How Telling the Truth began communicating God's Word

Stuart and Jill Briscoe have always had a heart for Christian teaching and outreach - for touching people's lives wherever they are and moving them toward God. With that goal, they created Telling the Truth as a way to spread God’s Word.

The ministry began in 1972 while Stuart served as senior pastor of Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin, now the largest evangelical church in the state. It was a simple tape ministry that used a makeshift basement recording studio to duplicate the Briscoes' teaching and make it available on tape. The process was slow and laborious, to say the least. It required a reel-to-reel tape recorder linked to a dozen smaller recorders. Volunteers had to monitor the process and turn over the cassettes at the appropriate time to record on the second side!

Telling the Truth broadcasts first radio program

At the urging of some friends in the radio business, the Briscoes purchased local radio time with profits from the sale of the tapes... Telling the Truth's radio ministry began. When tape sales were booming, more radio time was bought... when tape sales slowed, the ministry cut back.

Telling the Truth continued to attract listeners and supporters, enabling the ministry to expand its broadcasting to a growing number of stations throughout the United States. In the late 1990s, Telling the Truth was blessed with opportunities to expand their broadcasts overseas. It partnered with Premier Christian Radio, the only Christian station in the United Kingdom; later it began airing in 10 southern African countries. Recently, it entered the Asian continent through programming in Seoul, South Korea, capitalizing on the intense desire of Koreans to hear and learn the English language.

Pete joins Stuart and Jill's powerful Christian teaching

A fresh Briscoe voice was added to Telling the Truth in 2005, when Pete Briscoe, senior pastor at Bent Tree Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, and Stuart and Jill's youngest son, joined the Bible teaching program. Growing up in a ministry family, Pete watched and learned from his parents, and witnessed the reach and power of Telling the Truth’s ministry. Pete's contemporary style applies biblical principles to today's world with both uncompromising truth and compassion and is a perfect complement to his parents' preaching styles. In 2007, he took on the added job of program host, introducing the teaching and sharing closing comments.

Telling the Truth now heard via radio and online

Now, Telling the Truth can be heard almost anytime, anywhere, thanks to both internet technology and its expansive radio programming. Tellingthetruth.org made the Briscoe teaching of God's word available to those who couldn't hear the program in their area, but hungered to learn more about God. For many, who may never step inside the walls of a church, this is their sole source of biblical teaching and encouragement.