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The Back to the Bible board terminated the agreement because of "insurmountable obstacles," Back to the Bible President Woodrow Kroll said.
"In late 2007, because of apparent similarities in vision and passion, Back to the Bible and Walk in the Word attempted to effect a merger of their broadcast ministries. It is with a sense of God's direction and provision, however, that the merger talks have been discontinued and that each ministry will continue its work separately."
Back to the Bible is in good financial shape, Kroll said. "We rely on donations, and we have our ups and downs, but we had a great December. God has provided for us for 70 years; he hasn't changed, and I think we have a very bright future."
Lincoln-based Back to the Bible terminates agreement with a Chicago radio program.
Lincoln-based Back to the Bible and a Chicago-based Christian radio program will not merge their broadcast ministries, the Journal Star confirmed Tuesday.
In December, it was announced the Rev. James MacDonald of the "Walk in the Word" radio program would become president of Back to the Bible and would eventually become the radio voice of the combined broadcasts.
But the Back to the Bible board terminated the agreement because of "insurmountable obstacles," Back to the Bible President Woodrow Kroll said.
Kroll would not specify the problems that stood in the way of the agreement but said they were not financial in nature.
Back to the Bible issued the following statement Tuesday:
"In late 2007, because of apparent similarities in vision and passion, Back to the Bible and Walk in the Word attempted to effect a merger of their broadcast ministries. It is with a sense of God's direction and provision, however, that the merger talks have been discontinued and that each ministry will continue its work separately."
Kroll will continue as president and primary Bible teacher for the organization, headquartered at 6400 Cornhusker Highway.
Dr. Dale Michaels, a local physician, will continue as board chairman, said Tami Weissert, vice president of media and communications and co-host of the "Back to the Bible" radio program, which is heard on 1,100 outlets in North America.
"The (radio) program will continue unchanged," she said.
Kroll, 63, has headed the ministry since 1990. In 2000, he shocked the board by reading his letter of resignation - then added that he would like it to take effect in 2010.
Since then, he has reminded the board it needs to be thinking about his successor.
Under the proposed agreement, that person would have been MacDonald. Now the board is looking for another successor, with the hope of bringing two or three people into the ministry, one of whom could take Kroll's place in three to five years, he said.
"We didn't need this merger; we just thought it would be a way to find a successor to me."
Kroll said his successor should be a younger person who will be able to lead the ministry for another 20 years. "I believe that the best way to win the next generation is to be one of them."
A call to MacDonald's office at Harvest Bible Chapel in suburban Chicago was not immediately returned Tuesday.
In recent months, Back to the Bible has scaled back its Lincoln operations, closing the Edge64 coffee house and music venue in December and shutting down its skateboard park this month.
But it also is expanding in other areas, including Web resources and video.
Back to the Bible is in good financial shape, Kroll said. "We rely on donations, and we have our ups and downs, but we had a great December. God has provided for us for 70 years; he hasn't changed, and I think we have a very bright future."
Reach Bob Reeves at 473-7212 or [email protected].
Caption: b/w head photo of Woodrow Kroll
Copyright Lee Enterprises, Inc. Jan 23, 2008