Missionary Radio WNKJ/WNLJ broadcasts from an old church building in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, a small town just north of the Tennessee border. It’s a short drive to Fort Campbell with the 101st Airborne Division, 5th Special Forces Group and 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. The little Kentucky radio station is connecting believers from around the surrounding region in exciting ways.
An hour away, in Tennessee, David Mackens is pastor at Lone Oak Baptist. He describes Missionary Radio as ongoing discipleship for believers. “It’s re-emphasizing the Gospel, over the air and it’s very complimentary in that way to what we do as a church family. You hear of folks that have been impacted by that teaching. They have some wonderful programming, and I think that’s what the station is built upon, historically.”
The unique mix of programing combines teaching, preaching, music and audio dramas. “We’re 100% listener funded. We don’t charge for air time and we don’t sell underwriting,” said WNKJ general manager, Ken Cummins. It is enjoyed by listeners of all ages throughout the region by radio and by streaming.
Military listeners who are deployed or move away will often continue listening on the website. Anyone who cannot attend a church or access Christian materials rely on Missionary Radio, including elderly individuals. In 2018, 89% of Americans ages 12 or older listened to terrestrial radio in a given week, according to Nielsen Media Research data published by the Radio Advertising Bureau
Lieutenant Colonel Greg Lane, Army ROTC at APSU, listens from his car. “I would say the need that it meets in the community is to have non-commercial, Christian programming,” says Lane. “I’ve listened to other Christian stations with advertisements and things, which can be a distraction. Whereas on WNKJ everything is going to be related to God’s Word, serving Him in the community. It’s an encouragement to me to hear God’s Word over the airwaves and reminds me to be in God’s Word. It ministers to my wife and me, and I believe it ministers to other people, which is why we donate monthly and pray for the station.”
Many years ago, as the station was holding a fund-raiser, the leaders decided to tithe 10% of the donations received. They have continued doing that ever since, donating 10% of their annual funds to Trans World Radio.
Bing Verbist serves on the board of directors at WNKJ and has witnessed the community engagement first-hand. “The station has never been without money to pay employees, or missed a day of radio due to lack of funds,” he says, “But that’s unusual these days, especially as listener supported. I’ve seen car shows volunteer to raise money for the station from their parking lot. I’ve seen Bible drives promoted by WNKJ with people bringing hundreds of Bibles to be given away to people around the world who need them. Meeting those listeners and talking with them, it’s like a big family of believers out there. I think it really intertwines with the community in a way that builds people up. The Lord is still blessing WNKJ and I hope He continues.”
Remarkably, Missionary Radio stops all scheduled programing for occasional prayer days. Local pastors are invited to join the radio hosts live, in the studio, to pray throughout the day. Requests and praises are submitted from listeners online and by phone. The station also provides churches and ministries a way to connect with other believers in the community through public service announcements. “When WNKJ is mentioned in conversation, it’s always really good,” says Verbist, “The on-air personalities are humble and sincere in serving the listening family.”
Verbist was surprised and humbled when asked to join the board of directors. The station has greatly impacted him personally. “I’ve listened to radio all my life. When I was younger it would be top-forty music, rock-n-roll, that sort of thing.” He remembers discovering WNKJ as they were challenging people to keep listening for thirty days, because “if you do, it will change your life.”
“I had recently lost a good friend, a person that I thought I would grow old with; we had plans of enjoying each others family and grandchildren. When he was killed in the car accident, it really made me contemplate my mortality, and my future of where I would be when I died.” Verbist began paying closer attention to the Christian radio station, hoping to find real assurance.
“I thought that I was a Christian simply because I was a ‘good person.’ At work one evening, I listened to a preacher out of Texas named Dr. Tony Evans. It was a sermon that turned the lightbulb on in my head and it made me realize that I was not a Christian. That night I realized that I was a sinner, deceived and lost. I was hopeless to ever have eternity in a good place, unless I submitted to Jesus Christ as Lord and asked Him to be my savior. So I asked Jesus to cleanse my sins by His blood, and I became born again. God used WNKJ in bringing that message to me 34 years ago. I almost never listen to other stations anymore.”
Since that night, the programming has given Verbist nourishment, helping him mature as a Christian. “There are so many different programs on WNKJ, that it pertains to different people at different levels. It’s brought me from the point of salvation upward to understanding God’s Word better. And I found the assurance which only Jesus can offer.”
Verbist points out that “people are busy these days, and often don’t make time to read their Bible or to pray, but this radio station is like a help for those listeners.” Over the decades, the station had to overcome its share of problems …. technology failures, debates over programing changes, and occasional tensions among staff. But throughout, the integrity of its programming has been preserved and is still trusted by listeners of various church denominations.
“God uses WNKJ in the lives of individuals, and that’s multiplied over and over again,” says Andy Napier of Trans World Radio. The very call-letters of WNKJ remind everyone that the “World Needs King Jesus” and that has remained central to Missionary Radio since 1981 when they first signed on.
Written by Benjamin Owen in April of 2020 || www.TNmemoirs.com