Over 70 years ago, television was new, and while wary at first, George Vandeman and other church leaders saw the potential that this medium could have in preparing hearts for Christ. The decision was made to create a set of evangelistic films that could be aired on television ahead of an evangelism series. Thirteen programs were filmed in New York, and they began airing in Fresno and Bakersfield, California, on March 25, 1956. Coined by former actress Penny Edwards, this new ministry was called “It Is Written,” after Matthew 4:4.
Pastor John and Melissa Bradshaw. On March 25, 2026, It Is Written staff celebrated the 70th anniversary of It Is Written with a lunch gathering.
The broadcast quickly expanded in the following year to Washington, D.C., then other cities. The efforts were a success, with hundreds of people attending follow-up evangelistic series and declaring that they had first heard of It Is Written from the television series. From the beginning, It Is Written engaged local churches, pastors, and lay members in following up on leads generated by the television show. This proved to be a successful method and one that the ministry continues to use to this day.
Although the world has changed in tremendous ways since 1956, one thing has remained the same: It Is Written’s mission to share the gospel with the world. When George Vandeman began It Is Written in 1956, he did so not with the sole purpose of creating a Christian television show. Rather, It Is Written was begun as a means to further the work of evangelism, recognizing the impact that this powerful new media could have. Seventy years later, It Is Written continues to find innovative ways to tell others about Jesus, through media production, Escrito Está, Bible resources, children’s ministry, personal and public evangelism, and more.
“It’s an exciting time for media ministry,” said John Bradshaw, It Is Written president. “There’s a world to win, and warn, and clearly media gives us the opportunity to connect with people we would otherwise not get the chance to meet. And we must share a message that is clear and Bible-based.” He continued, “Many secular media personalities are commenting on the Bible right now, and on prophecy in particular, along with religious figures who are doing the same thing. God has given us the opportunity to share a message of truth, rather than confusion. We have the opportunity—the responsibility—to point people to Jesus and a saving relationship with Him, at a time when the world is desperate for clarity.”
Media Production
Although It Is Written first began airing in black and white, the ministry adapted to changing times and later became the first religious television program to broadcast in color. It Is Written also holds the distinction of being the tenth-longest-running television program in the United States.¹
Originally housed at the General Conference in Maryland, It Is Written moved to the Adventist Media Center in Thousand Oaks, California, in 1972 along with other church media ministries. Until the late 2000s, media production was done almost exclusively by outside contractors. Today, It Is Written employs a team of more than 15 dedicated, talented media professionals who create all content internally. This allows for greater quality control and evangelistic focus, while being more cost-effective for the ministry.
Today, It Is Written shares biblical truth by producing eight original programs in English and Spanish, plus other specialty programs. Our flagship It Is Written (English) and Escrito Está (Spanish) series examine salvation through Christ, deep Scriptural truths, prophecy, and practical Christian living. We offer Sabbath School programs in both languages. Our popular one-minute daily devotionals, Every Word and Toda Palabra, are distributed through email and multiple social media platforms to a global audience, reaching hearts with the power of the Word of God. Additionally, Conversations features incredible testimonies from guests, while Line Upon Line answers viewers’ Bible questions.
Our media production team works hard to produce, film, edit, and distribute all of these programs across the nation and around the globe through television and radio channels, our online channel, It Is Written TV, and social media.
In the past few years, we have greatly expanded our presence in perhaps the largest mission field ever: the internet. We have dedicated staff directly to the development of our YouTube channel, optimizing and posting programs to reach hearts searching for the Lord. We are thankful to report that this effort is showing positive results.
“Two of our Conversations programs recently passed a quarter of a million views, quite remarkable for hour-long programs that have not been specifically promoted,” said Pastor John. “One of our recent Revelation Today: Hope For Humanity programs has been seenmore than 600,000 times—again, without promotion. We thank God for growing this effort online and reaching people that we may otherwise never come in contact with.”
Escrito Está
In 1994, our Spanish ministry began, led by Pastor Milton Peverini. Pastor Robert Costa has led the ministry since 2006, and he completes a dozen evangelism campaigns each year, in addition to filming new television programs. “Today, Escrito Está’s impact throughout Latin America is exponential,” said Carolina Bonilla, Escrito Está coordinator. “In countries like Colombia and Mexico, thousands of people are exposed to words of encouragement and salvation through the daily devotional, Toda Palabra (Every Word). There are testimonies of individuals whose lives have been dramatically changed after listening to episodes of Escrito Está.”
One viewer shared her testimony after she and later, her husband, were both diagnosed with cancer three years ago. “I cried out to God, and I have been able to witness His power at work in our lives. Throughout this entire time, my husband and I have studied various topics—such as the Sabbath, baptism, the nature of death, and the worship of images—through your Escrito Está channel; and, thanks be to God, he has come to understand them. He was raised and educated as a Catholic within a Portuguese family, so listening to these topics presented a significant spiritual struggle for him. Today, we are both cancer-free, and, God willing, soon, he will be baptized. Your channel has been a tremendous blessing to us.”
Publishing
In the 1960s, It Is Written began to advertise free books that accompanied each program’s topic, starting with George Vandeman’s popular Planet in Rebellion. Today, our publishing department continues to share free Bible study resources through both mail and digital channels, sending over 12,000 through the mail in 2025 alone! We also sell sharing books, Bibles, children’s materials, and more, including our popular Bible study guides. The It Is Written Bible Study Guides are offered in 11 languages, and we are completing a 12th printing of the English version, bringing the total to over 5.2 million individual Bible guides printed. We are currently working on another Vacation Bible School program, more Bible studies, and other spiritual resources. Preschool Bible studies and a new VBS are currently in development.
We recently heard from a church clerk in Tennessee, who reported that two weeks ago, a man visited their church looking for resources and study materials. He expressed that he is an avid It Is Written viewer. “They have it right on the Bible. They’re right about the Sabbath, and they’re right about Jesus,” he said through tears. While his wife has forbidden him from having anything to do with the church of the Bible, his heart is towards the Lord and the message we share. He is very grateful for the ministry of It Is Written, which, to him, is a lifeline.
My Place With Jesus
In 2008, My Place With Jesus began as a dedicated way to reach children with the truths of the Bible. While first an interactive website for children ages 7-12, My Place With Jesus has grown to include the beloved My Place With Jesus Bible Guides, the Buried Treasure evangelism program, Flight 3:16 VBS, and many other Bible study print and digital activities.
“Statistics show that most people who accept Jesus as their personal Savior make that decision between the ages of 4 and 14,” said Melissa Bradshaw, director of children’s ministries. “This is why My Place With Jesus is so important.”
Evangelism & Missions
Just as George Vandeman did in the early days, we continue to connect evangelism to media ministry, with incredible results.
“Evangelism remains a cornerstone of It Is Written today,” said Pastor John. “Everything we do comes back to evangelism—inviting men and women and boys and girls to know Jesus as their personal Savior. That’s what we’re here to do.”
Today, It Is Written is actively engaged in evangelistic series, evangelism training, and global mission work. Each year, It Is Written English speakers present 10–20 full and short campaigns both locally and globally. Our fall Revelation series in Baltimore, Maryland, reached thousands with the gospel, and hundreds were baptized as a result. Evangelism training is held through SALT, ReCharge, and our summer intensive, SummerSALT. In the last three years alone, we have equipped over 3,000 pastors and church members with evangelism training. Our Soul-winning And Leadership Training (SALT) program began at Southern Adventist University in 2011, and this year, a new chapter will open at Union Adventist University. This program equips young people and lay leaders to understand the Bible and share their faith with others.
It Is Written Missions works to bring tangible help to people. Typically, five trips per year are conducted. Recent mission trips include Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Honduras, Indonesia, and the Philippines, among others. Future trips include Malawi, Sierra Leone, Ukraine, and more.
In the last three years, It Is Written mission trip participants have witnessed more than 14,000 baptisms and more than 25,000 people helped in medical clinics, with over 2,000 water filters distributed in the last year, providing clean water to more than 10,000 people. Ophthalmologist Dr. Jacob Prabhakar has completed around 5,000 eye surgeries in the last five years in connection with It Is Written mission trips.
“It Is Written missions have an eternal impact, changing lives for today and giving hope for tomorrow,” said Pastor Wes Peppers, director of evangelism and missions. “This impact gives people help that they could never find elsewhere or have the resources to obtain. It opens the door for thousands to receive the gospel.”
At a staff lunch to honor the ministry’s 70th anniversary on March 25, 2026, Pastor John gave a brief overview of the ministry’s history, thanked the staff, and reaffirmed the mission of It Is Written.
“Seventy years ago, the world’s population was about three billion,” said Pastor John. “And now the world has eight billion people. It has grown immensely, telling us that our mission field is growing, and the possibilities before us are essentially endless. So here’s to many more years, but many more years doing what God has called us to do. We will write, we will preach, we will teach, we will create. And we will broadcast in every way we possibly can, to as many people as we realistically can, inviting all of them to know Jesus.”
Some historical information has been taken from the Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists.
¹ https://stacker.com/stories/2372/50-longest-running-tv-series
This fall, It Is Written received special recognition from the government of Colombia, acknowledging the important work of Escrito Está, It Is Written’s Spanish-language ministry, in that country. Senator Lorena Ríos Cuellar presented John Bradshaw, It Is Written president, and Robert Costa, speaker/director of Escrito Está, with an official expression of appreciation on November 29, 2025, during the closing ceremony of a union-wide evangelism initiative.
Starting fall 2026, the It Is Written Soul-winning And Leadership Training (SALT) program will be held on the campus of Union Adventist University (Union) in Lincoln, Nebraska. This new SALT initiative will be in addition to the existing SALT program held at Southern Adventist University (Southern) in Collegedale, Tennessee. Alex Rodriguez joins the new program as director, with Felicia Sanders filling the role of outreach coordinator.
It Is Written announces a special livestream series to be broadcast July 4–11 from the General Conference Session of Seventh-day Adventists. While not streaming the session itself, this original It Is Written program will feature live interviews, ministry updates, and inspiring stories from those attending the event in St. Louis, Missouri.
Evangelism changes lives. As the Word of God is presented, hearts are touched by Jesus’ love and sacrifice. The power of God pierces through the darkness of this world to break the chains of sin and set people free. Such was the experience during our spring campaign in Alaska.
