Groundwork Celebrates 15 Years

This year, we celebrate 15 years delving into the rich soil of God’s Word with Groundwork. Our first episode aired on April 18, 2010, on approximately 150 radio outlets in North America and worldwide. In the months leading up to the initial launch, program producers set out to develop a fresh, two-pastor conversational format and, in addition to radio, explore 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.

New program, established legacy

You might be surprised to learn that Groundwork’s story began not in 2010, but in 1939. As early as 1928, innovators in the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) recognized that the new medium, radio, was a “gift from God” to fulfill the great commission. Sadly, the Great Depression forced them to postpone enacting their vision for more than 10 years. It would not be until December 1939 that The Back to God Hour, a weekly 30-minute Bible preaching program, broadcast its first episode. The new radio program grew quickly, airing across the United States and Canada by the 1950s and, in the decades that followed, around the world in a dozen countries. In that time, it also expanded into an international ministry with programs in many languages. It was in April 2010, just one week before the first episode of Groundwork aired, that The Back to God Hour broadcast its final episode after 71 years. The 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

Even so, Groundwork didn’t come about overnight. Between 2008 and 2010, Bob Heerspink, the director of Back to God Ministries International (now called ReFrame Ministries), and Steven Koster, the leader of ReFrame Media, the agency’s English ministry, recognized that major changes were occurring on the terrestrial radio landscape. What had been a wide-open new frontier in the 1930s was being eclipsed by new types of media. Television had already claimed a share of radio listenership, but the rise of the internet and the increasing availability of on-demand streaming were having a major impact on broadcast radio in general. With the listenership of The Back to God Hour steadily dropping, Bob and Steven decided to make a fresh start. They would retire the ministry’s flagship radio program, and in partnership with David Bast, the president of the media ministry Words of Hope, strike out on a new course, with a new format on exciting new distribution channels. In addition to radio, Groundwork would go all in on 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 Dave to refine the two-pastor conversational style. With multiple decades of broadcast experience between the two hosts, they set a goal of tackling substantive biblical topics and questions in a way that invited the listener into the discussion. With Bob and Dave at the microphones, the Groundwork team produced several pilot episodes and presented them to test audiences and focus groups. The feedback they received 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 a pair of relatively new social media platforms, such as Facebook. The program resonated immediately with listeners and quickly earned engaged followers on social media with regular questions like “We were wondering?”, posted soundbites, and, at that time, novel Bible verse and prayer memes.

Tragedy and resolve 

Sadly, just over a year after that first episode, tragedy struck. 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 appeared in more than 360 episodes together. Their discussions dug into big biblical topics 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. The COVID-19 pandemic forced a lengthy pause in the production of new episodes in the spring of 2020. Thankfully, the team had gotten a head start on recording and 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. Streams and email subscriptions rose sharply. The team worked very intentionally 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.

Changes and the next 15 years 

When 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 considered several highly qualified candidates. Darrell Delaney, a pastor in Grand Rapids, MI, earned the nod and joined the team 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. 

In some ways, the first 15 years of Groundwork feel like they passed quickly. However, when we consider that Groundwork is the direct descendant of our very first radio program, The Back to God Hour, its history stretches far beyond a mere 15 years. Our team continues to recognize that modern media, be it online or on the air, is an ongoing gift from God, enabling us to carry on 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. We remain dedicated to teaching and providing resources that support both new and lifelong believers as they cultivate their faith and make Scripture the foundation for their daily lives.