Don Shenk

Executive Director, The Tide

Don Shenk is the Director of The Tide, a ministry that was started in 1946 as The Gospel Tide Hour, a local radio program targeting a small community in south central Pennsylvania. The Tide has since expanded and transitioned into an international Christian media ministry reaching millions of people in relatively unevangelized regions of the world in multiple languages. The Tide, in partnership with native missionaries, has been instrumental in bringing many unbelievers into relationship with Jesus Christ and establishing healthy, growing indigenous churches among pagan cultures. This is accomplished by producing evangelistic radio programs in the local language, providing radios and media players where needed, and facilitating discipleship and leadership training through literature distribution, correspondence courses, teaching seminars, and spiritual conferences.

Don was born to missionary parents in what was then known as Rhodesia, and prior to joining The Tide in 2001 served as a missionary teaching at a Bible School in Zimbabwe, Africa. In addition to lecturing in the classroom at Ekuphileni Bible Institute Don served as Academic Dean, Director of Student Ministries, and also developed and implemented a manual skills training program to enable rural pastors to minister bi-vocationally. Through twenty eight years living in Zimbabwe, and numerous visits to Africa, Eastern Europe and India as a ministry administrator and resource person for church conferences and leadership training events, Don has acquired a wealth of international, cross cultural ministry experience.

The majority of The Tide’s outreach takes place in relatively undeveloped regions of the world targeting less privileged populations and is accomplished in partnership with like minded ministries, indigenous missionaries, and local church movements. Don is prepared to discuss the effective use of media in building God’s Kingdom, along with issues related to cross cultural ministry, freedom of religion, religious persecution, the juxtaposition of religion and culture, and meeting needs without creating dependency.