SACRAMENTO, CALIF. Amazing Facts, Inc., a Seventh-day Adventist ministry associated with the Northern California Conference (NCC), will restructure to become an autonomous supporting ministry beginning in 2019.
On Sunday, August 12, Amazing Facts’ constituency gathered for a special session at the Granite Bay Seventh-day Adventist Church in Northern California for a significant vote regarding the future of the ministry.
Established in 1965, Amazing Facts launched as a fifteen-minute radio program produced in the basement of the Chesapeake Conference headquarters. The program was an instant success, and it was soon heard across North America. The ministry eventually expanded into television, publishing, and evangelism training. In 1995, a year after Elder Joe Crews died, the ministry relocated to the Northern California Conference, where, for more than twenty years, it has continued to thrive, growing into an international evangelistic ministry with official operations in North America and six other nations, including Australia and the Philippines.
Because the ministry has grown far beyond the borders of a conference district, and because of mounting concerns about potential changes in U.S. nonprofit law, the constituency approved, by unanimous vote, the restructuring of Amazing Facts as a supporting ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Amazing Facts, Inc., will change its name to Amazing Facts International, with a board composed largely of existing board members. This action represents no change in the Amazing Facts mission statement, for its employees, or in its relationship with the Granite Bay Church, where Mr. Batchelor currently serves as senior pastor and which will continue to be a member church of the NCC.
Pastor Doug Batchelor and the officers and board of Amazing Facts have worked closely with the NCC executive committee in making this decision. Says Batchelor, “In reality, this step is simply overdue recognition that Amazing Facts has expanded its operations and now reaches far beyond what was envisioned when it was first formed in 1965 with three employees. The ministry now employs nearly a hundred staff as it prepares to move into its new 60,000-square foot church and office campus, called the W.O.R.D. Center, in 2019.”
Adds Batchelor, “One of the principal goals of Amazing Facts is to support and grow local churches. That isn’t changing. As new believers respond to our broadcasts, Bible School, websites, and literature, we point them to local churches not only in the Northern California Conference, but in divisions and conferences all around the world. Our goal is to support the worldwide church by helping to grow local membership with informed, passionate, and active new believers—which has been reflected in our mission statement for years.”
Amazing Facts’ mission statement is: To proclaim to the world the everlasting gospel of Revelation 14:6–12, to encourage revival in the remnant church through leading people to embrace salvation by faith in Jesus, to establish them in the church, and to disciple all believers in the joy of leading others to Christ by word and example.
For friends and supporters of Amazing Facts, contributions will remain fully tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
For inquiries about the restructuring and for interview requests, please contact:
Amazing Facts
Marketing Department
P.O. Box 1058, Roseville, CA 95678
marketing@amazingfacts.org
(916) 434-3880
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