23 July 2026 | Maryland, USA [Libna Stevens with tedNEWS]
Nearly 200 Seventh-day Adventist content creators, influencers, designers, social media managers and communication leaders from around the world gathered at the Adventist Church’s world headquarters from 20 to 23 July for the first Global Creator Summit.
Organised by the General Conference Communication department, the summit invited participants to help shape OneVoice27, a global digital initiative intended to unite Adventists in proclaiming Jesus across online platforms. Through worship, presentations, workshops and collaborative planning, participants were encouraged to view digital communication not simply as content production, but as a mission field. Organisers also prepared them for the worldwide launch of OneVoice27 on 5 September 2026, leading towards a coordinated global emphasis in September 2027.
A Global Movement
Opening the summit, General Conference president Erton Köhler said the decision to host the event at the Church’s world headquarters was deliberate, despite the travel and visa challenges faced by many participants. “You are important for the Church. Your ministry is vital for our mission, and we are counting on you,” Köhler said.
He explained that the summit was not primarily designed to teach attendees how to become better influencers or creators. Instead, Church leaders wanted to listen to their experience and invite them to help develop an initiative that could work across different cultures, languages and digital environments. “Your voice matters,” Köhler said. “What you have to say, the suggestions and recommendations are vital for us.”
Köhler described OneVoice27 as a global movement rather than a General Conference programme to be passed down through administrative structures. Divisions, unions, local fields, congregations, members and creators, he said, should adapt it to their own contexts while preserving its central focus on Jesus. “You are the owner of the project,” he told participants.
He summarised the initiative through three guiding principles: Project, Preparation and Purpose. These include proclaiming Jesus through media, encouraging spiritual preparation through prayer and Bible study, and mobilising members for mission and evangelistic outreach.
“Our dream is to see Jesus coming soon, so let us do everything we can to prepare many people for that day,” Köhler said.
Creativity Rooted in Mission
General Conference Communication director, Alyssa Truman, reminded participants that creativity reflects the character of God. “In the beginning, God created,” Truman said. “The way that God introduces Himself to humanity is as a Creator. And we are made in His image.”
Truman also emphasised that the Church cannot achieve the goals of OneVoice27 through institutions alone. “The Church needs you. We can’t do this alone,” she said.
She challenged participants to help mobilise one million Seventh-day Adventists to share their faith online during the global launch of OneVoice27 on 5 September 2026. “We want every church channel to post. We want every creator to post, because everybody has been changed by Jesus,” Truman said. She added that the initiative would depend on local knowledge and culturally relevant communication.
“You know what works,” she said. “You also know what works in the online space. That’s why you are here.”
Richard Stephenson, associate treasurer of the General Conference, encouraged participants to begin by understanding the people they hoped to reach. “Know your audience,” he said, adding that digital content should “always build a pathway to Jesus”.
Speakers throughout the summit returned to the same theme: technology and creativity are tools, but mission must remain the purpose.
Reaching the World’s Digital Cities
Manuel Arteaga, director of the General Conference’s Centre for Urban Mission, said digital mission is essential for reaching an increasingly urbanised world. “Digital mission is a non-negotiable if we want to reach the cities,” Arteaga said.
More than half of the world’s population now lives in urban areas, he noted, with that figure expected to approach 70 per cent by 2050. At the same time, cities have become increasingly international, bringing people from many nations, languages and cultures into the same neighbourhoods. The mission field has therefore changed. Rather than always travelling overseas to reach distant nations, missionaries may now find those nations represented within their own cities and online communities.
“The world is changing faster than our methods,” Arteaga warned, adding that the Church risks becoming “missionaries to yesterday” if it does not adapt. Calling digital platforms “the new Roman road of the 21st century”, Arteaga said ideas, stories and the gospel now move rapidly across cultures through online spaces.
However, he challenged creators not to measure their ministry primarily through follower numbers, engagement statistics or viral success. “God didn’t call us to be influencers. God called us to be witnesses,” he said. “We carry a message, not a brand. Our mission is not to build our name, but to make His name known.”
Faithfulness Over Popularity
The summit repeatedly encouraged creators to place spiritual faithfulness above online popularity. Presentations explored the biblical foundations of mission, the importance of trust and the need for creators to remain grounded in prayer and Scripture as digital platforms continue to change.
Petty Kunzwa (@nellahgrace), a content creator from the British Union Conference, said the summit helped her recognise that she was part of a wider community of Adventist creators. “The Creator Summit was very inspiring and ignited in me a fresh sense of creativity, especially when it comes to sharing the gospel in new ways,” Kunzwa said. “It was amazing to see so many incredible Adventist creators in one place, as it can sometimes feel as though you are alone.”
Participants were reminded that professional skills, personal interests and areas of expertise can become bridges to the gospel. Science, archaeology, health, filmmaking, design and social media can all create points of connection with people who may never initially respond to traditional church communication.
At the same time, presenters warned against allowing digital trends to determine the direction of ministry. Algorithms, platform changes and popular formats may influence how content is presented, but they should not replace spiritual discernment or the centrality of Christ.
Turning Vision into Action
Practical collaboration formed a major part of the programme. Interactive sessions led participants to work across cultures and languages, developing ideas for adapting OneVoice27 to different regions and audiences. They explored how global themes could be translated into locally meaningful content while maintaining a shared message.
One session challenged participants to help turn “every smartphone, tablet and computer screen into a digital pulpit”. In another session, they discussed how children, students, pastors, church elders and members with limited technical experience could all participate in sharing their faith online.
The summit also sought to bridge the gap between institutional Church communication and independent creators. Organisers encouraged relationships that could continue beyond the event through regional creator summits, shared projects and ongoing collaboration.
Twenty-five content creation spaces were established throughout the Church’s world headquarters, giving participants opportunities to produce videos, photographs, reels and other digital resources during the summit.
Hope Channel International also invited these Adventist creators to become associate members of its global media network. Sam Neves and Robbie Bergen, vice presidents of Hope Channel International, said the initiative seeks to unite creators with the Church’s worldwide media ministry in pursuit of reaching one billion people with the gospel by 2030 while preserving each creator’s unique voice and mission.
Looking Ahead
As the summit concluded, organisers expressed hope that the event would mark the beginning of a wider movement rather than remain a one-time gathering. Participants returned to their territories with new partnerships, practical strategies and a call to mobilise local churches for the launch of OneVoice27 on 5 September 2026.
Marti Szydlowska (@marti_szydlowska) of the Polish Union Conference said the summit’s diversity and shared purpose demonstrated why the vision of OneVoice27 matters. “What moved me most was seeing people from so many different cultures, backgrounds and stories united by one purpose: sharing the hope found in Jesus,” she said.
For Szydlowska, the initiative is not a one-off campaign, but an invitation for people to use their influence to build genuine connections and help transform lives through a lifelong commitment to sharing Christ.
The summit’s central message was clear: digital creators are not simply producing content or building audiences. They are participating in the church’s mission, using each platform, story and conversation as an opportunity to point people to Christ.
[Photos: Jef Nascimiento & George Nelson]
This article is based on two reports originally published by Adventist News Network: Adventist Global Creator Summit Brings Digital Storytellers Together for ‘OneVoice27’ and Creator Summit Calls Digital Mission Essential to Reaching the World’s Cities. It has been adapted for tedNEWS.
