished, missionaries being forced to leave, religious books being removed from stores and online platforms. In some places, religious images have been replaced with images of the Chinese president.
In spite of this persecution, the church in China continues to grow. There were only 1 million believers in China in 1949. Today, according to official estimates, there are about 38 million Protestants in China. The real number is believed to be between 70 million and 116 million.
These believers need sound teaching to grow in their faith, and without it they can quickly fall into doctrinal error. Uncensored, unfiltered biblical teaching is getting harder to find in China. People may come to Christ but search in vain for spiritual nourishment. And what they may find might not be the whole truth.
There is a great need for biblically sound, well-educated pastors and church leaders. However, house-church leaders almost never have the chance to receive any formal, systematic Bible training. Many have a limited educational background, and most are busy with church ministry.
The SOTA program of TWR seeks to meet this need by providing a quality theological education for promising students who seek to reach out to their own people. SOTA stands for Seminary on the Air and allows these students to learn at a time and pace more suited to their busy schedules.
Originally broadcast over shortwave from the Pacific island of Guam, this essential initiative shifted to an online platform in 2012. Various forms of media such CDs, USB drives, MP3 players and digital tablets are also used.
Since 2012, over 1000 students have graduated from SOTA. There are presently close to 2000 active students.
Due to COVID-19 response measures, churches are currently unable to resume physical gatherings. Most churches have had to break into smaller groups, and as a result the workload of the church leaders has grown tremendously. This lack of physical gatherings also makes it more difficult for SOTA to minister to students.
SOTA has adapted to these conditions, using other means to reach out to the students and continuing to provide the training that they need. Various online ministry groups have been formed, focusing on topics such as preaching, Bible study, and missions. We also provide resources such as 137 lessons of the Discipleship Essentials curriculum and over 200 Bible stories from Bible Stories Alive for the small groups.
Looking back at the previous century, the situation for Christians in China was grim. But this was also the time when God raised up leaders such as Wang Ming-Dao, Nee Duo-Sheng (Watchman Nee) and Yang Shao-Tang (David Yang), who helped guide the Chinese church through many perilous years.
TWR prays that God will use SOTA in developing similar integral Christian leaders who will not flinch in the face of increasing adversity but serve their people with confidence, compassion and courage.
In spite of this persecution, the church in China continues to grow. There were only 1 million believers in China in 1949. Today, according to official estimates, there are about 38 million Protestants in China. The real number is believed to be between 70 million and 116 million.
These believers need sound teaching to grow in their faith, and without it they can quickly fall into doctrinal error. Uncensored, unfiltered biblical teaching is getting harder to find in China. People may come to Christ but search in vain for spiritual nourishment. And what they may find might not be the whole truth.
There is a great need for biblically sound, well-educated pastors and church leaders. However, house-church leaders almost never have the chance to receive any formal, systematic Bible training. Many have a limited educational background, and most are busy with church ministry.
The SOTA program of TWR seeks to meet this need by providing a quality theological education for promising students who seek to reach out to their own people. SOTA stands for Seminary on the Air and allows these students to learn at a time and pace more suited to their busy schedules.
Originally broadcast over shortwave from the Pacific island of Guam, this essential initiative shifted to an online platform in 2012. Various forms of media such CDs, USB drives, MP3 players and digital tablets are also used.
Since 2012, over 1000 students have graduated from SOTA. There are presently close to 2000 active students.
Due to COVID-19 response measures, churches are currently unable to resume physical gatherings. Most churches have had to break into smaller groups, and as a result the workload of the church leaders has grown tremendously. This lack of physical gatherings also makes it more difficult for SOTA to minister to students.
SOTA has adapted to these conditions, using other means to reach out to the students and continuing to provide the training that they need. Various online ministry groups have been formed, focusing on topics such as preaching, Bible study, and missions. We also provide resources such as 137 lessons of the Discipleship Essentials curriculum and over 200 Bible stories from Bible Stories Alive for the small groups.
Looking back at the previous century, the situation for Christians in China was grim. But this was also the time when God raised up leaders such as Wang Ming-Dao, Nee Duo-Sheng (Watchman Nee) and Yang Shao-Tang (David Yang), who helped guide the Chinese church through many perilous years.
TWR prays that God will use SOTA in developing similar integral Christian leaders who will not flinch in the face of increasing adversity but serve their people with confidence, compassion and courage.
Because of the war in Ukraine, TWR needs to make changes to our broadcast infrastructure and program scheduling in Eastern...
Many people in Ukraine and Belarus still live far away from any church or fellowship. They desire encouragement and friendship....
The small republics of southern Russia are very distinct in their cultural identities. In one republic alone, about the size of...
Most unreached peoples of Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa (CAMENA) live in countries or communities where...
The Japanese have been called the second-largest unreached people group in the world.
The Japanese people are intellectual thinkers. Uncertainty about the future is leading some of them to seek questions about the...
"My life is lost in the dark. I thought nobody was interested in listening to my struggles and was afraid to share about them...
Women in India face a disheartening struggle from the moment they are born. Many are aborted or abandoned as infants, so much...
Raniag ti Namnama is the Ilocano-language counterpart of Women of Hope, TWR's successful radio program designed specifically...
The Pol Pot regime and Khmer Rouge have left Cambodia's people shattered. In some villages, so many husbands were murdered that...
Women in China face great challenges, many of which are brought about by the traditional view that women are less valuable than...
TWR MOTION creates videos that connect people with Jesus. It's all part of a bigger strategy to make disciples. Church planters...
In early 2022, The Way of Righteousness went on the air in Rwanda, and 400 people responded to the program within two months....
During the global pandemic, our listeners appreciated having access to God’s Word while they were isolated. For some, TWR...
TWR Women of Hope brings hope in Jesus to women around the world and across generations. We seek to educate, encourage, and...
A trafficked or sexually exploited woman is often hidden in plain sight. A different story can become her reality, but who will...
All around the world, women in countless countries are suffering in ways that create unique hardships for them.
Dr. Luke is an evangelistic health and hygiene program written by a longtime missionary doctor who loves to bring a biblical...
“God is acting, and my life is being transformed, and he will transform my marriage as well," said a man in Latin America as he...
TWR360.org is our flagship online source for accessing biblical content in 100-plus languages. Over a half-million times each...
Do you have a passion for reaching the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ? Do you desire to see every tribe, tongue, and...
Be a part of what God's doing around the world while using your God-given accounting and finance gifts!
Assist our teams team in the day-to-day operation of various program-related distribution networks!
Come and tell the story of TWR's part in God's global redemptive work!
Develop, negotiate and maintain purchasing contracts for products and services, preparing final contract information.
Assist the project manager to ensure the efficiency of LinguaDMS, our in-house database management system.
Develop and maintain TWR Japan’s corporate and ministry website(s); develop online ministry platforms.
Serve under the guidance of engineering staff and assist in maintaining, troubleshooting and repairing electronic and...
Come work at one of our transmitter sites, helping keep equipment and transmission-related software in good shape!
Do you have a passion for reaching the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ? Do you desire to see every tribe, tongue, and...
Be a part of the global mission field while using your gifts in accounting and finance!
Aid our IT department with administrative tasks!
Use your knowledge about the people of Afghanistan to bring the good news to this hard-pressed people group!
Record, edit and produce dramas and live productions for global distribution!
Analyze audience responses to help improve our ministry to the unreached!
Offer your experience in operational management to improving our global operation processes!
Connect churches’ global outreach calling to TWR’s international media ministry!
Invest your data management and reporting talents in missions to help reach the world for Christ!
Darin and Linda will be serving on Guam to ensure that our broadcasts to believers and unreached peoples throughout Asia and...
The Brunsons are appointees to TWR’s station on the Pacific island of Guam. Steve will serve as a Transmitter Engineer, working...
I felt God’s call into missions in 2005 when I joined Korean Christian Church in Japan as pastor with one of its churches in...
Cody and his wife, Chelesse, along with their four daughters – Cecilya, Chamberlyn, Cora, and Camrie – were appointed by TWR in...
Grant, Jenna, Rachel, and Matthew serve with TWR on the island of Guam in the western Pacific. Grant is the...
The Lamberts are missionaries to the TWR station on Guam. Mike is currently serving at KTWR as an Engineer, where he helps to...
Do you remember what happened to you on 2 May 2002? Eddie does, because it was the day he joined TWR. Starting out...
Mike and Janelle will be volunteering on Guam to help with a variety of engineering projects.
For many years, Peggy has served in Women’s Ministry, Executive Leadership Development, Anti-trafficking and Women’s Studies...
Joe Barker was born in Canada and grew up as a pastor’s son in Canada, the U.S. and the Bahamas before studying communications...
Lonnie joined TWR in September 2017. He is the author of Every Man A Warrior, a men’s ministry discipleship curriculum that has...
Harry has been with TWR since 1981 and spent his first 14 years on Guam, followed by 23.5 years in the Netherlands. He and his...
After serving in Austria and Cyprus, Shawn now serves as the Director of Global Marketing Operations in North Carolina. Laura...
Tyler and Jennifer were married in 2015 and spent their first couple years of marriage in Oregon before they relocated to North...
The Detwilers have been with TWR since October 1982, serving in Swaziland, Monaco, the Netherlands and the U.S. Curt has served...
For the past four decades, God has taken us on a journey serving in Christian radio. Our heart is to see every person on earth...
