Erton Köhler, a Brazil-born pastor known for his innovative approach to evangelism, is the newly elected president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church General Conference — and the first to hail from South America.
Köhler will serve as the spiritual and administrative leader for the global movement, which claims 23 million members in more than 200 countries. He was voted into the position during a recent gathering of the General Conference, the denomination’s top governing body, in St. Louis.
The church’s sprawling geographic reach poses just one of the hurdles ahead in his duties as president, especially with today’s political polarization and national allegiances, Köhler said in an interview with The Associated Press.
“If I can choose one word that represents the challenge of this moment, the word is ‘unity,’” he said. “It’s not easy to keep that unity because our members, they’re citizens, they’re living in the local society, they’re influenced by that.”
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant denomination that views the Bible as the literal word of God and the primary authority for Adventists. They are known for their beliefs that Christ’s second coming is near, and that the Bible requires observing the Sabbath on Saturday, the seventh day of the week.
Just days into his new role, Köhler shared his hopes for the future, including his plans to use technology and social media to reach young people. He also refl …