April 27, 2026
The Tide® expands Gospel outreach in Muslim-majority nations amid global Muslim awakening
Despite persecution and hostility, Heart-language broadcasts and discipleship bring hope of Christ to Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Albania and Kosovo
CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — Middle Eastern Muslims have historically openly rejected Christianity; in fact, the Middle East is known as one of the deadliest areas for Christian attacks in the world. Pakistan ranks as the second most Muslim-populated nation with approximately 240.76 million Muslims, while India follows closely as third with around 200 million. Afghanistan stands at nearly 99.7% Muslim, Kosovo at 95.6% and Albania reports almost 58% of its population as Muslim.
And yet, over the past decade, The Tide® (www.thetide.org) has witnessed God opening doors to proclaim the Gospel in some of the world’s largest Muslim-majority countries and regions. Even in environments where Middle Eastern Muslims have historically rejected Christianity, The Tidecontinues to make steady inroads by partnering with local believers and organizations.
“God has been fueling a global Muslim awakening to faith in Christ, and over the last decade, God opened doors for The Tide to share the hope of the Gospel in major Muslim-populated countries,” said Don Shenk, executive director of The Tide. “The Tide makes the Good News accessible for those who may never have heard it, even those who are hostile to it, by partnering with local organizations to share the Gospel.”
Throughout the Middle East, The Tide’s Middle East Children’s Program uses engaging puppetry videos aired on satellite channels and shared online to address children’s questions about the Christian faith. Using a creative, non-confrontational format helps present the salvation message clearly while breaking down barriers for young hearts in Arab and Muslim societies across the region to come to Jesus as Savior.
In Pakistan, The Tide identified four unreached people groups without Gospel radio programming in their heart languages in 2018. By 2020, the ministry enabled a partner organization to recruit teams that began recording and broadcasting programs while conducting discipleship activities. Outreach now targets Pashtun, Punjabi, Saraiki, and Sindhi communities, reaching areas marked by religious persecution and opposition to Christians.
The Tide reaches into Afghanistan with weekly radio broadcasts in Dari, delivered through strategic transmitters, offering the hope of Christ to a spiritually hungry population eager for relief from severe persecution.
In India, The Tide has broadcast Gospel programs in nine local languages, produced by indigenous ministers in a local studio. This radio ministry is strengthened by complementary discipleship efforts, including literature distribution, Bible correspondence courses, seekers conferences and the “Radios for India” distribution project. Together, these initiatives are helping plant churches and nurture new believers among diverse and often unreached communities.
Since 2015, The Tide has collaborated with Radio 7 Albania and local pastors to produce and air Albanian-language programs titled “Sipas Fjales” (“According to the Word”). These broadcasts serve as valuable tools for church planting, enabling pastors to disciple listeners who respond to the Gospel in a nation with a history of religious restrictions.
In Kosovo, The Tide continues airing Albanian-language radio programs produced in partnership with local pastors since 2015. In a predominantly Muslim nation with a legacy of conflict, where evangelical Christians form a small minority, these broadcasts share Christ’s message of hope and have contributed to planting new churches while fostering positive responses in local communities.
“Whether reaching adults through radio in their heart languages or children through creative programming, The Tide remains committed to bringing Christ’s unchanging message of peace and salvation in challenging environments,” said Shenk. “We are committed to planting seeds of eternal hope where the need is greatest.”
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, or Daniel Moyer, ext. 104.
To inquire about airing any of The Tide® ministry radio broadcasts, contact Michael Hamilton, 610.584.1096, ext. 101.
