2016-06-30
(RNS) Southern Baptists are going to take their turn at reality TV, with plans to broadcast the ministry-related adventures of teen-agers surfing in San Diego, scaling the mountains of Yosemite National Park and helping runaways in a San Francisco coffeehouse.

FamilyNet, a television network operated by the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board, will film "TruthQuest: California" this summer. The shows, which aim to offer an alternative to reality-based fare on networks such as MTV, are scheduled to air in 13 half-hour episodes in the fall.

The effort is a joint project of several Southern Baptist divisions, including Baptist Press, the denomination's news service. "It shows who Southern Baptists really are, that we are people that are normal, that like to go out and have a good time and love the Lord," said Todd Starnes, coordinator of the project and assistant editor of Baptist Press.

A dozen teen-agers from Southern Baptist churches across the country have been selected to board a refurbished Winnebago and travel to various destinations across California for a 16-day period in July. In addition to being filmed by camera crews, the teens will write stories about their experience and be featured on interactive Web sites.

The shows will be co-hosted by Christian artists Joy Williams and Jason Perry, a member of Plus One, Starnes said. FamilyNet, which is based in Fort Worth, Texas, has a potential audience of 38 million households and is picked up by cable systems and broadcast stations across the country.

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