Move takes place after a vote following region’s year-end meetings earlier this month.
AdventSource, the official ministry supply center for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America, became a North American Division (NAD) institution on November 9, 2018, following a vote by the NAD Corporation Board.
With this vote, AdventSource joins Seminars Unlimited, Pacific Press Publishing Association, Oakwood University, and Christian Record Services as NAD institutions.
“AdventSource is an integral and indispensable provider of ministry resources and services for the North America Division. Their call center and website have become the place to find everything ‘Adventist!’” said NAD vice president for ministries Debra Brill. “We are delighted to welcome AdventSource into the family of NAD institutional providers.”
“In 1992 when Tom Evans came to the Mid-America Union, one of the first things he said to me was, ‘We need to make AdventSource [an official] Seventh-day Adventist organization.’ We have been working on that since then,” said AdventSource president Brad Forbes. “AdventSource is proud to be part of the NAD, and we look forward to helping churches in this division do great things for God.”
About AdventSource
Located in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States, AdventSource’s mission is to provide local church leaders with quality Christian resources and excellent customer service, Forbes said. According to recent records, AdventSource sells more than 5,000 products designed to empower local church ministry. AdventSource’s selection includes leadership books, seminars, Vacation Bible School programs, Pathfinder and Adventurer Club supplies, and more. In addition, AdventSource provides support for Adventist Church Connect, the NAD’s network of websites available at no charge to churches in North America. AdventSource also handles registration for many Adventist Church events.
AdventSource began in 1982 as a partnership between the General Conference Youth Ministries department and Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska. First named North American Youth Ministries (NAYM), the goal was to establish a central distribution center for Pathfinder Club supplies in North America and provide employment for college students. In 1997 the ministry was rebranded as AdventSource, became incorporated, and obtained denominational status under the Mid-America Union.
Today AdventSource employs 25 full-time staff and 30 students who work part-time between classes. AdventSource’s office includes a call center and teams responsible for resource development, accounting, technology, production, and shipping.
Leaders explained that a continuous resource development process allows for AdventSource to create and distribute resources that equip pastors and local church leaders for ministry. “Whatever ministries are happening at a local church, AdventSource has something to support and encourage those ministries to grow,” they said.
