The rapid growth of digital communication is reshaping how faith communities connect with people across cultures, generations and geographic boundaries. Against that backdrop, leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church convened communicators, media professionals and technology specialists at the Digital Strategy for Mission Convention to explore how emerging technologies can strengthen the church’s global mission.
Speaking during a joint gathering of the Global Adventist Internet Network (GAiN) Conference and the Adventist Technology Summit, General Conference leaders Pastor Erton Kohler and Pastor Paul Douglas emphasized that communication and collaboration are not ends in themselves but essential tools for connecting people with Christ and advancing the church’s mission.
Communication for Mission
In his opening message, Pastor Erton Kohler, world church president, said that the Adventist Church has used media from its earliest years because it understands mission as urgent and global. He connected that history to the church’s proclamation of the three angels’ messages, a biblical message in Revelation that Adventists understand as a call to prepare the world for the second coming of Jesus.
“Communication is mission,” Kohler said. “We are here not for communication. We are here for mission.”
Kohler said Adventist pioneers used the printed page, radio and television as tools to share faith with people in their time. Today, he said, digital platforms offer new ways to reach people in places where traditional methods may not be possible, including urban centers, secular communities and regions where Christianity is a minority faith.
“The most unreachable are now reachable,” he said.
He urged communicators to keep three words at the center of their work: hope, miracles and urgency. The church’s message, he said, should not be framed primarily as condemnation but as a message of hope and salvation.
“Our communication has a message,” Kohler said. “Let us always check: Are we using our tools for mission?”
Mission for All
On the other hand, Pastor Paul Douglas, world church treasurer, expanded the appeal by focusing on “Mission for All,” one of the strategic priorities of the world church. He said mission should not rest only on leaders, departments or institutions, but should involve every believer, congregation and organization.
“God never intended mission to be carried by a few gifted people,” Douglas said. “Every member has a mission. Every family has a mission. Every local church has a mission.”
Using the image of a bridge, Douglas said the church must connect leaders with members, generations with one another, churches with communities, institutions with local congregations, and digital mission with personal discipleship.
“The greatest bridge to be built is not technological,” Douglas said. “It is a bridge that connects every member to God’s mission.”
Douglas said media can open doors, but relationships lead people toward lasting spiritual growth.
“Views are not disciples,” he said. “Clicks are not disciples. Likes are not disciples. Followers are not disciples.”
He urged Adventist media centers, schools, hospitals, publishing houses and ministries to work closely with local churches, where people encounter faith in practical ways through worship, service, education, health care and community relationships.
“Media opens doors to relationships,” Douglas said. “We can’t be so high tech and forget the touch that needs to happen between people.”
Both leaders pointed to the need for collaboration as the church seeks to communicate across cultures, generations and communities. Kohler emphasized the urgency of sharing hope, while Douglas emphasized the need to move people from contact to conversion and from conversion to discipleship.
Douglas said the measure of success should not be the number of programs produced, broadcasts aired or platforms launched, but the number of disciples who make disciples.
“Bridges are never built for themselves,” he said. “Bridges are built so people can cross.”
Both leaders challenged Adventist communicators to use technology with purpose, humility and spiritual focus. As the church continues to expand its digital presence, both leaders said the goal remains unchanged: to help people encounter Jesus and experience the hope of the gospel.