The ministry of The Encouraging Word (TEW) is a testimony of God’s faithfulness to First Baptist Spartanburg. In 1956, the church began broadcasting the Sunday morning worship services on the local CBS affiliate, WSPA. As God blessed the television ministry it became evident that there were new opportunities to share God’s truth with more people around the world.

In 2004, under the leadership of Dr. Don Wilton, the vision was cast to extend the broadcast to a national audience, and on Easter Sunday 2005 The Encouraging Word (TEW) began broadcasting. In 2006, TEW became a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) and in 2010 TEW became a member of the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB).