The church in Mongolia has seen spectacular growth since 1990 when the country moved from communism to a democratic form of government. At that time there were only four known Christians in the nation of 3 million. By 2000 the number of believers had increased to nearly 10,000, and a decade later it reached 40,000, the new believers gathering in some 600 churches - 300 in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar and 300 in the provinces. Today the growth continues. Mongolia has the eighth-fastest growing church in the world, although Operation World indicates that evangelicals still represent only about 1.2 percent of the population. Meanwhile, Christian radio is playing an increasingly important role in that growth. ‘Through radio, thousands of people now can hear the truth, and in this [once-communist] country - nearly voided of religious influence for decades - people are listening,’ said Sam Joseph, a Reach Beyond (formerly HCJB Global) radio planter.