Newly-elected Seventh-day Adventist Church leader reflects on challenges and faith’s healthy living

Erton K hler 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 K hler will serve as the spiritual and administrative leader for the global movement which asserts million members in more than countries He was voted into the position during a contemporary 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 in current times s political polarization and national allegiances K hler reported 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 stated 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 inspired word of God and the primary authority for Adventists They are known for their beliefs that Christ s second coming is near and observing the Sabbath on Saturday the seventh day of the week Just days into his new role K hler shared his hopes for the future including his plans to use machinery and social media to reach young people He also reflected on how the faith s spiritual focus on healthy living resonates with multiple in the present day and other issues facing the church What is the role of the president K hler explained his job like holding a puzzle together and compared it to that of another of late elected church leader with South American ties Pope Leo XIV the Catholic Church s first U S -born pontiff who has dual Peruvian citizenship I m not the pope of the church I m a pastor We don t have a leadership that s vertical that we can decide something and impose that for everyone K hler commented noting the denomination s various levels of authority We respect those voices We receive suggestions from other levels we discuss it we discuss how to implement it together My role is to try to keep all this puzzle together in a positive way What are his priorities as the new leader K hler wants to see more young people involved in the church more women involved in leadership and more assets in communication and apparatus to advance its mission He also wants to focus on continuing to spread the reach of the church which is especially growing in parts of Africa and Latin America No I d like to see more young people involved in the church programs sometimes in leadership sometimes sharing their opinions their ideas sometimes in the local population explained K hler In addition to the church s emphasis on the Sabbath K hler also thinks Adventists long-standing focus on healthy living can appeal to younger generations Numerous church members are vegetarians and abstain from alcohol and tobacco as part of their spiritual discipline Adventists also run a large architecture of hospitals and wellbeing clinics worldwide and numerous church members go into the diagnostic field The new generation is looking for medical beauty They re taking care of their bodies K hler revealed We have a message to show to them that we re not only an institutionalized religion we re a body of believers that trust in the Bible with a message that can make our lives better For women in leadership K hler announced he s not opening discussion of women s ordination an issue that in then-Republican presidential candidate and Adventist Ben Carson announced he supported It s not the moment to do that K hler reported But he acknowledged that Adventist women deserve more presence in leadership and their voice requirements to be heard The faith was influenced by the visions of Ellen White who is considered a prophet Her extensive religious writings while deeply influential in shaping the church are not given the same weight as Scripture Nowadays the denomination says women s leadership is present at high levels of the church in healthcare care guidance and administration and also includes public operation and the leadership of women s ministries On apparatus and communication K hler revealed he is a strong defender of both because he sees them as means to reach people wherever they are If our call is to ministry to the people we need to be where they are especially the new generations And the new generation now are in social media he announced What are selected of the religious freedom concerns facing the church Formed in in Battle Creek Michigan the Seventh-day Adventist Church prioritizes protecting religious freedom for all The biggest challenge for us now is freedom of expression We d like to be protected in our right to express what we believe K hler mentioned The society this day and sometimes the media is supporting too much one side of selected topics and the religious leaders the religious organizations they have no voice to express what they think in a kind way in a respectful way K hler attributes this partly to particular Christian denominations that are being very strong and aggressive in particular matters Adventists he commented must continue to fight to protect the right to express their opinions and beliefs in a positive way What is his message to those unfamiliar with the Seventh-day Adventist Church Sometimes people present our denomination based on specific elements that are strange for others and they think that we re people from another planet K hler revealed We re human beings We re here to serve we re here to love we re here to make a difference He invites people to come meet members and experience the church themselves Come to talk with us come to visit us interact with us he revealed They ll know who we are and they can see how we can make a difference in a positive way for their present life and for their future life Associated Press religion coverage receives aid through the AP s collaboration with The Conversation US with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc The AP is solely responsible for this content Source