When people filled Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Adelaide to listen to the launch of The Lutheran Hour radio program in Australia on 2 September 1945, they could not have known what that event would set in motion.
That broadcast effectively was the birth of an enduring and life-changing outreach ministry, which today, 80 years on, we know (and love) as Lutheran Media.
Of course, it was a very different time. World War II had barely ended in the Pacific, with considerable rationing still in place. A fair percentage of households owned a ‘wireless’ for news and entertainment, but television was still more than a decade away in this part of the world.
None of the people listening to Dr Walter Maier’s message from those stately wooden pews – nor anyone tuning into 36 stations in capital cities and rural centres around the nation – could have known what forms gospel outreach through media would take in 2025.
Lutheran Media is now far more than a radio ministry. While radio spots (played across more than 1200 frequencies) still have a vital role in sharing messages of life and hope in Christ, there are also videos, podcasts and social media posts, as well as booklets and other resources, both for children and adults.
Today, Lutheran Media reaches millions of people through its flagship Messages of hope ministry across this wide array of platforms.
We thank God for his gift of 80 years of Lutheran Media. Truly, the greatest blessing of this gospel outreach is that while the media and ministry names may have changed over eight decades, the life-giving message they share has not.
– Lisa McIntosh
