Located in Europe’s easternmost southern peninsula, The Balkan Region consists of multiple countries and people groups, with the main religions consisting of Orthodox Christian, Catholic, and Islam, leaving less than 1% of the inhabitants Evangelical Christians. Despite these varied beliefs, religion is incredibly important to the people in the region.
With the small number of Evangelical Christians in the Balkans, non-believers are far less likely to interact with someone who will share the truth about Jesus with them, making us determined to not only share the Gospel with the people throughout the region, but do so in the heart languages the people were born to speak. Rather than broadcasting translations of English programs, we partner with local ministers, our ‘boots on the ground’ team, to produce programs to share the Gospel in their language and in the context of their culture, giving opportunities for them to carry out listener care and coordinate discipleship and leadership training activities. By communicating the Gospel message in local languages, and by considering the regional customs, Christ is even more relatable to those who may not know His love. Our regional partners provide invaluable insights into the culture and customs of an area, and that makes our broadcasts even more effective.
We are excited to partner with Media 7, the largest Christian radio network in the Balkan Region, broadcasting throughout the area to reach millions of people with the Gospel on multiple FM radio stations. In addition, Media 7 Balkan launched TV 7 in 2017; a 24/7 Christian television channel, broadcasting on several cable networks in multiple areas around the world.
Currently, our partnership with Media 7 includes broadcasts in Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia, however plans are in the works to establish indigenous Christian television channels and radio stations in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Montenegro, with additional programming in North Macedonia. The channels will air personal testimonials from local believers to encourage fellow Christians, while inspiring interested viewers to learn more about the transformative power of the Gospel. The television testimonies from each country will later be edited for radio and turned into a radio program that will be broadcast on each of the radio stations.
We are so excited to see how the Lord will work through these outlets and our partnership with Media 7 Balkan. There are so many people in the region who are desperate to hear the Gospel, yet don’t know where to look. The goal is for every person in the Balkan region to hear the Gospel and every believer to be a matured Christian founded on the rock of the Word of God.