The apostle John on lonely Patmos was not using a figure of speech when he described the message of the last days—the judgment-hour message—as flying in the midst of heaven. The all-wise Creator had foreseen the needs of this closing era of history and had planned for the radio from earliest times. He hinted at this when He asked Job, "Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are?" Job 38 :35.
As an aid to the public effort, the radio has taken the place of the church bell and to some extent of the handbill. A good radio voice, with a pleasing but positive personality, can literally pull men and women out of their homes and from their comfortable firesides to attend a meeting that has been properly announced.
The fact that an evangelist uses the radio adds to his prestige, but he must build confidence by his voice, his sincerity, and his truthfulness. One should not promise on the radio what he cannot deliver in the pulpit ; but he should let his audience know he is in earnest about the importance of the work he is doing, whether in the church or on the air. The radio program should be the means of stirring up an interest. It may lead listeners to a personal meeting with the evangelist. It may lead to sending in for something he offers over the radio—perhaps a copy of a sermon preached, a tract, or a book. It may lead to the listener's attendance at the evangelistic meetings.
Radio evangelism is in the fullest sense seed sowing. It is broadcasting the gospel. But the harvest is not so fast nor so definite as that of public evangelism, and will need to be reaped largely by the public effort. Even with the aid of a Bible study correspondence course, the radio speaker can never hope to reap more than a small percentage of the results of his own work in this way. Unlike the farmer, who watches the seed fall, the radio speaker never knows who or how many listen to his words.
His words go into prisons and hospitals, into saloons and dance halls, into convents and monasteries. They are heard by the rich and the poor, the free and the bond, the joyful and the sad. Only a few who hear them will ever write in to reveal their interest. Some listen only once, but some are eager to tune in again.
The program must be built to meet all needs. It should be so full of life and so arresting that he who listens to it once will never forget it.
Some haunting truth from the word should follow him all his days. The sick one should feel an interest in his well-being in each sermon.
The poor man should feel that help is coming from the Mighty One if he will only trust in God. The rich man should feel that his riches are a trust from God to be used to His glory. The wayward should feel that each sermon is his call to repentance and reformation. The wise should feel that he has gained wisdom, and the ignorant should feel that he has gained knowledge.
Simple exhortation to be a Christian, even if enhanced with thrilling stories, is not enough.
We have a message like that of John the Baptist, and we must give it as he gave his—"startling and stern, yet full of hope." The prophecies should be opened to the understanding of millions who have never realized that there are Bible prophecies still being fulfilled Salvation as a free gift should be presented as a priceless gem of truth. Each broadcast should be a glimpse into the glory land of promise.
The programs will of course differ according to the individuality of the speaker and his planned objectives. Some will be devotional, some prophetic, some doctrinal ; but all should be instructive, inspirational, and soul winning. It is always best to follow a definite, well-planned series which will lead to conversion if followed week by week. And there should be in each program that which will create a desire to hear the next. Each broadcast should be so complete in itself that those who hear only one program will know what it is all about, and yet so connected as to have the appeal of a serial-story. In other words, each broadcast should be a carefully selected mixture of Bible truth and emotional appeal.
Music an Effective Aid in Radio
Music is a very effective aid in radio work when it is used to advantage. The time is often so limited in a fifteen-minute program that only a theme can be used. If a theme is used, it should be the best that can be had. For our work one of the well-known hymns is desirable. Unless the song can be sung by one who has real talent, instrumental music is preferable. Low voices are better than high voices for the radio. The song, whether played or sung, should be one which lends itself to our special type of program. For a quiet, inspirational broadcast, use a worshipful song ; for a prophetic hour, use a song that savors of the glory that shall be. On our WHO program, which is prophetic, we use an organ transcription of "Crown Him With Many Crowns." It is a well-known hymn that is both appealing and thrilling.
We use only about one minute of music altogether in a fifteen-minute program. In a half-hour program, much more time can be used. It is desirable, of course, to use several good numbers. Where time is not crowded, vocal music is better than a transcription, but a good transcription is always better than a poor studio number, especially when furnished by an untrained singer or group of singers. Sometimes music can be used as a background for poetry or for an appeal. Station regulations always have to be considered in planning such programs.
The best music of all is always the music in the speaker's own voice. His intonations, his enunciations, and the heart qualities which ring in the very tone of his voice will be remembered long after all the hymns are forgotten. He who lacks the music of love and sincerity in his own heart cannot reach the heart of others. We must not forget the speaker's personality, for the man who broadcasts is the very heart and soul of the program.
Effective Follow-Up Essential
We are spending thousands and thousands of dollars for hundreds of hours of time on the radio each year, for just one purpose—to save souls. If we fail in this, our time and money are wasted ; but if we succeed, they are well spent. But how can we win a soul whom we never see ? We broadcast, not knowing whether one man or a million are listening in. Jesus said, "I will make you fishers of men." The fisherman throws his hook into the water without knowing whether any fish will see it; but he baits the hook nevertheless. So we, too, must use every means to get a response from the audience. These unseen souls must be led to make themselves known to us. We must get them to write in and ask for something—the sermon, a book, or some other piece of literature. Curiosity has led many a person to send in, and many have thus been won.
When names are known, they should be followed up. Lack of financial support for this project often hinders the fullest follow-up of names. Arbitrary conference boundaries may hinder the best efforts. Obviously, those easiest to follow up are those living closest to the station. Careful work should be done to keep correct files, and definite interests should be marked. Follow-up letters often grip the interest, as well as help in the financial outlay.
The correspondence school method has proved to be a marvelous blessing in securing, testing, and binding off the interest. We have found it helpful to send a questionnaire to each one who finished the Bible course, asking a few questions about church affiliations, baptism, and belief. This provides definite knowledge which cannot always be obtained by the lesson answers alone. This information is then turned over to the nearest minister or conference office. It should also be faithfully followed up by the radio evangelist.
Fellow ministers in the same town or in near-by communities would do well to introduce themselves as representatives of the radio program in following up contacts. In a large city a Bible instructor can do effective work as a representative of the program. A strong public effort, combined with the radio, will always be found to be the best follow-up method in a local community. The longer the same speaker can use the same facilities, the greater the results. This is especially true if he continues to improve the quality and follow-up work of his program.
We must always remember that the radio is only a tool. It may be helpful or ineffective, depending on the man or company who uses it. It takes much prayer, courage, and consecration, as well as ingenuity and resourcefulness, to get the most out of a soul-winning project.
Financing the Radio Effort
Radio time costs money. The larger the station the more the cost. The ideal situation is a good local radio station which covers a metropolitan area. This reaches a maximum of people with a minimum of expense. The interest is thus localized so it can be better followed up. At the other end of the scale there would seem to be the large and powerful station in a smaller city. Such a station would reach a far larger percentage of rural people, but because of interference from local stations it would not interest listeners in large cities to any extent. It is this type of station with which we have had experience. WHO reaches out into the rural districts from the Rockies to the Eastern seaboard and the Gulf. Most of the response is from country people. Our listening audience has sent us more than $2,500 during the past twelve months. This was sent in response to appeals over the air and in form letters mailed out to those on our mailing list.
We have found it best to send a letter about once every three months to all on our list, telling them about our needs. Letters could be mailed more often to a selected list. We enclose an offering envelope and a business-reply envelope. We use precanceled stamps for mailing and a post-office box for receiving mail, and we pay for the envelopes returned. We send a book each month to those who send in offerings. The book serves as a receipt. With each book, we enclose an offering envelope in which the interested listener may send his next offering.
The best way to get offerings is to make the program so interesting that those who listen will want to keep it on the air. Let the audience know your needs and plans, and then place the burden on them to help your radio project. In most cases this procedure, combined with letters to those on the mailing list, will help the program to be self-supporting. Let me say to conference leaders that radio programs can bring in a great deal of revenue which never shows in the audit, for the radio stimulates tithe paying and mission giving in our churches. It supplements the Ingathering with hundreds of dollars. It can help to increase attendance at meetings and thus it will directly increase the offerings. It wins souls and adds to the church membership. A stream of tithes and offerings flows into the treasury years after the program is discontinued.
Radio work is hard work and must receive the best effort and thought in order to be successful. No man should start to broadcast unless he is willing to work hard and faithfully. There must be greater love for lost souls than for one's own comfort or convenience. But the gratitude and interest expressed in one bag of radio mail is enough to repay our labors a thousand times.
Radio work is one of the grandest soul-winning projects ever committed to man. Our great denominational symphony of radio evangelism, from the big drum of the Voice of Prophecy to the piccolo of the smallest radio program, is giving our people a new pride in this movement. The old inferiority complex is vanishing. We see ourselves standing in the spotlight of the world revolution, holding aloft the banner of the King of kings, proclaiming by land and sea and on the ether waves the soon coming of Jesus and the eventual setting up of His eternal kingdom.