(Oct. 31, 2014 - by Harold Goerzen)  A lot happened since a group of radio station managers traveled to Bali, Indonesia, last spring for part 1 of a leadership training program.

“We witnessed the fruit of previous training sessions,” said Barb Cline, who helped with the teaching at the recent Global Voice Leadership Institute (GVLI), a ministry of Reach Beyond (formerly HCJB Global) that ran the two-part course together with its principal Indonesian radio partner which hosted the event.

“One former student visiting the center told us he is setting up not only another radio station, but a television ministry, and he asked for our prayers,” explained Barb, who serves as a Reach Beyond ambassador with her husband, Ron. “Some of the staff serving with our Indonesian partner are previous orphan refugees who have been rescued, raised in the ministry’s children’s homes and now work in radio and other ministries.”

“Between classes we had amazing conversations and heard wonderful stories,” added Ron, dean of the biannual training program and a former Reach Beyond president. “One of the men told me that his station was threatened with arson three months ago, yet today he’s won over his enemies and enjoys a good listening audience.”

Another participant said she “saw her family killed by the enemy and was tied up in a building to be burned, yet today is active in ministry. Each one of these people is a walking miracle,” he said.

Although only 14 of the 25 students and visitors could return for the more advanced session Oct. 21-24, the smaller group allowed for more personalized instruction and building relationships one-on-one. Students who attended the initial course also helped with the teaching.

“Several of the students could not come back because they had to stay at their radio stations for anticipated visits from officials regarding their permits to broadcast,” Ron related. “And the four African visitors who came last June could not return.”

Some of the participants shared how they had begun implementing the principles they had learned during the initial session—both during and after class.

“It was with great satisfaction, and thanks to God, that one man related how things had greatly improved in his ministry area since part 1 of GVLI,” said Derek Kickbush, media manager for Reach Beyond-Australia. “At one time he was wondering if he should resign and seek work elsewhere as he felt so unsettled.”

The man sought out Kickbush after class, holding “deep and meaningful conversations on a number of issues that were bothering him such as how he was being managed and how he could best manage others—particularly those who were older and more experienced.”

“We talked about a number of actions he could take,” Kickbush continued. “Praise God, he put into practice what he had learned from GVLI and what we had discussed. Today he has a different point of view and is serving in his ministry with joy.”

In addition to learning some of the finer points of running radio stations and leading their personnel, participants learned the importance of living an exemplary Christian life and coping with change in a fast-changing world.

The country of Indonesia itself is changing as 80 percent of the 250 million inhabitants are Muslim, making this the country with the world’s highest Muslim population. Indonesia is spread across more than 17,000 islands with people who speak 716 different languages.

“We threw out this challenge to the managers: ‘Do you just talk the talk, or do you walk the talk? Do your actions align with your beliefs?’ That distinction will soon be observed by their staff and volunteers,” said Kickbush.

“It sets the tone and culture of the station,” he recounted. “Many lessons are ‘caught’ rather than ‘taught.’ One of the topics was about ‘managing change’—how managers handle, adapt and cope with change themselves will have a direct bearing on how they bring about change in their stations and the expectations they will have of how their staff deals with it. Station managers have both the privilege and the responsibility of being good role models, not only of leadership, but of displaying how Christian principles are expressed in everyday life.

Topics covered at the training included, The Character of the Leader, The Response of the Leader, The Leader of a Radio Ministry and The Leader’s Personal Issues.

Students were glad to take a break from the seriousness to enjoy moments of levity, like the time Kickbush was fooled into eating a spicy sauce that he was led to believe was melted chocolate.

“Call me the gullible Australian, but I walked right in,” he chuckled. “They said the expression on my face nanoseconds after taking a bite of tofu with the offending sauce was something to behold. It certainly provided lots of laughs—for others! At GVLI we also have fun, and some of the participants can be quite mischievous at times! It’s as much about building relationships as it is about imparting and receiving knowledge.”

The event was held in a new facility that had been envisioned by the Indonesian partner a year ago. “Today it is finished and in constant use already,” Barb Cline said. “It’s also debt-free—God’s miraculous provision—and beautifully equipped for conferences, teaching, radio studios, dormitory rooms, a café, counseling center and Bible school. Our partners believe God is going to give them a nearby property to expand the center in the days ahead.”

“This is the same vision our partner has for taking the gospel to every corner of Indonesia,” she added. The partner has a vision to put at least 300 community radio stations on the air. “This will mean more church plants, more Bible schools and more children’s homes, etc.”

Additional team members at the training included Steve Balzer, IT manager and Indonesia coordinator for the Asia Pacific Region; Allen Graham, radio training director for the Latin America Region; and the leader of Reach Beyond’s Indonesian partner organization. Participants also provided a local cultural perspective.

Kickbush said this was his final GVLI after helping with the program in both Indonesia and Nepal the last three years.

“It has been a joy to serve with Ron and Barb Cline who are two amazing and godly people,” he concluded. “I’ve been inspired by the managers who have attended GVLI for their tenacity and capacity to minister often with extremely limited resources and in some cases in highly sensitive and potentially dangerous areas. I look at many of their situations and simply say, ‘To God be the glory for the things He has done.’”

Sources: Reach Beyond, Operation World