In 1872, when the first testimony of volume 3 was written, most members of the still small Seventh-day Adventist Church lived in the central and Northeastern United States. At that time, the church employed 86 ministers. It also operated one publishing house and one small medical institution, both of which were in Battle Creek, Michigan.
During the early years of church growth, James Whtie tirelessly pioneered the way. By 1872, Elder White was beginning to break under the load, which explains why the great need more and younger help to shoulder the load received so much emphasis in volume 3. Warnings were also given against the hazards of looking to one man as the leader.
James White's own failing health, his conviction that others should be stepping in to lift the burdens, and his frequent calls to duty elsewhere, all resulted in the Whites spending time away from Battle Creek. In an effort to regain and preserve their health, they spent time in California and the mountains of Colorado. With the Whites away, others were forced to assume responsibilities of leadership at the headquarters, strengthening the work.
During this time, Ellen White continued to encourage believers in the work of health reform. Church members also developed a wider missionary interest, leading them to see the entire world as their field of labor. They began to recognize the need to educate workers to go out into the field. The little school established by Goodloe Bell in Battle Creek was only the beginning of the much wider educational work to come. During the times of volume 3, the idea of "systematic benevolence" (or regular giving) was also developed and explained much more fully. With Scriptural guidance and the continued counsel of Ellen White, members came to understand that giving was much more than a way to raise money, for it developed and perfected character in the giver as well.
Energetic evangelistic efforts led to conflict with other religious groups, with counsel being given against argument and debate. Volume 3 contains many personal messages given to believers of various background, many of them with experiences that Ellen White said were similar to those of others. The story of how Ellen White approached some backsliding children of a believer and tenderly prayed with them before being taken into vision is related in this volume. As it was described, "The news spread, and soon the house was crowded. Sinners trembled, believers wept, and backsliders returned to God. The work was not confined to those present, as we have since learned. Some who had remained at home were powerfully convicted. They saw themselves as they had never done before. The angel of God was shaking the place. The shortness of time, the terrors and nearness of coming judgments and the time of trouble, the worldly-mindedness of the church, their lack of brotherly love, and their state of unreadiness to meet the Lord, were strongly impressed upon the minds of all." Such were the times of volume 3.