Persevering in Pakistan: The Tide® Gospel Radio Utilizes New Methods of Sharing the Gospel in the Middle East

Studies report that around 98% of people in Pakistan are Muslim, with only 0.6% of residents admitting they are Christian. These numbers make it clear to Christians—including The Tide® ministry—that there is a significant amount of people that most likely have not had the chance to hear the Gospel and accept Jesus as their Savior.

This is why we have recently reached Pakistan, an area deeply connected to their religious influences by cultural tradition and pressure from their leaders.

Since the people in Pakistan are so disengaged with the message of Christianity, we have been coming up with new and unique ways to share the Good News. After review and evaluation, the staff decided to make some adjustments to the program content to ensure that the gospel message is being shared very clearly in a way that is easy to understand. The team decided to promote and upload the radio broadcast through their WhatsApp group for distribution to listeners who have access to the internet and will encourage listeners to respond through this popular messaging app in addition to the regular radio broadcasts.

“Our goal is to spread the love of Christ to people all around the world, no matter the avenue,” stated The Tide® Director Don Shenk. “When Reverend Charlie Byers started ‘The Gospel Tide Hour’ broadcast 75 years ago, radio broadcasts were the latest innovation, and we are determined to keep that spirit of originality. In addition to our popular radio broadcasts, we are coming up with new and creative solutions that are designed to best engage as many people as possible with the Gospel.”

In addition, we have also begun a “Middle East Children’s Program” designed to provide a creative and attention-catching forum to answer any questions and to break down barriers for children in the Arab and Muslim societies of the Middle East to come to Jesus as Savior. Utilizing a series of videos involving puppets, the program will answer any key questions about Christianity in a way children could understand, as well as declare the salvation message and invite children to accept Jesus as their personal savior. The puppet shows will be aired on all Arabic satellite channels, including the most-watched Christian satellite channel in the Middle East. In addition, the program will be posted online through various digital media channels. Through this method, we anticipate being able to reach a minimum of 5 million children throughout the Middle East through satellite and online.