They quickly made a home in the Dutch community that had grown steadily in Grand Rapids and West Michigan since 1847, when the first immigrants arrived. In 1925, when the family made its way again to Ellis Island and then by train to Grand Rapids, Michigan, they were here to stay. The oldest son of Ricco (Richard) Bakker and Jenny Kregel Bakker had been born in the United States, but his family had returned to their homeland when he was two years old. Herman Baker was fourteen years old when he and his family emigrated from the Zoutkamp area in the northern region of the Netherlands. Today Herman’s observation is more accurate than ever.īaker Book House Company The Early Years 1939–1949 To borrow a line from our founder, Herman Baker, this is the best business to be in. This year, in celebration of our seventy-five years of fidelity to this mission, we welcome our companions to explore a history of the kingdom activities of Baker Book House Company. Our mission is to publish high-quality writings that represent historic Christianity and serve the diverse interests and concerns of evangelical readers. This continuity is one of the great blessings of serving the church with fine writings, even as the ground shifts beneath us. We were impressed to discover that our statement required no significant alterations, even after two decades of perpetual transitions in the publishing profession. Twenty years later a few of us revisited the original mission statement to evaluate its durability and refine some terms. Over the course of many sessions, our conversations were distilled into one concise statement, and then, with our stated mission in hand, we all returned to our respective tasks and got down to business.

Although Richard does not tend toward formalities, he recognized the significance of a statement that accurately reflected our history and would guide our publishing activities in the future. Although I was anything but a leader at the time, he graciously invited me to participate in the crafting of a company mission statement.

In the fall of 1987 our freshly appointed president, Richard Baker, gathered together a team of his key leaders to discuss the publishing company that was now under his care.

Keeping the house by ellen baker