Christian Radio...no, I'm not bitter.

Some of you know that as a teenager, I worked for a Christian radio station. I loved it...I worked long hours for no pay and I adored every aspect of it. And to an extent, I still have a soft spot in my heart for radio.

I say that because I want you to know that I don't hate Christian radio. I know musicians and ministers and lots of folks who DO hate Christian radio, but I'm not one of them.

I listen to it occasionally, though certainly not enough to be considered an expert of any kind. However, I have a proposal for Christian radio - an idea that I think would help them to be better at what they do. Here's what's up...

THE PROBLEM
First off, what's got me thinking this? Almost every Christian radio is "listener-supported." Most often, this means that the stations don't play commercials. They take donations from listeners. Most of us also know that a lot of Christian stations skirt around non-profit regulations by attaching certain donation levels to their public service announcements. For example, if you want your event announced 22 times in a month, you have to donate a certain amount to the station. If you're thinking that sounds like a paid commercial, you're probably right.

But that's not even really the problem I've been noticing.

The problem of late has come from the way in which stations encourage listeners to donate. In the past two months, I've heard three different stations in different markets making pleas for support in the same manner. It sounds something like this:

"Your love-gift/donation/support is changing lives all across East Texas/Houston/the country!"

That station is asking me to support them because what they do is making a spiritual difference in the lives of my neighbors.

I just don't ever hear about it.

How come stations keep telling me that my money is making eternal differences but I never hear testimonials along those lines? I hear lots of taped phone message testimonials, but they usually are telling me that said station has A) Helped them to stop listening to secular music B) Provided safe music for their kids to listen to or C)Has "just the right song" at "just the right time."

Are people giving their lives to God through Christian radio? Maybe...but I never actually hear it. The station keeps telling me it's happening, but I never actually hear anyone testifying to that fact.

THE SOLUTION
I'm not a cynic, but I'm willing to be that the majority of Christian radio listeners are, in fact, Christians. (And women who drive minivans.) Kidding about the women thing...sheesh, who do I think I am, Thad Norvell?

What I don't get is why aren't Christian stations just owning this fact. Why do they keep telling me about winning souls for Jesus? Why aren't they doing interviews with Christ followers who are out there feeding the poor or caring for the elderly? Why aren't these stations showing me all the ways that THEY empower the church to do ministry? How can they be SO focused on the "lost" and say so little about what the church is actually, physically, really doing?

I think Christian radio should change it's sell...instead of telling me that my money is winning souls and never revealing those souls, why not use money to provide resources to the church for actual ministry and then show me that.

You may not believe Christian radio is for Christians. I think it is. And I think they should start getting honest about what they actually do - I don't they should be afraid of saying that their role is to bless the body of Christ and empower that body to do ministry?

Agree? Disagree? Am I making any sense here?