Following on the 'Jabulani Freedom of the Airwaves Conference' in Amsterdam in 1991, the South African Council of Churches set up a steering committee to promote religious broadcasting. The religious representatives of the discussion groups of the SABC had also set up a committee independent of the SABC to approach the broader faith community.

Occasioned by the Independent Broadcasting Act of 1993, the National Church Leaders' Meeting encouraged these two committees to cooperate in bringing together representatives from the various religious communities in South Africa. These met in Kempton Park in October 1994, at one of the most representative interfaith meetings ever held in SA. (Attendance represented over 70% of South Africa's religious community.) At this conference the IFRB came into being and a 15-member Board was elected.

The same National Church Leaders' Meeting in March 1995 recognised the IFRB as its agency in regard to religious broadcasting; other religious communities have subsequently done likewise.

In its inaugural year the IFRB's Constitution was drafted and this was approved by the second Forum at the end of 1995. A document on Norms for Religious Broadcasting was approved by the 1996 Forum.