Life Assurance Ministries: Our Story of Faith

BEGINNINGS

Dale Ratzlaff
First Magazine
First Magazine
First Magazine

In the fall of 2000, Dale and Carolyn Ratzlaff, working with Richard and Colleen Tinker and also Bruce Heinrich, founded Life Assurance Ministries (LAM), a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, for the purpose of producing a newsletter for questioning and former Seventh-day Adventists and other Sabbatarians. 

There was no consistent and continuing print ministry for transitioning Adventists, so Dale started Proclamation! Richard Tinker offered to design Dale’s newsletter, and the first issue was mailed in November, 2000.

EDITOR ADDED

Colleen Tinker

During the next four-and-a-half years Dale and Richard produced Proclamation! on their own time, taking no pay for their work. 

LAM took a new step of faith in 2004. In February, Colleen Tinker became editor of Proclamation! In September of 2005, the LAM board voted that Richard Tinker would take the position of president of Life Assurance Ministries with Dale remaining active on the board of directors. 

In June of 2006, Richard was fired from Loma Linda University because of his work with Life Assurance Ministries and Proclamation!  

MAGAZINE OUTREACH EXPANDED

Richard Tinker

God had a surprise in store; a few days after Richard’s loss of employment, LAM received a gift of a large number of Adventist names and addresses, and in September God provided a large, unprecedented donation that made it possible to print and mail Proclamation! to a greatly expanded mailing list. By November the magazine was in the mail, and in another act of faith, the board voted to contract with Richard Tinker to work with Life Assurance Ministries as well. 

FORMER ADVENTIST CONFERENCE STARTED

Also in 2006, LAM co-hosted the first Former Adventist Fellowship (FAF) Conference at Trinity Church in Redlands, California. The Southern California FAF Conference has been a yearly event ever since.

In 2007 John Mace, Sr., a pediatric endocrinologist on the faculties of both the LLU School of Medicine and School of Dentistry, became a member of the Life Assurance Ministries board. 

Martin Carey
Woody and Cheryl Granger

In December, 2009, Bruce Heinrich stepped down from the LAM board of directors after 10 years of service, and Martin Carey and Cheryl Granger became the new members. Martin, a high school psychologist and astronomer, and Cheryl, an occupational therapist and artist, bring deep and diverse insight to this ministry. 

Because of widespread economic instability, the board voted in 2009 to produce Proclamation! four times per year instead of six, moving from 24-page issues to 36-page issues, and saving several thousands of dollars. 

God has provided opportunities for LAM to increase its impact on the Christian community. Collaborating with Paul Carden of The Centers for Apologetics Research as well as other evangelical apologists, they are continuing to produce and provide materials for use in apologetics publications, explaining the facts and dangers of Adventism.

TRUTH OR FABLES WEBSITE ADDED

An important website for researching Adventism, Truth or Fables, was given to LAM in 2012 by Robert K. Sanders. This website has an amazing assortment of old Adventist publications, stories, and a huge library of documents concerning Adventist prophet, Ellen G. White.

UNPRECEDENTED BROCHURE

Two landmark releases in 2010 represent a fundamental shift beginning to take place in the Christian community regarding Adventism. The first is an updated edition of Rose Publishing’s best-selling brochure, Christianity, Cults and Religions, featuring Adventism as one of the non-orthodox groups.

Carel Stevenson

The second is Rose Publishing’s new brochure, 10 Questions & Answers on Seventh-day Adventism, authored by Colleen and Richard Tinker and edited by apologist Paul Carden. The brochure has since been updated and published by The Centers for Apologetics Research.

In November, 2011, John Mace, MD, ended his time on the LAM board, and in December Carel Stevenson, a structural engineer, was voted to fill the vacancy. 

In 2012 The Chapel Church in St. Joseph hosted the first of several FAF conferences in Michigan, and in November, 2018, LAM again travelled to Michigan for an FAF conference and educational meetings for the members of The Chapel. Also, in 2018 we held our first FAF Conference at Redeemer Fellowship, a new evangelical church plant in Loma Linda. 

GOING ALL INTERNET

With the growth of social media and online publishing, the LAM board voted to begin sending weekly Proclamation! emails in February, 2017. Today, because of the rising costs of print exacerbated by the restrictions resulting from the COVID pandemic, the weekly Proclamation! email magazine has replaced the printed version and brings new material to subscribers every Friday.  

PODCASTING

In 2019 LAM started a new media outreach, the Former Adventist Podcast. Nikki Stevenson and Colleen Tinker co-host this weekly discussion of living the life after Adventism.

Former Adventist Podcast now has a library of commentary on Hebrews, Colossians, Ephesians, Galatians, Daniel, and topical episodes on aspects of Adventism including a series on Adventism’s Bible, “The Clear Word”.

In late 2023 a new podcast hosted by Colleen Tinker, “Sabbath School Fact Check” was started. Colleen is following Adventism’s sabbath school quarterly and giving commentary on the problems in biblical understanding that the quarterly presents. This weekly podcast follows closely the written commentary that Colleen has been writing for many years. Surprisingly, LAM has been informed by several Adventist Sabbath School teachers that they use the material to help teach their classes. 

BOARD GROWTH

Kaspars Ozolins

In 2020 the LAM board voted to add an additional board member, Kaspars Ozolins, a former Adventist and scholar who is on the faculty at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary as Assistant Professor of Old Testament Interpretation. Kaspars brings to LAM a wealth of knowledge and a deep love of the Lord Jesus and the true gospel.

BRAZILIAN OUTREACH

Website of Former Adventist Fellowship Brazil
Debbie Buffone

In 2022, the LAM board officially welcomed Debbie Buffone onto our ministry staff to lead a rapidly expanding outreach directed towards Adventism in Brazil. She comes with Adventist missionary credentials for the Northeast Union of Brazil, and she was invited to serve at the South American Division headquarters.

Debbie leads several online Bible studies and also directs the production of YouTube videos and Portuguese translations of articles, videos, and books. Debbie is using an artificial intelligence program to put Portuguese words into the mouths of English speakers from the Former Adventist YouTube channel.

The interest in understanding Adventism and knowing the gospel among Brazilian Adventists is growing!

THE FUTURE

The future of LAM is in God’s hands. We are committed to being faithful and obedient to Him, submitting ourselves to His word and His will and to carrying the gospel to our Adventist brothers and sisters and the truth about Adventism to the body of Christ.

GROWING NEEDS

During the recent COVID crisis, giving turned downward. With additional ministry opportunities becoming available, the need has never been greater.

If you are already supporting your local congregation (very important) and would like to partner with LAM, please either use the “Donate” button on the website, or contact us for more information. †

Life Assurance Ministries Resources