Life is gradually regaining a semblance of normality after the pandemic. Among other things, this means that churches are once more extending invitations to us to present our work to them. This is a huge change from during the worst of the pandemic when in-person speaking opportunities dried up entirely. The only invitations we received were to virtual meetings.

The same was true of conventions. Many were canceled altogether. The others went to a mostly on-line format. While events are still offering virtual options this year, the emphasis has come back to in-person participation. We are social beings and the ability to meet people face-to-face adds dimensions to fellowship and interaction which virtual meetings just can’t supply.

With that in mind, Jonathan will be representing Key Communications at the International Conference On Missions in Columbus Ohio, on November 3 through 5. If you would like to visit with him or talk about what is happening with the churches in Pakistan, please drop by booth 501. He’d be delighted to see you.

Several years ago I was intrigued by a book titled “Death of the Church” by Mike Regele and Mark Schulz. In it they applied the generational cycle theory of Strauss and Howe to the church. According to this theory, each generational cycle lasts about eighty years and contains four generations with distinct characteristics. Each generation within the cycle has its own set of ideals and beliefs which, in turn, influences the church and how the church impacts society as a whole.

The theory certainly has its critics. There are many exceptions to the broad generalizations of the theory, but I’ve been impressed by how the general trends predicted by it seem to be coming to pass. For example, the theory predicted that in the early 2000s the church would flip from an “Experiencing Faith” period to “Doing Faith.” Sure enough, during those years church culture and vocabulary changed from an “Attractional” model (for example, being “seeker sensitive”) to being “Missional.” Our church leaders used to urge us to bring others to church, now they admonish us to think about how we can serve those on the outside. Other church leaders seem baffled why the Millennial generation thinks the church is irrelevant and is seeking fulfillment in other spheres such as community service.

Churches in our spiritual heritage have traditionally been quite good about imparting information. However, we have not always been as good at translating that information into lifestyle. In this turn of the generational cycle it is increasingly important to show that the Bible is not merely words in a book but a living message which has the power to transform people – not just superficially but from within. The Millennials are right. If the Gospel does not change the way we think, the way we live, the way we interact with others and does not impel us to serve those on the outside, then it is devoid of power.

What does this have to do with what we do here at KeyCom? For one thing, it has a direct bearing on how we write the programs we broadcast. Most of our programming is expository – that is, explaining a Bible text. However, in addition to explaining what the text means, in each program we always include at least one application or thought question. The intent is to help the listener understand how the text affects his own life. How should he change his behavior or his thinking as a result? For example, I wrote a couple of programs on Acts chapter 20 in which the Apostle Paul warns the Elders from Ephesus about the apostasy about to enter the church. In the programs I stressed the importance of leaders to not only teach the right things but to demonstrate them by means of personal example.

There is another way in which the turn in the generational cycle applies to what we’re doing. During an interview I watched the other day, an expert on church staffing noted that the recent pandemic accelerated a trend which was already becoming apparent. Older church leaders are retiring and there aren’t enough people in the new generation to take their place. He pointed out that with staffing shortages across the economy, the church often cannot attract the people it needs because it can’t compete with retail stores and the fast-food joints in terms of pay and benefits. He went on to make the observation that, going forward, churches will have to develop their leadership from within.

Developing leaders from within is exactly what I’ve been trying to encourage the churches I work with in Pakistan to do. Something I have repeatedly stressed to the students I teach each week is the need for them to train others. It’s gratifying to see the concept gradually start to take hold!

Our dear brother and colleague, Kurt Langland, recently died in a tragic accident. Kurt developed a heart for the ministry of Key Communications and the Christians in Pakistan when he accompanied Lee Turner on a mission trip to India and Pakistan in 2004. In 2007 Kurt and his wife sponsored and taught a church camp in the foothills of the Himalaya Mountains for Christians from the Lahore area. Kurt returned to Pakistan in 2010 where he helped Jonathan teach a training seminar for church leaders. Most recently, the Langlands accompanied Jonathan and Fawn on their trip to Pakistan in 2019. Not only did they help in the teaching and preaching, they also sponsored a village school for the children of poor, brick-kiln workers.

In spite of Kurt’s inability to speak Urdu, his open friendliness and genuine love endeared him to the Pakistani Christians. He had a lasting impact. All of us will sorely miss his practical teaching, sound judgment and wise counsel.

Sometimes bad news turns into good news, like the old saying, “If you got a lemon, make lemonade.” That adage doesn’t apply exactly but recently we did have a problem turn into a very good thing.

An error message appeared on our website for listeners (www.awazehaq.com) while Jonathan was on a visit to Pakistan. The error appeared when our representative there tried to show Jonathan something which could be improved. At first Jonathan wrote it off to a poor Internet connection. However, the same error message appeared after he returned to States.

It turns out that our hosting company had “upgraded” the software on their servers and the changes broke our site. It became necessary to re-write the website from scratch as there was no salvaging the old code (something we had been wanting to do anyway but didn’t have the time or resources. The crash forced us to make the changes in spite of our limitations.)

Fortunately, technology has made a lot of progress since we built the first site. Back then there was no standard way to display Urdu script and browsers did such a poor job of it that we had to display Urdu writing in the form of pictures rather than text. Not only was it inconvenient to post anything, text could not be re-formatted. Nor was the site searchable. In the new site, Urdu text is displayed as text which means that it can be re-sized and searched. Another huge change is that the new site is mobile friendly. This means that people can easily view it on their smart-phones. This should make it far more accessible to people in Pakistan and India.

People cannot only listen to our Internet streaming station from the site, they can also listen to specific programs in the series of their choice. They can also read or download the literature we have published.

As one visitor remarked via the new contact form: “… As for the study on the books of the NT for new believers, I think the studies presented at awazehaq as radio programs on the epistles like Romans and others is very good… Thank you for your kindness and having His heart to reach Urdu speaking people with the Gospel of Christ.”

In addition to making our Urdu content far more accessible, the new site has made it possible to provide a great deal of information in English. Many will find our Tutorial section of particular interest. There are articles on a wide variety of topics such as the basics of how to pray and study the Bible, all the way up to starting new congregations.

Another area of the site which is of interest is the expanded ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section. People can also read or download many of the scripts for our expository series on various Bible books.

Please pray that the new site will prove very helpful in bringing people to a greater knowledge of Christ!

Last summer, a staff member proposed a new program series. He explained that there’s a new trend in Pakistan. Droves of highly intelligent and often well-educated people are rejecting Islam and embracing atheism. This movement is so worrying to the religious leaders in Pakistan that they have declared this the most important and dangerous crisis facing the country.

“We ought,” our colleague said, “to do something to point these people to Christ, instead of atheism.” It occurred to us that the god they are rejecting is not really God at all. Perhaps if they understood what God is really like, they wouldn’t reject Him. Though Muslims have 99 names for God, their concept of Him is vastly different than the God who is portrayed in Scripture. So we decided to produce a new series of programs on the attributes of God as described in the Bible. We’ve identified over 50 of God’s characteristics, such as, God is love, God is faithful, God protects, God is holy, etc.

Response to the pilot program encouraged us that this series is unique and powerful. After working out some format and production problems we’ve been posting a new program to our website for listeners (www.awazehaq.com) almost every week.

Listener response has been enthusiastic. An atheist couple wrote: “…We are impressed but needs (sic) more time to change our mind…”

Another person wrote, “I happened to hear ‘Khuda Ki Talash.’ Atheists aside, this program series will draw Muslims to the Christian God. …Until today I had never heard such an exposition of the Trinity. The word choice and style of presentation – Wow, I enjoyed it! Never mind the atheist, I was moved. My faith in the Lord and that we worship a living God was strengthened…”

Someone wrote anonymously: “I just listened your program Khuda Ki Talash, and I very much amazed the way you present God is our heavenly Father, simply mind blowing. In just few minutes you explained the deep facts of God’s Fatherhood. I had never experienced such a solid explanation in simple words. Beautiful choice of Urdu words and soothing voice…”

Still another listener had this to say, “I …could not resist to praise Khuda Azadi Dene Wala Khuda Hai (God Gives Freedom). Dear brother, I just listened this spirit filled programe in my hotel room and believe me, my grieved heart and embittered spirit is uplifted because I am slave of so many personal problems, anger, stubbornness and pride. Thanks for uncovering my hidden sins and free me from the bondage of slavery….”

Please pray with us that listeners like these will come to faith and find freedom in Christ. Thank you, too, for your support which makes this outreach possible.