MISSION STATEMENT
To be an innovative Seventh-day Adventist publishing house producing simple, practical, and truth-filled products that prepare people for Jesus’ soon coming.
OUR STORY
The Review and Herald Publishing Association continues to be the oldest institution of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, predating even the organization of the church itself. Our church pioneers were faced with the challenge of the best way to “herald” the wonderful Bible truths that they were “reviewing” to more and more people.
God sent the answer in a vision to Ellen White: “After coming out of vision, I said to my husband: ‘I have a message for you. You must begin to print a little paper and send it out to the people. Let it be small at first; but as the people read, they will send you means with which to print, and it will be a success from the first. From this small beginning it was shown to me to be like streams of light that went clear round the world’ ” (Life Sketches, p. 125).
It was a bold task to be accomplished by such a small group of people. But they were not alone; God was on their side, and His promise was quickly fulfilled. He blessed their efforts, and the publishing work grew into a ministry that now reaches more and more people every day.
It has been more than 170 years since that first publication made its way to readers. Billions of pages filled with messages of God’s hope, love, health, and Bible truths continue to cover the globe. Today most Adventists can trace their earliest understandings of God’s messages to something that was published by the Review and Herald. Once again, we are a small staff with a great task before us. We lean on Christ as never before participating in the great worldwide publishing work of sharing the three angels’ messages and news of Christ’s soon coming.
The Adventist publishing work began in 1849 with James and Ellen White. A founding member of the Seventh-day Adventist church, James wore many hats, or would have if he could have afforded them. In a given day James was writer, editor, proofreader, binder, shipper, and business manager for The Present Truth, the church's first periodical.
In 1983 the Review and Herald moved to Hagerstown, Maryland. There was plenty of space to build as the property was previously a farm. The property included a house and barn, both dating back to the early 1800s.
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Today the Review and Herald no longer runs the machinery of printing presses, but it continues on as a publisher. It has a narrower focus and a much-reduced staff, many of whom hold the Review and Herald position as an additional role to their primary job.
The Review and Herald will continue to provide new and revived materials that are the building blocks of our faith. The books, magazines, music, art, and audiovisual materials published by the Review and Herald hold a special place in all our lives. It is God’s publishing house, and we are looking forward to carrying on His publishing work, reaching and touching the lives of many more through printed and electronic formats.
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Together with our fellow Adventist publishing houses, advances in technology, the Ellen G. White Estate, and General Conference departments, the RHPA will continue to fulfill the mission and send out “streams of light” around the world.