Derek Prince on Radio

30 Years of Radio Outreach

Derek Prince Ministries’ vision for radio continues.

“In 1979, I felt that God was prompting me to start a radio broadcast in the United States. I had never considered myself to be a radio speaker. But in obedience I started.” These words were spoken by Derek Prince in 2000, at age 85. He continued: “I am - by calling and by nature - a teacher, so it was natural for me to choose certain important subjects and devote a week or sometimes two weeks of teaching for that subject. But I had absolutely no idea what God had in mind.”

In 1979, Today With Derek Prince began broadcasting daily for 15 minutes on eight stations in America. Derek viewed the radio program in the U.S. as “a practical expression of my gratitude for all the blessings I have received as a naturalized citizen.”

Within a few years, the broadcast expanded in the U. S. to reach most of the major metropolitan areas as well as many smaller cities. Nonetheless, Derek’s most significant impact through radio was to take place outside the U.S.

In responding to the challenge to reach those who have no other way to hear God’s Word, broadcasting began in English to the islands of the Caribbean, India, and Central and South America.

Then in 1982, Ross Paterson, a Cambridge graduate and missionary to China, sensed God telling him to “take Derek Prince to China.” Ross had never met Derek, but he contacted him and shared his vision to approach Far East Broadcasting Company about translating and airing the program in Mandarin. In 1984, Living Sacrifice began beaming across communist China, voiced by a translator for Derek under the Chinese name, Ye Guang-Ming, meaning “clear light.”

Subsequently, the program was translated in China into the Cantonese, Amoy, Shanghaiese and Swatow dialects. A second program, The Workman God Approves, containing material from Derek’s books and cassettes, and focusing especially on training Christian leaders in China, went on the air in 1986. It was followed later by the series, The Way of Holiness.

To encourage Derek on his 70th birthday in 1985, supporters from five continents sent gifts to fulfill Derek’s expressed desire to translate and broadcast the radio program in Spanish and Russian. A year later, translations of Derek’s foundational teaching were being broadcast behind the Iron Curtain and into South America and Spain. A believer in Mexico wrote, “God has blessed us abundantly through your ministry. He has revealed to us the purpose, the authority and the grace we have in Jesus Christ. We want to encourage you to continue sharing those keys that God’s people need today.”

In 1987, A German missionary who taught English at a university in Inner Mongolia heard Today With Derek Prince in English, broadcast from the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean 6,000 miles away. He approached DPM about getting the program translated into Mongolian. As a result, the Mongolian broadcast went on the air at about the same time as the first Mongolian New Testament in modern script was published. Before long, the program was also being broadcast in Arabic into several Middle Eastern countries.

The program was renamed Keys to Successful Living in 2002, and to date has been translated into a number of languages. Derek’s English programs were being heard in Canada, the Caribbean, South Africa, Europe, Indonesia, New Zealand, Australia, and parts of the South Pacific, with more than half the globe having access to Derek’s teaching.

Testimonies from Christian leaders and laymen alike have given thanks for Derek’s straight-forward instruction from God’s Word, which has brought guidance and encouragement to countless people worldwide. Included are those in some of America’s prisons: “I’m writing from a prison cell in Texas. I have been listening to you for about one year. There are many inmates who are also faithful listeners, but not all write. I’ll keep on trying to get more to tune in to your much-needed words that give hope to keep on with our sight on Christ Jesus our Lord.”

In September of 2006, a giant leap forward was made in the broadcast outreach! A new 30-minute program began to air, hosted by Stephen Mansfield, Derek’s biographer and New York Times best-selling author. Derek Prince Legacy Radio began broadcasting in selected markets across the U.S. Today, through the Internet, it is heard around the world through DPM–USA’s website, www.derekprince.org.

When Derek began what was to become this internationally recognized program, he said, “The word God gave me was, ‘Proclaim! Short, simple messages, easily understood, declaring basic scriptural truths.’” His teaching has been faithful to that directive word. It has been described as simple, yet profound— understood by the uneducated, yet capturing the attention of the intellectual.

For young and old alike, Derek’s radio ministry has crossed denominational and racial barriers, carrying God’s Word to multitudes worldwide for 30 years. Today, with the use of new technology through the Internet and podcasting, a new generation is tuning in to Derek’s life-changing Bible teaching in English and other languages and responding with enthusiastic thanks. By God’s grace, this outreach will continue to bring truth to life for countless people until Jesus returns.