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Record Live is a conversation about life, spirituality and following Jesus in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
interview with Erton
[00:00:00] Hi there, everyone. I'm Jarrod. And I'm Zanita. We are your hosts of Record Live, a podcast where we talk about church, faith, and living well. We believe, as followers of Jesus, faith is more than just a set of beliefs. It's a way of life, something we put into practice. Let's go live.
And it is another episode of Record Live. We are here with Juliana today, and Juliana is our Adventist Record news editor. So it's great to have you with us, Juliana. it's great to be here. Thank you. Juliana, a few weeks ago on this program, we had Pastor Glenn Townend, who is the president of the South Pacific Division, and we started talking about this little thing, South Pacific for Christ.
Well, it's gonna be a big thing. , The event has been [00:01:00] held, and we're gonna talk a little bit about that today with yourself because you attended that event. But it's also-- it's more than an event, it's a sort of strategy for the next five years of mission in this part of the world. And so we're excited this week, to bring, with us an interview with the World Church President, the Seventh-day Adventist General Conference President, Pastor Erton Köhler.
And Juliana, you had the privilege of speaking to Pastor Köhler, and we're gonna play that- Mm ... shortly. But before we do that, I thought we'd give them a bit of a taste of South Pacific for Christ and what the launch event, uh, was like that happened in Brisbane just recently.
So Can you tell us a little bit about what you were doing up there, uh, what happened, what it was like, so that we can, yeah, get a taste, a picture of it? Oh, well, I usually ask the questions and now I have to process answering the questions. Um- Yes. So for the whole event, we were there with a very small, [00:02:00] amount of people from our team.
and I was there helping to cover the event for Adventist Record. Mostly I was doing, Record Rep, putting together Record Rep videos, every day about something interesting happen- happening at the event. and it was just a great experience being there and seeing everybody. I didn't realize how many people I knew across the division until I got there.
And I was telling people that it was challenging getting work done during that week because to get from A to B, I would get stopped by at least five people on the way. but it was just really nice having this sense of community, seeing the diversity of the SPD, and being able to share the beginning of this movement that will be happening in our division in the next five years.
So I'm very excited, and it was really good experience. Can you give us a taste of some of the content? What happened there? Like, what was going on? What was being spoken about? What was the sort of vibe? So the [00:03:00] schedule was very packed. People did not have much time to chat around and rest. most of the event was they had plenary sessions and also workshops, um, and also the evening messages.
They were all about mission because it was all supposed to prepare, and I think it did a good job in preparing people for this, SPD for Christ or South Pacific for Christ initiative that is rolling out from this year. and so they had a lot of workshops on some examples, how to, engage or how to talk to your, Muslim or, you know, friends that are not familiar with Christianity, uh, and so how to reach out to them.
and a lot of other practical kind of workshops preparing people for mission and for all different types of mission. they also had the plenary sessions. A lot of, presentations were given as well. There was a presentation from Sanitarium, and from, and from other [00:04:00] ministries of the church.
they also had an expo alley next to the big tent, where a lot of the ministries of the SPD were, showing what they do and connecting with people. Our Adventist media booth was there, and Adventist Mission was there as well. Uh, we also heard from our general conference president, Pastor Erton Köhler, every evening.
He had very inspiring messages, and it was-- Yeah, I was very inspired by it as well even though I was just reporting on the event. I felt that I was inspired, and a lot of people came back to me saying that they felt the same as well. So it was just, it was really nice. For me, it was a bit stressful because I was working and trying to get the news out every day.
But in the evenings, I would sit down and listen, to the message, and just see the vibe around. People really felt touched and motivated. And as I said, I'm really excited about w- what is going to happen in our division, from that [00:05:00] event. Yeah, so this was the launch event, I guess you could say, and this year- Yeah
Trans Pacific Union will be h- h- holding their programs, followed by New Zealand Pacific, Australia, and then back to PNG, uh, where this sort of the brainchild sort of started back in 2024. And then it's also exciting to hear that in 2030 this division will partner with the SSD, the South East Asia Division, and help them in mission.
Send people from here to go and do ministry over there. So that's, it's a very comprehensive sort of plan to reach out. Mm. Did you feel, in the people that you talked to, spoke with before they left, how were they feeling going back to their local churches, their l- their home conferences and missions?
How were they feeling? Were they on board? Was this something that also inspired and excited them? Yeah, the overall feeling that I got from people was that they were very motivated to go home and start doing something. [00:06:00] Uh, for the last episode of Record Wrap, um, I think we launched it last week, uh, with a wrap-up of everything that happened in the event.
uh, we had a vox pop there. So I interviewed a few people around from all parts of our division, from New Zealand Pacific, from Trans Pacific, from, PNG and so on, and they were all sharing. I asked them, "How, how are you planning to take part in South Pacific for Christ?" And they shared, "Oh, as soon as I get home."
Or you know, How, how are you going to do it?" "Oh, I'm gonna start at my home," or, "I wanna start planting a church," or you know. So a lot of people also shared with me in private that, they felt really motivated from all the talks and the messages. and even people that didn't really see that they had a part to play in mission, they realized that even though, because Pastor Erton told- talked about how mission can be [00:07:00] impossible, mission is impossible, but mission is a miracle.
And I think the overall take from that, program was that we don't really, need to be good at it or, you know, be experts. We just need to go and do it, and God will use us and do the work through us. So a lot of people got that message, and they're very excited to take part. And you mentioned that Record Wrap, episode where those vox pops are able to be watched.
Now all of that is available. do you wanna tell people where they can catch some of our coverage on South Pacific for Christ? Yes. So the Record Rep videos are all available on our YouTube channel, but also on our website. Some of them are still there. last week's episode was also made available as, podcast episode because we-- Record Rep is for now, um, a news podcast.
and yeah, they can go and watch it on our YouTube channel, on our website. And if they wanna learn things as soon as they come [00:08:00] out, just subscribe to our email newsletter. A good idea. And then every Friday they'll get the updates, the podcasts, the news stories. and obviously you can go to our website to look at all the news articles that came out about the conference, there.
And, and continuing to share some of the initiatives and some of the other things that are associated with South Pacific for Christ throughout the next five years, Record will be sharing some of those stories. So it's a very good place to get your info, your church news and views. Now Juliana, you had the privilege of interviewing the General Conference president.
Pastor Erton Köhler has been to our, division before, but not as president. And so it was- Yeah ... nice to have him spend the time with us to give you some time at the event. I know he was very busy, with all the evening messages, and also I saw many, many people took photos with him. I saw- Yeah
Facebook was filled with our members from right around the Pacific, spending that time. and so what we will, we'll [00:09:00] do now is play for you guys the interview that Juliana was able to do with Pastor Erton. , And he shares h- a little bit about his vision for the church, his, , passion for mission. A- as you said, mission is a miracle.
I do believe he covers that in this interview. - Mm ... and has some important things to say. So without further ado, let's hear from Pastor Erton Köhler. We are in Brisbane for the launch of South Pacific for Christ, and today our World Church President, Pastor Erton Köhler, has taken some time to sit and have a chat with us.
So welcome to the South Pacific- Thank you ... Pastor Köhler. Thank you for having me here. It, it is your second time visiting our- Yes ... part of the world. I almost consider that the first one, because my first time I spent only one day in Australia. I was not able to see the people, to visit many places. Now I'm spending almost a week.
I can see that now I'm really visiting Australia. Yes, and I remember that when you came- Yes ... we had a chat in Portuguese. [00:10:00] Yes. We're, uh, both from Brazil, so- Yeah ... maybe we should conduct this interview in Portuguese. Ooh, it will be a relief for me. I'm still dealing with English, but, uh, we can move forward.
And- Maybe you can have subtitles later, yes? Yes, yes. Good luck to the production team. Yeah. So last time you visited in 2024- You were the General Conference secretary- Yes ... and now you're visiting us as the president. How are you finding this new role? How do you feel about serving the church in this, in this position?
Well, it's a challenge to, to define it. I consider that a privilege. At the same time, I feel too small for the position. I still remember the day when I was informed that my name was presented, and I was, , recommended to the delegates of the GC session. I was think, "But why myself?" And my family had the same question.
It's not an easy task for us. We need to represent the Global Church with too many cultures, realities, [00:11:00] perspectives, and my main role now is not to be the president of the Church. My main role is to be the pastor of the Church, because the president is the main pastor of the Global Church. My role is to keep the identity of the Church, to keep the Church united, to give voice for all kinds of people, to try to, to keep the emphasis in the mission, and this is a very busy role.
Sometimes I ask the Lord wisdom, strength, and everything that I need to move forward and to do always not wha- what I think that I need to do, but what He expects from me, especially for this time of history when we are living. It's a little bit busier than the role that I had before, but for the previous role and for this one, I'm in God's hands, and always very thankful for all of you who are praying for me, for my family, and for our worldwide church family as well.
So you will be serving us i- in the World Church for the next five years. Can you [00:12:00] share what your vision is for the Church in this period? Just after my election, that's usually a busy time when we are in the global session of the Church, that was the main question that I started to heard. What is the priority?
What will happen? And I decide to summarize my vision for the Church, not in a project, in a plan, or in a program, but in a sentence. My priority and the priority of the Church is to be a church that is grounded in the Bible and focused on the mission. Materials, projects, initiatives, they will be all aligned to that vision.
We understand that we are the people of the Bible. These are called to be faithful to the word of God. We have too many voices in the world, and I think that my role as the leader of the Church is to invite people to come back to the Bible. This is the foundation of everything, and if we are grounded in the Bible, we'll be always passionated and focused on the mission, and this is the- [00:13:00] motivation that we have for everything.
Of course, the main initiative that will be like a, a result of that will be the One Voice 27 project. That will be a project grounded in the Bible, because we have a lot of biblical elements there, and of course, focus on the mission. And I believe that we can talk about it later, but this is one of the main initiatives for the next five years.
Okay. So we'll go back to that later. Back in 2024 when you visited, you actually came here to be part of the initiative from which South Pacific for Christ even- eventuated. how did you find your PNG for Christ experience? It was an amazing one. I was in Port Moresby in the Korobosea Church, preaching there every day with my poor English.
I was just at the beginning of that time. It was an unforgettable experience for many reasons, and because of the language was one of them. It was broadcasted for the entire country, and I was very impressed with the kindness of people in PNG. They are very friendly. They are very interested [00:14:00] in spiritual things.
They are very committed to the mission. I had the conclusion at the end of the program that I was there to share something, but I received much more than I shared to them during those days. I was in Port Moresby, but one of the days they invited me to go to remote villages in a helicopter. That was an unforgettable situation, because we visit places, I remember two of them, that you need 12 days walking or 12 days walking to reach those places.
But to travel by helicopter, when we arrived there, we saw people preaching PNG for Christ, people being baptized, the church organized, Adventist schools, Pathfinders, Adventurers, everything in very remote village of PNG. It showed me how committed the people from PNG are. And the Seventh-day Adventist Church is very strong in that country, and I, I believe we are, we have been a very positive influence in that area.
How was it in terms of the initiative and the baptisms, and people came back saying they saw miracles. How was it for you? [00:15:00] Yeah, it was for me. I was in one of the most important churches in Port Moresby. Of course, we, I was in a church. It means we had a, a, just a number of people that could come every evening.
We had other place are in the nature where, where we had thousands of people participating. We baptized almost 30 people at the end of that evangelist campaign, and it was amazing. And I participate in- Two other baptisms where I saw thousands of people being baptized. It means that was a very well-organized program with fasting and prayer and mobilization and training and organization.
But the most important element for me is that they worked in a very integrated way, everybody together. You didn't hear about department E, department B, department C. All the departments together focus on that evangelist campaign. And the result you heard about, and I believe that you heard as well, thousands of people gave their lives to Jesus because the Lord blessed that.
I saw miracles in the church where I was. We saw maybe 700 [00:16:00] people there, but I heard about many, many other miracles, and that was the impression of those who participated. That was not only an evangelist campaign. That was a season of miracles in PNG and in the lives of those who participated there.
Amazing. Just like you, many people came back with amazing stories, stories of miracles. Now that we have SPD for Christ starting, do you think that what we saw in PNG can happen in other countries of the South Pacific?
Of course. I know that in South Pacific you have different cultures. The results, the participation will not be exactly the same, but I believe that the principles that we had in PNG can be applicable for all other areas of the South Pacific. Number one is spiritual preparation. All countries can do that.
Number two, the mobilization of the members, training, inspiration, et cetera. Every country can do that according to the culture, [00:17:00] different realities. Number three, they can work in an integrated way. The only aspect that I think that every country need to pay attention is that you need to, to share passion for mission with the church, because mission is not something natural.
the major part of our members, they have a lot of things to do. They are concerned with their lives. They are not finding time to share Jesus with others. And as the leaders of the church, we need to train, we need to inspire, we need to pray, but we need to invite the members. We need to find the ways to passionate them by mission.
And it will be, in my vision, the secret of the involvement of everybody in a project like that. But again, I understand that they have different cultures and different realities. But if all countries emphasize the same principles, the results will be different, but the miracles will happen in each of those countries that are part of the South Pacific division.
Yeah, you were sharing just last night that, God can open doors. Yeah. I, I truly believe, and my life is, is guided by that mission is a miracle [00:18:00] because if you start to have a mathematic and say, "Well, I will preach in that church that's located in Sydney. Sydney is very challenging time," you go back home and say, "I will not do anything because it will be impossible."
Mission is impossible for us, but it's not impossible for God. I like to repeat and repeat many times, mission is not what we can do for God. Is what God can do through us. Mm-hmm. And this is the reason why I believe that mission is a miracle, and if we do our best for South Pacific for Christ, miracles will happen in all the 19 countries of the South Pacific Division.
Amazing. From everything you've seen so far in your two visits to this part of the world, what surprised you or what is your impression of the South Pacific Division? Well, many positive things. The first one is the open heart of people that I'm seeing here. I heard that we have different cultures.
Some cultures are much more open. Other cultures are [00:19:00] closed , to mission, to interaction, and I'm, I'm finding good people. All of them, they are different. They have different styles, but I can see in all of them people interested in doing something bigger for the Lord, and that is my main impression. I came for a meeting that's focused on the mission.
Of course, I expected to hear about mission, but I expected to see people saying, "Okay, you can say everything. You can tell everything. You can show everything, but I will do what I think that's the best for me." But this is not what I'm finding here. I'm finding people looking for more, expecting more, and committed to do more, and it's giving me a lot of hope about the future here.
Mm. And now talking about the event here that you're attending, we're all attending, , how are you finding the launch of South Pacific for Christ? Yesterday, you mentioned that I talked about, , miracles. Mission is a miracle, and I talked with Pastor Glenn Town, that's the leader of the church in the South Pacific Division, that I believe that a meeting like this is a miracle of God.
Because when [00:20:00] you put together all the 19 countries and territories, cultures that are totally different, and you can see the same enthusiasm in the hearts of people, this is a miracle for me. And maybe I have two words to, to define this meeting. Number, number one is miracle. What's happening here is beyond our expectations.
And number two, another element that's impacting me is that spirit of integration. Integration is a word very precious for me. Everybody working together, and when we think in all the cultures that we have, all the different perspectives of the church, the world, and the mission, I'm seeing that everybody is committed to do the same.
South Pacific for Christ, every year a different union, everybody supporting that union. It is bigger than Australia. It's bigger than New Zealand. It's bigger than Fiji, the Solomon Islands, PNG. It's bigger than all of them. They are coming together, not for their countries, for their culture. They are coming together for the mission.
And I'm very impressed and positively impressed on that. During this event, we're [00:21:00] also launching another initiative, and you can tell us more about it. What is One Voice 27? Ah. Why is it important? Why should people engage with it? And also, how does that fit with South Pacific for Christ? How many hours we have to talk about that now?
When we talk about One Voice 27, we are talking about something that is inspiring. We are committed to that. One Voice 27 is a global call of the Seventh-day Adventist Church for the year 27, the month of September, and the call is to use all the medias of the church for evangelism. One month, of course, we need to do it every day.
But our idea is to select one month and invite everybody to come together, members of the church, institutions of the church, organizations of the church, social media, YouTube, internet, radio, TV, printed media, all the medias, one month talking about Jesus. And maybe the question is why 2027? Why September?
September is because that's the best [00:22:00] month for the church around the world, and we selected that one. But the year 2027 is the year when we will celebrate the 2,000 anniversary of Jesus' baptism, his anointing, and the beginning of his ministry. It means we need to celebrate it. And if Jesus was baptised 2,000 years ago, what's the best way to celebrate Jesus' baptism?
It's preparing other people to accept Jesus and bring their lives to him as well. For this reason, our celebration will not be based on events and programs here and there. Our celebration will be focused on media and using all the energies and the structures and creativity for mission, announcing Jesus.
Our focus is the person of Jesus because that's the heart of the celebration, and will be based on two biblical books, Daniel and Revelation. Because our idea is to, to announce Jesus who already came, and Jesus who already came is in the Book of Daniel. Daniel chapter nine, we have a prophecy, the 70 weeks prophecy.
There is [00:23:00] prophesized that Jesus will come, and now we can say he already came. And in the Book of Revelation, we can share about the Jesus who will come. And we believe as the Seventh-day Adventist Church that our call is to prepare this world to the second coming of Jesus. In a movement like that, in the emphasis of this movement, will help us to prepare people to see Jesus coming.
I have a quotation of Ellen White that I like to read when she says that we need to reach people where they are And sometimes I think, "How can we reach someone living in Melbourne?" Mm. In those buildings full of, security systems. It's impossible for us. But when we talk about media, media can go everywhere.
Media can enter in closed countries. Media can go to homes that are totally closed and protected. Media can reach children, young, adult, aged people, everybody. And I believe that the Lord is calling us to use the most efficient way [00:24:00] in our days to reach the biggest number of people that we can, and share with them the love of Jesus, and invite them to bring their lives to Jesus, and to be prepared to the second coming.
Summarizing, One Voice 27 means September 2027, all medias focus on Jesus, who came and who will come. And our final recommendation to every member of the church is to dedicate the next year, 2027, to read the book The Desire of Ages from Ellen White. That's the best book about Jesus' life. And if we'd like to share Jesus, we need to be inspired by Jesus.
Of course, we are reading the Bible. This is an additional book to expand our vision, to inspire us to share Jesus with all our hearts. Amazing. And That, that is an initiative that also brings us to refocus on mission, and a lot of the initiatives of the church currently are doing that. For people that are watching us [00:25:00] from around the world, how can you tell them, or how can they serve or be good servants of, of Christ?
Well, we just talked about One Voice 27. This is one of the invitations that I have for you. If you are watching us now, it's because you like media, you are watching in YouTube or social media. I don't know. If you like to use media, if you are on social media, if you are posting, watching, use the gift that the Lord gave to you.
Use your social media account to do something for the Lord. Because the mission is an invitation for every person to do what they can do, what we can do. If we love media, let us use media for mission. If you like sports, use sports for mission. If you like to be friends of others, use your friendship for mission.
Each of us, we need to find a way to use our gifts, something that you love to do, our hobbies, to share Jesus with others. One Voice 27 is a call for all. But if you have other [00:26:00] preferences, do everything that you can to know Jesus, to read about Jesus, to follow Jesus, to surrender your life to Jesus, but don't stop there.
Your life, your spiritual life will be happy- When you share about Jesus. Those who speak with Jesus also speak of Jesus, and this is my call for you- Mm ... for me as well, and for each of you who are watching us now. Amen. Thank you so much. Really liked what he said there, Juliana. Those who k- know Jesus speak about Jesus.
and we do get practical here on Record Live, and that kind of- Yeah ... started getting into that practical zone. But for yourself, Juliana, having interviewed, great interview by the way, um, having interviewed Pastor Airton, you know, what do you think our viewers, our listeners should be thinking about doing to be practical, to be part of this SP for Christ?
Maybe yourself even, what do you [00:27:00] think that, the call is to, to, to be involved here? Yeah, for me personally, it was always a bit of a challenge getting involved in mission because I work for the church. I've always worked for the church since I graduated university. And so sometimes it's hard to get away from that mindset that, oh, I already serve the church, like, five days a week, and then I go to church on Sabbath.
, And you know, he invited me personally, he said, "And you." And so- Mm ... um, yeah, I think what I felt and, like, I felt touched from that whole week and that interview as well, that, you know, even though I have a busy schedule, I have a lot of things going on, I can still find ways to serve, and to, show Jesus to people, even though 90% of my interactions are with Seventh-day Adventists.
Yeah, looking for ways in our everyday life, I guess, that don't, impact us too much to go out of our way to [00:28:00] be able to share. And I'm sure all of us have, social media as well with people who follow us who aren't people who share our faith. So there are opportunities, and we would encourage you here at Record to get involved in this initiative.
It's gonna be exciting, and there's lots to, to do. But in the next few weeks we will bring you some more interviews like this one with our union presidents. So we'll go through our union presidents, and you can hear more about what they're planning for your specific region, perhaps your union, part of the world, what will be happening in the next few years.
But Juliana, thanks for joining us today. That's all we have time for- Thank you ... on Record Live, and we will see you again soon. Until then, God bless.