Indonesia Publishing House

Indonesia Publishing House (IPH) is a publishing house and printing plant operated at Bandung, West Java, Indonesia, by the West Indonesia Union Mission (WIUM) and East Indonesia Union Conference (EIUC) as an interunion institution, through a board of directors representing both unions. The publishing house only produces Seventh-day Adventist books and periodicals. No commercial printing is accepted. Publications are printed in the Indonesian language, Malay. Indonesia Publishing House is its international name according to the Seventh-day Adventist Church organization, but the legal name in Indonesia is Yayasan Penerbit Advent Indonesia.

Developments that Led to Establishment of the Publishing House

Ralph Waldo Munson (1859-1934) went as a missionary to Indonesia in late 1899 and began to introduce the gospel through printed pages. He was in Indonesia about five years before he took a long leave to Australia and worked at the Avondale Press while his wife recovered from an illness. During that time, he translated tracts and lots of books into Malay and printed them at the Avondale Press.¹

The spread of the gospel through printed materials encouraged Avondale Press to print more Spirit of Prophecy books in Malay. While Munson was in Australia, the publishing ministry was initiated at a meeting in Sumber Wekas, Indonesia, in 1908, and two years later a similar meeting was held in the same place where Ralph Waldo Munson had been coming from Australia. He arrived in Surabaya on January 20, 1910.²

In February 1910 the Australasian Union Conference established a small printing plant at Sukabumi, Java, called the Java Mission Press. It was under the supervision of Munson and he was assisted by E. K. Hungerford and a man from Singapore named Lee. Later he was assisted by Immanuel Siregar, who had been his first Indonesian convert while working in Sumatra, and by Samuel Rantung, one of the first converts to the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jakarta.³

Munson devised the plan to open a printing press in Indonesia and he choose the city of Sukabumi as its service center. His experience of approximately five years at the Avondale Press prepared him to start the work in Indonesia.⁴

Founding the Publishing House

After the Dutch government refused to grant permission for Seventh-day Adventists to do missionary work in Sukabumi, the press was moved to Jakarta in April 1911. It was later sold and a larger printing plant was erected in Singapore, which was dedicated on March 10, 1920.⁵

Because it was less expensive and more convenient to print in Indonesia, the editorial staff was transferred to Bandung, Java, in March 1929 and located at Naripan 72. There was a publishing house board, a manager, and a book depot that distributed the publications through Adventist bookstores, but the printing was done by commercial firms.⁶

After years of operation in this manner, a new building for offices and factory was constructed at Cimindi, a western suburb of Bandung, in 1954. The publishing house staff moved in during January 1955, and the plant was dedicated on February 18. The building was substantially enlarged in 1967, and again in 1974. An auditorium was added in 1978,⁷ and a warehouse was added in 1993.⁸

The one-story brick-and-concrete building faces the east-west main road through Bandung. The various departments function in separate rooms; an assembly hall seats more than 200; a small English-Indonesian library is available; and there is a conference room. One truck is used for delivery and pickup, and one station wagon for other business operations.⁹

The Java Mission Press issues a quarterly Malay periodical titled Utusan Kebenaran Melayu (Messenger of Truth); several Malay tracts (Daniel 7, About Opium Smoking, Cigarettes, The Lord’s Sabbath, The End of the World); two Sundanese tracts (The Love of God, the first chapter of Steps to Christ by Ellen White; Creation, by J. E. Fulton; and Christ Our Saviour by Ellen White), all of which were translated by R. W. Munson and formerly printed at the Avondale Press in Australia. Another book was also prepared by R. W. Munson containing a series of Bible studies, and it was called Pelajaran Kitab Alkudus, later Saksi Kebenaran. It was a translation of a book on doctrines by G. B. Starr.¹⁰

History and Role of the Publishing House

The publishing house served hundreds of literature evangelists and more than 228,000 church members in 2019.¹¹ The publishing house supports the Student Program annually as well. Subscription literature includes a monthly health journal called Rumah Tangga dan Kesehatan, and a list of more than 100 titles including Kebahagiaan Sejati (Steps to Christ); Kerinduan Segala Zaman (Desire of Ages); Narkotik; Menu Sehat (Vegetarian Cookbook); Petunjuk Modern kepada Kesehatan (a medical book); and Cerita Alkitab (The Bible Story in ten volumes). Also included are stop-smoking, AIDS, and family planning materials; The Great Controversy; Bible Readings; Maranatha, and many more.¹²

The main role of IPH is to support the Indonesian Adventist Church’s evangelism. Early in its publishing program it began with the evangelistic periodical known as Utusan Kebenaran Melayu. More than 75 of Ellen G. White’s books have been translated and published over time. IPH also publishes evangelistic books, church hymnals, and the Church Manual, to meet the needs of the constituency of both Indonesian unions. It also provides Sabbath School Bible Study Guides for adults, children (Gracelink), and teenagers (Cornerstone); devotional books; departmental publications; and the monthly church paper, Adventist World Magazine, in the Indonesian language.¹³

Since 2018, IPH has committed every year to publish two million tracts for church members to distribute. IPH is also eager to get involved in holding evangelistic meetings in Indonesia every year.

In the pressroom there is now one Heidelberg SX74-2P and one Komori Lithrone 20 (four-color) donated by a church member. The bindery room contains two Ishida sewing machines; one ten-station Sheridan SB300; one Polar MOHR 115EL cutting machine; one Polar 115PF cutting machine; one smasher machine; one TSK 6 station gathering machine; one Yoshino three-knife cutter; one Muller Martini eight pocket saddle stitcher; one Shoei folding machine; and one Heidelberg Stahlfolder RFH-82.1 folding machine.¹⁴

Outline

The publishing world has gradually shifted from printed media to electronic or other formats, and so the publishing industry is facing changes. Due to this transformation, IPH is developing an app in both Android and Apple’s iOS and is considering other media-based publications for the next level as technology continues to advance. IPH needs to be up-to-date when it comes to products, markets, communication, and technological changes. The publishing house believes that new technology can share the gospel with more people through additional methods.

Lists of Editors-in-chief and Managers/Presidents

Editors in Chief: R. W. Munson (1910-1911); Melvin Munson (1917-1923); Melvin Munson and M. E. Direja (1924-1926); L. V. Finster and M. E. Direja (1927-1928); P. Drinhaus and M. E. Direja (1929-1931); I. C. Schmidt and M. E. Direja (1932-1933); P. Drinhaus and M. E. Direja (1934-1935); L. M. D. Wortman and M. E. Direja (1936-1937); H. E. R. Schell and M. E. Direja (1938-1939); F. Dittmar and M. E. Direja (1940); W. P. Bradley and M. E. Direja (1941); M. G. Laloan (1947); H. Kasakoy (1948); M. E. Direja (1949-1953); D. Batubara (1954-1963); M. H. Wauran (1964-1970); R. I. Sarumpaet (1971-1975); Wilson Nadeak (1976-1985); W. F. Pasuhuk (1986-1989); Eddy Saerang (1990-1993); J. F. Manullang (1994-2005); Elisha Gultom (2006-2009); Roy. M. Hutasoit (2010-2015); Jayson H. Pardede, (2016-present).¹⁵

Managers/Presidents: Richard Sisley (1910-1911); H. I. Schmidt (1917-1928); W. Köster (1929-1937); H. E. R. Schell (1938); A. I. Krautschick (1939); I. E. Gillis (1940-1941); H. E. R. Schell (1942, 1945-1946); E. van Alphen (1947-1948); H. E. R. Schell (1949-1952); E. A. Pender (1953-1958); L. E. Barber (1959-1965); J. H. Lesiasel (1965-1973); B. T. Setyadi (1973-1978); Nootje Sasela (1979); Kaleb Onsoe (1980-1984); Lambok Silitonga (1985-1988); Djinan Sinaga (1989-2005); J. B. Banjarnahor (2006); Emil H. Tambunan (2007-2008); A. Ricky (2009-2014); Semuel Manueke (2015-2021).¹⁶

Sources

“Indonesia Publishing House” in Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, Commentary Reference Series, CD-ROM, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington, D.C.

Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research. General Conference 2020 Annual Statistical Report. Volume 2. (2020).

Tambunan, Emil H. Bagaikan Arus Cahaya yang Mengelilingi Bumi. Bandung: Indonesia Publishing House, 2010.

Tambunan, Emil H. Gereja Masehi Advent Hari Ketujuh di Indonesia Sejarah Perintisan dan Pengembangannya. Jakarta: Pusat Gereja Masehi Advent Hari Ketujuh di Indonesia, 1999.

Notes

1. Emil H. Tambunan, Bagaikan Arus Cahaya yang Mengelilingi Bumi (Bandung: Indonesia Publishing House, 2010), 101, 102, 115.↩

2. Emil H. Tambunan, Bagaikan Arus Cahaya yang Mengelilingi Bumi, 129.↩

3. Indonesia Publishing House on Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, Commentary Reference Series, CD-ROM, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington, D C.↩

4. Emil H. Tambunan, Bagaikan Arus Cahaya yang Mengelilingi Bumi, 107.↩

5. Indonesia Publishing House on Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, Commentary Reference Series, CD-ROM, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington, D.C.↩

6. Ibid.↩

7. Ibid.↩

8. Emil H. Tambunan, Gereja Masehi Advent Hari Ketujuh di Indonesia Sejarah Perintisan dan Pengembangannya (Jakarta: Pusat Gereja Masehi Advent Hari Ketujuh di Indonesia, 1999), 533.↩

9. Indonesia Publishing House on Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, Commentary Reference Series, CD-ROM, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington, D.C., with additional information on the current situation provided by author.↩

10. Indonesia Publishing House on Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, Commentary Reference Series, CD-ROM, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington, D.C.↩

11. Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research, General Conference 2020 Annual Statistical Report, Volume 2 (2020), 30, 31.↩

12. “Indonesia Publishing House” in Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, Commentary Reference Series, CD-ROM, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington, D.C., with additional information on the current situation provided by author.↩

13. Ibid.↩

14. Based on the current situation.↩

15. Tambunan, Gereja Masehi Advent Hari Ketujuh di Indonesia Sejarah Perintisan dan Pengembangannya, 537; Emil H. Tambunan, Bagaikan Arus Cahaya yang Mengelilingi Bumi, 181-184; Indonesia Publishing House Board of Directors, minutes 2016-004, May 13, 2016.↩

16. Tambunan, Gereja Masehi Advent Hari Ketujuh di Indonesia Sejarah Perintisan dan Pengembangannya, 536-537; Tambunan, Bagaikan Arus Cahaya yang Mengelilingi Bumi, 164-175; Minutes from Indonesia Publishing House Board of Directors, November 2015.↩