Instruction
Serving as Teachers
Radio is a marvellous medium for instructing, or providing advice where needed, especially when listeners are spread over a large area. Radio has been used to teach listeners about agriculture and health, and to gain skills in science, maths, learning a language and a wide range of other subjects. In one case, radio was even used to teach students how to draw, and it was found to be more effective than a television program on the topic!
In the Christian radio context, instruction programs fall into two broad categories: community development and Christian education.
Community Development
Community development is the process of enabling communities to identify, plan, and implement action to change and improve their living and environment.
Why should the Christian broadcaster involve himself in community development programs when his main interest lies in spreading the Gospel?
There are many ways we could answer this. We could look at our definition of the Gospel or our understanding of the Kingdom of God. We could look at the Scripture records of how God and Jesus concerned themselves with the well-being of people. We could take the view that as we have freely received so we should freely pass on to others who are less privileged. We could justify it on the basis of our responsibility to the community and meeting the felt needs of those around us. It is a good way of saying we care and serve our listeners. Or we could say that it is simply a good way of attracting listeners.
The point is that Christian radio has a role here. This type of programming demonstrates our concern for the well-being of our listeners as well as reflecting a Christian worldview. By doing so we earn the right to be heard in matters of more direct Christian significance. Community development programming can have a direct relationship to church growth, as shown in Feba's experience in Mozambique and elsewhere. In one Asian country, several churches were planted due to an agricultural program which contained no religious content or reference to Christianity. Farmers began listening to Christian programs before and after the agriculture program. A local pastor reported that he was now welcome in the farmers' community because he was known as the friend of the program producer. As part of a co-ordinated, balanced, program schedule community development programs can have a significant impact.
The aims of community development are to involve, motivate and instruct the community to take part in their social, economic, physical, and spiritual development. Participatory programs in which listeners contribute to the purpose, design, and content of programs, help link listeners to community leaders and others who can provide functional information. It also gives communities a "voice" to express their views and desire for change. Programs can educate people who cannot afford the education or training they need, where they have neither the time nor opportunity to attend classes, or where there is a lack of teachers or other resources. Programs can supplement or complement what is already being taught in classes. Radio is widely used for educational programs for schools and universities.
Functional information helps listeners in their work, life and family. We can cover important issues relating to human rights, conflict resolution, tolerance, understanding, citizenship and cultural values. Health and agriculture programs are obvious topics for us in many of our broadcast fields. Radio is especially useful in times of national emergencies such as disasters where rapid and specific information is needed. Other types of instruction might include topics such as computing.
Study programs that teach the English language are popular. Teaching of English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) by Christian broadcasters remains a field of largely untapped potential. With newly emerging economies (such as Vietnam) rapidly trying to catch up with the rest of the world we find a great hunger for learning English.
We may even find opportunities to work alongside government projects or as part of a government campaign. In some countries which are closed to the Gospel, supplying educational programs or training to produce them, may be ways of building and establishing credibility.
The use of radio for community development is a specialised area and a training module has been developed to help FEBC do this well.
Christian Education
Christian radio programs provide practical teaching at relatively low cost - especially because believers are motivated to listen. This is true of believers in closed countries. But even in open country situations, such as the Philippines, radio is a valuable tool for bringing low-cost Christian education to those who cannot afford to leave home to attend a Bible School.
The classic example of this in FEBC has been the long-standing Bible School curriculum that has been taught to Christians in China since 1980. After careful research and planning the 3-year Village Bible School (VBS) was put on-air on both medium- and short-wave for two hours each night. Four courses were taught at the rate of three lessons per week and repeated the following evening. Literature and cassette materials used to maximise the teaching were distributed inside China to those who enrolled. After two cycles VBS was upgraded to a 4-year course under the name of Voice of Friendship Seminary. The project has been a co-operative one from the start as FEBC has worked with other Christian organisations (which also provided program materials).
a. For unbelievers
While we should not assume that there are large numbers of unbelievers interested in studying the Bible we may be surprised to discover that there may be significant numbers who are curious to find out more about Christian belief. We'll look at this a little more in the role of Apologetics below.
Perhaps the issue in this section is more related to how we do it. What creative ways can be developed to interest the listener enough to make them want to come back for more? It may be better strategy to use the radio program as a means of whetting their appetite. For example, use the program to promote a Bible correspondence course so that the listener can be put on the road of studying and discovering the Bible for himself.
b. For believers
Instruction for believers is easy for Christian producers to produce because we're in familiar territory and we have a ready audience. The common mistake, however, is that we overlook the creative side. The time of broadcast, the style as well as the content, sometimes suggest that we expect listeners to be doing serious Bible study while eating their breakfast!
Any teaching of Christians should be based on observed needs, depending on the circumstances. Closed country situations, such as China, have left Christians with little trained leadership, few Bibles, and wide open to heresy and cultic practices. A priority might be a solid grounding in the basics of the faith. Practical issues might also be addressed, such as running a church fellowship, pastoral counselling, learning new songs, etc.
In the refugee camps of Southeast Asia there were frequent problems among the new believers. Hmong pastors would write to FEBC asking for teaching that would address the issues -- in the knowledge that what was taught by radio had high credibility.