Words of Hope

What Words of Hope does

Words of Hope is an independent Christian nonprofit media ministry headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1944 by Rev. Howard Teusink as "Temple Time" and renamed in 1974, the organization produces and distributes Bible-based media content to unreached people groups across 12 countries. It is governed by an independent board, receives no denominational assessments or mission shares, and operates through a distributed model in which approximately 46 U.S.-based staff support a network of more than 220 indigenous Christian leaders embedded in local communities in Albania, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Kosovo, Nepal, Niger, South Sudan, Turkiye, Uganda, and other countries. The primary beneficiaries are individuals living in contexts where Christianity is restricted, under-resourced, or actively persecuted.

The core product portfolio centers on multi-channel Christian media: local-language FM radio broadcasts, television programming, mobile applications (iOS and Android), podcasts, MP3 recordings, and SD cards distributed for areas with limited connectivity. Its flagship consumer product is the Words of Hope Daily Devotional, delivered free via email, print, and a mobile app, supported by published resources including the books "God of My Days," "Apostoloi," and "Read the Bible in a Year," as well as the "One Faith" Sunday School curriculum. Production capacity spans more than 80 heart languages, and the organization maintains international recording studios built since 2006 in multiple field locations to enable locally produced content; no proprietary AI, API, or software platform is documented in the source material.

The business model is donor-supported and non-commercial. Revenue consists of individual donations — including the recurring "Partners in Outreach" monthly giving program — and church partnership contributions from North American churches that receive quarterly reports, monthly prayer guides, video updates, and field-visit opportunities. Core served segments include indigenous Christian leaders equipped for ministry, English-speaking individual devotional readers, North American partner churches, and unreached people groups reached through media. Marketing is conducted primarily through content marketing, social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), email devotionals, and a volunteer Ambassador Program across the U.S. and Canada; the daily devotional is offered free of charge with donations optional.

Name

Words of Hope

Legal name

Words of Hope

Website

https://woh.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Words of Hope is an independent Christian nonprofit media ministry producing Bible-based radio broadcasts, devotionals, and digital content in 80+ heart languages across 12 countries, equipping 220+ indigenous Christian leaders to share the gospel in unreached and restricted contexts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Words of Hope operates as a donor-supported nonprofit ministry. Individual donors contribute one-time and recurring gifts to support global operations. Monthly Partner in Outreach program provides sustained giving with behind-the-scenes updates.
2. Church Partnerships: Churches provide financial support through general ministry funds or designated field support. Churches receive quarterly reports, monthly prayer guides, and connection to field leaders for visits and preaching opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Words of Hope is a Christian media ministry that produces and distributes Bible-based devotionals, radio broadcasts, and multi-platform gospel content in over 80 heart languages across 12 countries. The organization partners with 220+ indigenous Christian leaders who create and deliver content in their own communities and languages. Core offerings include a free daily devotional (email, print, and mobile app), radio and television broadcasts, SD card content for low-connectivity regions, devotional books, and a Sunday school missions curriculum, all supported by individual donations and church partnerships.

Product overview

Words of Hope is a Christian media ministry offering a portfolio of devotional and broadcast products. The core offering is the Words of Hope Daily Devotional, available via email, print, and mobile app. The organization produces Bible-based radio broadcasts in over 80 heart languages, distributed through FM radio and SD card content in hard-to-reach areas. Supplementary products include books (God of My Days, Apostoloi, Read the Bible in a Year), the One Faith Sunday School curriculum, and mobile applications. The organization also operates church partnership and ambassador volunteer programs to extend its global reach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Words of Hope Daily Devotional
• Radio Broadcasts
• God of My Days
• Apostoloi
• Read the Bible in a Year
• One Faith Curriculum
• Mobile App (iOS/Android)
• SD Card Content Distribution

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Trans World RadiocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1985Partnership formed in 1985 to blanket the world in missionary radio. Collaboration focused on reaching all people with the opportunity to hear the words of Christ in their own languages through combined broadcasting infrastructure and reach.
• Far East Broadcasting CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1985Partnership formed in 1985 to expand missionary radio reach globally. Combined efforts to ensure all people could have the opportunity to hear the words of Christ in their own languages.
• Discipleship EssentialsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership in Albania for deepening engagement through discipleship training and resources alongside Words of Hope's media ministry.
• Thru the BibleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Albania providing additional Bible teaching resources to complement Words of Hope's programming and deepen spiritual engagement.
• Bible Correspondence CourseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinistry partnership in Turkiye where the Turkish director works with Bible Correspondence Course to advertise free Bibles and Bible study materials in local newspapers.
• Evangelical Church of the Republic of NigercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal church partnership in Niger for producing Christian media content and empowering indigenous communities. Collaboration with local team to create content in eight languages aired on local FM radio.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Trans World Radio (TWR): Global Christian broadcaster producing indigenous-language radio programming in over 300 languages. Direct peer and Words of Hope's longest-standing strategic partner, with overlapping mission, distribution model, and target beneficiaries.
• Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC): International Christian radio ministry broadcasting gospel content in more than 130 languages across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Closely comparable to Words of Hope in cross-border radio ministry and indigenous-language strategy.
• Pioneers: Mission organization planting churches among unreached people groups through indigenous leader teams. Highly comparable in missions focus, indigenous-leader model, and donor-supported structure.
• Our Daily Bread (RBC Ministries): Produces free daily devotionals in print, email, and app formats alongside broader Bible teaching content. Operates a virtually identical devotional publishing and donor-supported model to Words of Hope's daily devotional product.
• Back to the Bible: Long-established evangelical ministry that began as a radio broadcast and has expanded into digital devotional and discipleship content. Directly comparable in heritage, broadcast heritage, and devotional model.

Broad incumbents

• InterVarsity Christian Fellowship: Faith-based organization with a global footprint in missions, discipleship, and Bible-based media. Comparable in mission mobilization, devotional content, and ambassador-style volunteer networks, though operating at a larger scale.
• Moody Radio: Christian radio network of Moody Bible Institute reaching U.S. and international audiences with biblical teaching and devotional content. A larger, broader platform incumbent with overlapping devotional and broadcast programming.
• American Bible Society: Faith-based nonprofit focused on Bible translation, distribution, and engagement globally. Comparable in Scripture-centered media, devotional publishing, and donor-supported funding of cross-border ministry.
• Wycliffe Bible Translators: Global organization focused on Bible translation and indigenous-language Scripture access. Comparable to Words of Hope's heart-language strategy and unreached-people focus, but operating at significantly larger scale.

Others

• Frontier Ventures: Organization focused on unreached people groups, mobilization, and research around world evangelization. Thematically aligned with Words of Hope's unreached-people focus but operates in mobilization and training rather than direct media production.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wordsofhope
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/WordsOfHOPE
• Facebookfacebook.com/wordsofhope
• Instagraminstagram.com/goodnewsallways
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/words-of-hope

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Words of Hope