Reach Beyond and Radio Partners Playing Key Role in Mongolia's Growing Christian Population

Contact: Ty Mays, 770-256-8710

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Dec. 16, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ -- When Jesus told His disciples they would be His witnesses in every part of the world — including the far-flung places — He most assuredly had Mongolia in mind. That remote country hungry for the gospel is also where Reach Beyond (www.reachbeyond.org) and its radio partners recently planted two new radio stations, fueling one of the fastest growing churches on the planet.

Photo: Reach Beyond and its partners are planting new radio stations in the vast and desolate reaches of Mongolia, the former Communist country where tens of thousands of people are hearing about Christ for the first time.

Just more than two decades ago, when Mongolia was moving from communism to a democratic form of government, there were only an estimated four Christians in the entire nation of three million people. By 2010, more than 40,000 Christians were gathered in 600 churches across the country, which is roughly the size of Alaska. Today, Mongolia has the eighth fastest growing church in the world.

The two new FM radio stations are a partnership between Reach Beyond, FEBC-Mongolia and local churches. Each station is on the air 24 hours a day and rebroadcasts programming from the original Christian FM station, which was launched by FEBC in 2001 with assistance from Reach Beyond engineers.

The programming on the stations is mostly aimed at non-Christians. The stations include popular secular music, talk radio and call-in shows, which are apologetic in nature. In addition, programming includes developmental and educational content, and listeners are given the opportunity to meet in home groups where they study the content in greater depth. 

"It's amazing to see how radio is bringing thousands to Christ in this vast region," said Wayne Pederson, president and CEO of Reach Beyond. "Barely more than two decades ago, there were only a handful of professed believers in Mongolia. Today, through radio and other influences, there are tens of thousands of believers. And hopefully through these radio partnerships, thousands more will hear about the love of Jesus."

The partnership developed through a series of meetings with Asia by Media (formerly Asia by Radio) in early 2014.

"I asked our partner to share his vision for FEBC-Mongolia," said Ty Stakes, Reach Beyond's Asia Pacific executive director. "It was an extremely exciting conversation. His vision and strategy ideas fit so clearly with ours. I knew it was more than a random meeting. In a very short time, we were discussing how we could join with them to help them fulfill their radio-planting vision for Mongolia."

Mongolia has 21 provinces divided into more than 300 districts. Reach Beyond and its partners hope to expand their efforts to every provincial capital city in the country. With its nearly treeless terrain, Mongolia is ideal for sending FM signals long distances, thus increasing the impact of even a single new radio station. 

Additional information about Reach Beyond and its efforts to plant radio stations around the world is available at www.reachbeyond.org. 
 
For 83 years the passion of Reach Beyond (formerly HCJB Global) (www.reachbeyond.org) has been to make disciples of Christ. Using mass media, healthcare and education and working with partners around the world, Reach Beyond has ministries in more than 100 countries. The gospel is aired in more than 120 languages and dialects. Thousands of healthcare patients are meeting Jesus. Local believers are being trained as missionaries, pastors, broadcasters and healthcare providers.

To schedule an interview with a key leader from Reach Beyond, contact Ty Mays @ 770-256-8710 or tmays@inchristcommunications.com