The End of an Era for Adventist World Magazine
After two decades of publication, the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s magazine, Adventist World, has released its final issue. With a substantial readership of approximately 1.5 million, the magazine has played a significant role in connecting members of the faith across the globe.
The June edition marked the end of the publication, as announced by Merle Poirier, a former staff member and current operations manager for the Adventist Review. “You hold in your hand the last issue of Adventist World,” Poirier reflected. “Even though I’ve known this day was coming, it’s still difficult for me to write, let alone read.”
The baton is now passed to the Adventist Review, a long-standing denominational publication, which will assume the task of reaching a global audience. Poirier highlighted the transition, stating, “When one is a person of faith and a follower of God, while times might be disheartening, we can never remain there long, because we know who is in charge.”
The decision to merge Adventist World with Adventist Review was made last year, maintaining the same editorial team. This merger aims to blend the comprehensive reach of Adventist World with the thoughtful content depth of the Adventist Review.
Gerald A. Klingbeil, a former senior editor who began his tenure in 2009, recounted the magazine’s challenges and triumphs in a recent article. He noted the financial and logistical hurdles of producing a multilingual magazine distributed on multiple continents, while celebrating the diverse voices that enriched its pages.
Launched in September 2005 under the leadership of Jan Paulsen, a past president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Adventist World was created to unify the church’s message globally. Paulsen emphasized, “We think it is critical to the church, to the church’s witness, to the unity of the church that we have a voice that can speak to the whole world church, with the same message to all.” Initially, the magazine’s rollout included a million copies annually at an estimated cost of $2.5 million, eventually expanding to over 20 languages.
This article was originally written by www.christianpost.com
