Connecting the Mission Statement
WVOE exists first to glorify Christ in all that we do; serve the campus of Northwestern College and encourage listeners and classmates in the Joy of Christ while seeking to excel in our pursuit of professional radio skills through the power of Christ.
WVOE must seek Christ. We must love the Lord God with all our heart and then love our neighbor as ourselves. We must Love God and then serve the audience in a more direct, active and intimate way. This means WVOE looks to weave the Gospel into everything we do. We hope to intersect our Christian walk with the listeners. Seeking Christ is the goal and then the audience and our pursuit of developing professional radio skills.
Our ultimate roadmap is the whole and inerrant Bible. This is God’s instruction book. As 2 Timothy 3:16-17 states, “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness that the man of God may be competent and equipped for every good work”(ESV, 2003). The power of the Bible ensures that it equips people for whatever they do- “every good work”. Through its stories and exhortations the bible delivers a manual for the Christian life and presents a standard for accountability. A John Piper (2000) sermon explains:
"We are a people of the Book. We know God through the Book. We meet Christ in the Book. We see the cross in the Book. Our faith and love are kindled by the glorious truths of the Book. We have tasted the divine majesty of the Word and are persuaded the Book is God’s inspired and infallible written revelation. Therefore, what the book teaches matters. Doctrine is important for worship, life and mission."
Piper adds that the Bible provides everything for necessary for life. It reveals the mind, grace, wrath and mercy of God. It lights the path of salvation, comforts pain, engages the war of sin, sustains the perseverance of believers and delivers a hope that doesn’t disappoint in Jesus Christ. It is the definitive treasure map to remove the wrath of God and grant salvation for those who trust in its teachings.
Serving and Encouraging
The Christian life is not easy. There are many struggles, pitfalls, diseases, deaths, and pains in life. Yet the Bible tells all to rejoice in these sufferings (Romans 5:3, Col 1:24, I Peter 4:13) because in the end that produces hope and hope never disappoints (Romans 5:5, ESV, 2003). Hope is the comfort and joyous feeling of waiting for redemption.
WVOE is about hope. Why hope? Hope is universal. Everybody hopes. People hope they have a good day. They hope their team wins. They hope they get a job. They hope they pass their History of Western Civilizations class! Only the hope offered on Christian Radio is a living hope, a hope that never disappoints.
As believers in Christ, WVOE strives "always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks them to give a reason for the hope that is in them" (1 Peter 3:15, ESV). That means the WVOE staff are a hopeful people. WVOE reflects joy, love, boldness and perseverance. WVOE demonstrates a reason for Hope- a reason to keep going. Hope is the grace of God. Hope is struggling through the mundane chores of life with the anticipation of “reckoning upon Christ’s smile” (Spurgeon, 1998) and hearing him say, “well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21, ESV). Therefore, Christian radio is about the hope and joy in the grace of God. It is more than just the love of God. It is about the severity and need of God (Romans 6:23, ESV). Christian radio should reflect how to delight in the fear of God. And that is always a good thing.
Pursuing Excellence
As students learn the basic functions or radio and audio production they learn that they live a life of ministry. It makes no difference where you work, each day, God’s grace works on our hearts and strips away the pride to remind us that it is not our name on the studio door or the call letters; it is Christ’s: The Hope of Christ.
WVOE adopts a mission service-oriented approach to radio and makes an effort to become more fully involved in the local community and ultimately into people’s lives. WVOE looks to the Apostle Paul who for 20 years spread the Gospel by living among the people of various communities. Paul showed us through tent-making that Christians can use their vocation as a doorway to preach to the gospel. While the station can seek excellence in the producing good radio, it is not excellence alone that gives God glory. We must develop a “standard of integrity” that illustrates the holiness of God and illuminates the love of God in the community. Our stewardship of the airwaves must show the value of God in all things and reveal to listeners an authentic relatable testimony found in the power of Christ.
What is the most important thing to do as a broadcaster? Many will answer to deliver desirable programming that attracts a demographically desirable audience in order to attract advertisers. For Christian broadcasters it’s the same as anybody else. First, we must love the Lord God with all our heart, soul mind and strength. It is only after that that we can love our neighbor as ourselves.
Our goal as a station is to faithfulness, not fruitfulness. God does not call us to growth. He calls us to faithfulness and obedience. Our definition of radio excellence starts with resting in Christ first. All of our programming must be filtered through the word. Let’s consult with God and ask him to send his holy spirit to guide us. We need it. We need Godly people in our stations not just really good radio people. We must choose character over ability, personality or credentials.
