New Leadership for Review and Herald Publishing Association

By: Gina Wahlen

The Review and Herald Publishing Association Board voted Brad J. Thorp as its new president, and Melinda J. Worden as vice president for operations as of April 16, 2018.

“From the beginning of our Church’s history, the Review and Herald has given strong support for evangelism and mission”

Since 2016, Thorp has served at the General Conference assisting Ted N.C. Wilson, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, as a Field Secretary for evangelism outreach.He will continue to do so part-time in addition to his new Review and Herald Publishing Association (R&H) responsibilities. Previously, he served as president of the denomination’s television outreach, Hope Channel, for 22 years. During that time, Thorp oversaw Hope Channel’s growth from a NET satellite uplink in the 1990s to a global television network broadcasting in multiple countries and languages.

“From the beginning of our Church’s history, the Review and Herald has given strong support for evangelism and mission,” explains Thorp. “In this digital age, I believe the Review and Herald will provide even more materials that are easily available for the world church family to advance our mission. With the blessing of God, as we boldly use all resources available to us, I believe God will help everyone in our world learn of Jesus’ soon return.”

Melinda Worden began work at the Review and Herald in 1995, and most recently served as publishing operations manager. Previously, she served in a number of other capacities at the publishing house and has an extensive knowledge of the R&H activities and the publishing work.

“I am honored to accept this new position and continue to be part the Review and Herald,” said Worden. “The books, magazines, music, art, and audio-visual materials published by the Review and Herald hold a special place in all our lives. For many of us, we can trace our earliest understandings of God’s message from something published by the Review and Herald. It is God’s publishing house, and I am looking forward to carrying on His publishing work, reaching and touching the lives of many more.”

The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists has continued the Review & Herald Publishing Association, which includes its intellectual property, as a General Conference institution functioning with limited publishing house activities, despite R&H not having its own general physical production plant.

Since its transition, Robert Lemon, retired Treasurer of the General Conference, served as the R&H Publishing Association’s president.

“We are extremely grateful to Bob Lemon for his fine and diligent work during a very complicated and difficult period for the R&H,” said Wilson, who also serves as chair of the Review & Herald Publishing Association Board. “But Bob is wanting to phase out of this work to more fully enjoy his well-earned retirement.”

Looking from the past to the future, Wilson noted, “The Review and Herald has had a long history of proclaiming the Advent truth, and we are extremely grateful for that heritage, which will not end. We want the R&H to move into directions that will provide helpful services and resources to the Advent movement worldwide,proclaiming the three angels’ messages.”

Wilson emphasized that “the Review and Herald will take a very spiritual approach to all that is done, asking the Lord to impress the team as to what should be accomplished to bring glory to God in the proclamation of the Advent message through the power of the Holy Spirit.

“Various ideas will be reviewed,” said Wilson, “and we ask people to pray earnestly as the R&H works closely with Adventist publishing institutions and others as a support service and as a resource center for proclaiming Christ, His righteousness, His three angels’ messages,His sanctuary service, His health message, and His soon coming.”