Today Devotional

Back to God Ministries International® :: Name Change

Moving forward ... while looking back.

The Back to God Hour is now

Back to God Ministries International

A Ministry is Born...
It was more than eighty years ago that a small group of church leaders had a vision of doing a new thing within God’s Kingdom. Even though the Christian Reformed Church was an immigrant denomination, with limited membership and resources, they envisioned claiming the emerging technology of radio to reach across North America with the gospel. Their vision was to claim the latest in communications to call North America “back to God.”

On the eve of moving forward with their plans, the Great Depression hit. It slowed the realization of the vision, but could not stop it. God was at work leading the Christian Reformed Church into an entirely new way of reaching out with the Gospel of the Kingdom. God’s people prayed and gave. And in December of 1939, The Back to God Hour went on the air as a single broadcast in the Chicago area.

The Little Radio Program that Grew Up...
A single program airing from a single station. That’s our beginnings. But The Back to God Hour didn’t stay tiny for long. God’s timing for this new ministry was perfect. Radio networks were being organized across North America. The quality of our programming was recognized. The Back to God Hour was soon invited to become part of the Mutual Broadcasting Network. The single program airing on a single station now had a North American audience!

And response began to flood in. Materials were needed to reach out to those who were responding to our programming. Soon was born the Family Altar (now, Today), and thousands of copies began to be distributed to churches and individual readers.

The English Ministry that Went International...
God had more plans for The Back to God Hour. Starting in the 1950s opportunities for international ministry began to arise. Arabic broadcasting was added first. Then in quick succession, The Back to God Hour became a truly world-wide ministry. Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, French, and Russian ministries quickly developed. The commitment of The Back to God Hour was clear: to speak the historic Christian faith to the world through a Reformed lens and to develop a team of indigenous ministry leaders. These leaders would effectively proclaim the Christian faith within their own cultures, as well as develop strong programs and partnerships to minister to those who responded to programming.

The Radio Ministry that Went Multi-Media...
By then, the world of media was changing. Television emerged on the scene. The Back to God Hour entered the video world through programs in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Then the age of the Internet dawned. The Back to God Hour moved into the world of the web—podcasting messages and using the Internet as a world-wide communication channel for the gospel.

A New Name...
And a Mission that Is Ever Old and Ever New
Our new name, Back to God Ministries International, celebrates this mission journey of God. Our commitment remains the same: to evangelize and disciple the peoples of the world. To call peoples everywhere “back to God.” We will continue to claim the most effective media to fulfill that calling. We will continue to work with partners around the globe to build the church and strengthen the Kingdom.

Thank you for your support and prayers! To God be all glory and praise!