American Tract Society

American Tract Society
ATCbuilding.JPG
Drawing of the American Tract Society building, standing since 1894
StatusDefunct
FoundedMay 11, 1825
SuccessorGood News Publishers
Country of originUnited States
Headquarters locationNew York City
Publication typesTracts
Official websitewww.atstracts.org

The American Tract Society (ATS) is a nonprofit, nonsectarian but evangelical organization founded on May 11, 1825 in New York City for the purpose of publishing and disseminating tracts of Christian literature. ATS traces its lineage back through the New York Tract Society (1812) and the New England Tract Society (1814) to the Religious Tract Society of London, begun in 1799. Over the years, ATS has produced and distributed many millions of pieces of literature. There is a printed pamphlet titled "Constitution of the American Tract Society, instituted in Boston 1814" referencing the distribution of 'Religious Tracts' by Christians in Europe and America during the previous twenty years. The purpose of which was to combine the energy & activities of various groups & individuals across New England.

ATS is theologically conservative. It receives funding through a combination of private donations and tract sales. ATS accepts donations to fund tract and evangelistic resource distribution including start-up funding for foreign tract distribution in regions including Africa, Asia, India, South and Central America, Canada, Australia, and Europe. Churches and other evangelistic groups in the United States can purchase ATS literature at nominal cost for use in their own evangelistic ministries.

ATS is board-governed and benefits from the visibility of its Council of Reference, an advisory board of evangelical notables from business, ministry, and other walks of life. ATS is currently headquartered in Garland, Texas.

On September 1, 2012, American Tract Society entered into a joint publishing agreement with Good News Publishing, which is a division of Crossway.[1]

Early history

American Tract's first home in 1825 was a four-story building at 87 Nassau Street in New York City. Later, in 1894, American Tract built a 23-story headquarters at 150 Nassau Street, which still stands today. At the time of its construction it was one of the tallest buildings in NY City.[2]

Throughout the nineteenth century, ATS used traveling salesmen. These peddlers sold tracts, provided counseling, and led church services.[2]

Today

The American Tract Society has disseminated Christian tracts for over 185 years, and believes its mission and message are as relevant today as when it was formed in 1825.

In 1978, ATS relocated its headquarters from New York to Garland, Texas. The move came about as a result of the growing number of churches and ministries purchasing ATS literature in Texas. The leaders of American Tract Society also discovered that it would be cost effective to have the ATS office in Texas.

The ever-increasing advances in technology and social media present both challenges and opportunities for ATS in disseminating its message. Over the years ATS has developed a number of ways to present the gospel in a relevant and timely manner. ATS continues to develop new tools to communicate Christian teachings to the next generation.

Through its international division (International Tract Society) ATS has approximately 136 print partners in 70 countries who print and distribute tracts in over 100 languages. The goal is to provide ATS print partners with the necessary resources and funding to print and distribute evangelism tools among disadvantaged churches and evangelists worldwide.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Dear partner in tract ministry,". Crossway. Archived from the original on December 8, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Early History of the American Tract Society". American Tract Society. 2008. Archived from the original on May 25, 2010.

Sources

  • Rorabaugh, W.J. The Alcoholic Republic. NY: Oxford University Press, 1979.

Further reading

  • Elizabeth Twaddell. The American Tract Society, 1814-1860. Church History, Vol. 15, No. 2 (Jun., 1946), pp. 116–132

External links


This page was last updated at 2019-11-09 22:16 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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