Groundwork Celebrates 15th Anniversary

We’re celebrating the 15th anniversary of Groundwork, our English-language audio Bible teaching radio and podcast program. Groundwork broadcast its first episode on April 18, 2010, on approximately 150 radio outlets in North America and worldwide. In the months leading up to the initial broadcast, producers developed a fresh, two-pastor conversational format and, in addition to radio, explored emerging distribution channels, including internet streaming and social media engagement. Fifteen years later, Groundwork has produced more than 645 episodes, airs on approximately 255 radio outlets worldwide, streams on every major podcast platform, and lands in tens of thousands of email inboxes each week.

An established legacy

Groundwork’s story actually began long before 2010. In 1928, innovative leaders in the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) recognized that radio was a “gift from God” to fulfill the great commission. Unfortunately, the Great Depression hindered the enactment of their vision for more than a decade. In December 1939, a new 30-minute weekly Bible preaching program, titled "The Back to God Hour," broadcast its first episode. The new radio program grew rapidly, airing across the United States and Canada by the 1950s and, in the decades that followed, expanding to a dozen countries worldwide. During that time, it also expanded into an international ministry with programs available in multiple languages. It was in April 2010 that The Back to God Hour broadcast its final episode after 71 years. The very next week, Groundwork picked up right where The Back to God Hour left off, featuring a new, casual, conversational format.

Developing a modern audio program

Making such a smooth transition required significant development of the new program. Between 2008 and 2010, Bob Heerspink, the director of Back to God Ministries International (now known as ReFrame Ministries), and Steven Koster, the leader of the agency’s English ministry, recognized that significant changes were occurring in the terrestrial radio landscape. A wide-open new frontier in the 1930s, radio had been eclipsed by new types of media, first by television, and then by the rise of the internet and the increasing availability of on-demand streaming. All this had a major impact on broadcast radio listenership. With the listenership of The Back to God Hour declining steadily, Bob and Steven decided to make a fresh start. They would retire the long-running radio program, partner with Words of Hope, a fellow media ministry, and embark on a new course with a fresh format and exciting new distribution channels. In addition to radio, Groundwork would invest heavily in internet streaming, email distribution, and social media engagement.

The new program underwent extensive development. Under Steven’s direction, producer Courtney Jacob worked with Bob and Words of Hope president David Bast to refine the two-pastor conversational style. Leveraging multiple decades of broadcast experience between them, the two hosts addressed substantive biblical topics and questions in a way that invited the listener to engage in the discussion. The Groundwork team produced several pilot episodes and presented them to test audiences and focus groups. The feedback they received from these groups helped the team make adjustments to better connect with the audience and improve the tone and flow of the hosts’ discussions. The Groundwork team posted the first episode, Is the Bible True?, on the new website, and two days later, it hit the airwaves. Groundwork also debuted on what were still relatively new social media platforms, Facebook and Twitter. The program quickly earned engaged followers on social media.

Tragedy and resolve 

Just over a year after that first episode, co-host Bob Heerspink was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and passed away just three months later. With the sudden loss of their friend and colleague, the team decided to press on with Groundwork. In the months that followed, Dave Bast hosted a rotating series of guest co-hosts on Groundwork until Scott Hoezee, Director of the Center for Preaching Excellence at Calvin Theological Seminary, joined the program full-time in 2012. Dave and Scott went on to appear in more than 360 episodes together. Their discussions dug into big biblical topics that listeners have lots of questions about, like the apparently contradictory texts in the Bible, recognizing Christ in Old Testament prophesies, and questions about heaven, hell, and eternal life, along with numerous extensive studies of books of the Bible, anything from the well-known Gospel of John to the more obscure book of Habakkuk. 

In early 2020, Words of Hope withdrew from the Groundwork partnership to pursue other ministry goals; however, Dave, who had already retired from Words of Hope in 2017, stayed on at Groundwork for another year. In the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the production of new episodes. Thankfully, an early start on recording for the next season meant the team had a number of episodes already “in the can.” As churches closed and people looked for short-term alternatives to in-person services, Groundwork was there for them. The team worked hard to meet the needs of listeners in such a frightening and difficult time. The pandemic complicated production for the next two to three years, but by God’s providence and grace, the team managed to produce a full run of new episodes in each of those years.

The next 15 years of Groundwork

Dave Bast announced his retirement from Groundwork in the spring of 2021. A year-long search process began for a new co-host to join Scott. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the team auditioned several highly qualified candidates. The team selected Pastor Darrell Delaney of Grand Rapids, Michigan, in April 2021. Darrell and Scott quickly got into a groove with each other and have had some truly outstanding conversations, unpacking God’s Word on topics of real interest to Groundwork listeners. These have included series on the book of Revelation, the inevitability of change and our unchanging God, and the Holy Trinity. 

The first 15 years of Groundwork passed quickly. However, descending from our very first radio program, The Back to God Hour, the history of Groundwork stretches back decades. Our team continues to recognize that modern media, whether online or on the air, is a gift from God, enabling us to carry out his mission of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, teaching his Word, and encouraging believers around the world. Its conversational format sets Groundwork apart from most other Bible teaching programs, making it more accessible even when discussing complex theological topics. Looking ahead, the Groundwork team plans to continue faithfully digging deeply into the soil of God’s matchless Word each week.