May 27, 2025
The Tide® ministry grows in Kosovo, revealing God’s power to transform lives
Despite opposition to The Tide’s church planting efforts, The Tide continues to share God’s healing word to Christians
CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. —The Tide® (www.thetide.org) ministry continues to share God’s healing word to Christians in Kosovo, despite the opposition faced by a church planting radio pastor and his congregation in their efforts to build a church there.
The Tide ministry, a global Gospel broadcast ministry located on three continents and in 30 languages, works to answer the call to share the truth of the Gospel with the people of Kosovo, as well as the greater Balkan region.
“For many years, Kosovo was part of the territory controlled by the Ottoman Empire, and consequently, a very high percentage of the population is Muslim; fewer than 1% of the people are evangelical Christians,” says Tide’s Executive Director, Don Shenk. “In 2015, The Tide ministry began partnering with indigenous pastors in Kosovo to produce and air evangelistic Albanian language radio programs. There has been a good response, and already two new churches have been planted as listeners in different communities respond to these Gospel broadcasts.
“Unfortunately, this region is rife with conflict because of the vast variety of ethnicities and people groups,” says Shenk.
The Tide’s church planting radio pastor in Kosovo faces opposition to his efforts to build a church. His congregation, which previously had been renting a space to meet, recently acquired a piece of land to build on.
“And yet, despite the political instability and hostility toward the Gospel, The Tide is still finding ways to move forward to share God’s healing Word to Christians, bringing the people closer to Christ. On the 507th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, the Evangelical Protestant Church, ‘Rilindja e Kosovës’ in Gjakova, held a church service to lay the foundation stone for its new building,” says Shenk.
Believers and evangelical pastors from Gjakova and other parts of Kosovo attended the ceremony. About 20 guests from the Netherlands and the United States made the journey to share in the joy of this occasion. Local government representatives were present, including Mayor Ardian Gjini, Deputy Mayor Flamur Fetahaj, and directors of municipal departments.
Mayor Gjini stated that the Municipal Assembly unanimously approved the proposal to allocate the land parcel and grant the construction permit for the “Rilindja e Kosovës” church.
Pastor Nikë Krasniqi led the cornerstone ceremony, dedicating the land for the church and the ministry of the Gospel. Before the symbolic act of laying cement, he placed a Bible at the foundation of the church, praying that God’s Word would always remain its cornerstone, with Jesus Christ as the foundation stone.
“This marks a historic moment for Christianity in Kosovo, celebrated fittingly on Protestant Reformation Day,” remarked Shenk. “The following excerpts capture both the joy of making progress and the frustration of facing very serious opposition from their neighbors.”
“The groundbreaking ceremony was amazing, but I did not really enjoy it, nor experienced the joy everyone else was experiencing. I had two death threats from the near neighbors; they don’t want the church to be built near their property. Police were involved, and a lot of investigations and police were involved in assisting us to continue the work/preparation for the groundbreaking ceremony. However, the presence of many people, including the mayor, was encouraging.”
“I am writing to share the current situation regarding the church land. Unfortunately, our neighbor has issued life threats for the second time, saying things like, “So many people have died trying to get this land,” implying that we could face harm as well. Only last week, the neighbor threatened two different companies we had engaged for work. Both companies left the site immediately, despite our having waited for weeks for them to begin. Your prayers and assistance would mean so much to us in ensuring safety and security for the church and its members.”
“The Tide’s growing ministry tells the powerful story of changed lives and the power of Christ’s word,” says Shenk. “Despite neighbors’ opposition to building new churches in Kosovo and throughout the surrounding region, we stand firm in our confidence in the calling and mission He has assigned to The Tide ministry.”
From its humble origins in 1946 as a local Gospel radio broadcast in Chambersburg, PA, The Tide® ministry has grown into a global network of Christian media broadcasting partnerships committed to worldwide evangelism and discipleship. In 2008, The Tide® ministry ended all English-language programming in order to focus on developing and distributing indigenous heart-language content in areas around the world that are less touched by the Gospel. Today, The Tide® ministry works with partners in multiple countries across three continents to broadcast Gospel-centered messages via radio, satellite TV and other media. In order to make disciples and plant churches, The Tide® ministry also provides resources for literature distribution, correspondence courses, discipleship and leadership training activities, and the distribution of radios and media players.
For more information about The Tide® ministry broadcast projects, history, radio programs around the world, special year-long campaigns, the weekly Global Update radio features or other news, visit its website at www.thetide.org or its Facebook page.
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To schedule interviews with Don Shenk, director of The Tide® global radio ministry, contact Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, Dawn Foglein, ext. 100, or Daniel Moyer, ext. 104.
To inquire about airing any of The Tide® ministry radio broadcasts, contact Michael Hamilton, 610.584.1096, ext. 101.
