Christian Smith, a pastor in Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States, created a 10-part video series to address common misconceptions about the Adventist Church after seeing an increase in online videos claiming the church is a cult.
One podcast in particular caught Smith's attention when a guest stated that Adventists believe Jesus was a created, undivine being, a teaching that is directly contradicted in the 28 Fundamental Beliefs.
More than a year after listening to the podcast, Smith launched What Do Seventh-day Adventists Believe. Each video is about seven to ten minutes long and explores core Adventist teachings. Smith begins the series with the gospel, followed by episodes on the Sabbath, the Rapture, death, God's Judgment, and more. "I wanted to start with the gospel to make that central because that is central to everything, and it's very misunderstood," he said.
Bringing the vision to life
Smith wanted the videos to be professionally produced. His friend Shadai Perez, a filmmaker whose clients have included Microsoft and Disney, agreed to help.
Smith wrote all 10 scripts before traveling to Texas in September 2025 for filming. The team filmed the entire series in one intensive week using professional cinema cameras. Perez and his team edited the videos and built a website to host them.
Funding came from North American Division's Pentecost 2025 initiative, the Indiana Conference, and local church contributions.
While filming, Smith considered what web addresses people might naturally search for when researching Adventist beliefs. To his surprise, the web addresses "whatdoadventistsbelieve" and "whatdoseventhdayadventistsbelieve" were both available. “I felt like God had preserved those [web addresses] for this project specifically,” he said.
The series concluded this October, but the videos remain available for anyone to watch, and Bible study leaders can use them to introduce topics before meeting with people to discuss questions.
A pastor willing to learn
For much of his life, Smith was an atheist. Bible prophecy eventually led him to the Adventist Church. After his baptism around 2010, he attended the Amazing Facts Center of Evangelism, where he learned to give Bible studies.
He soon realized many church members couldn’t take four months away from their responsibilities for similar training. Smith thought making the lessons available online through video recordings would benefit church members around the world.
Despite having no background in filmmaking, he developed a YouTube channel and learned to create quality videos from experienced filmmakers, including Perez and Indiana-based videographer Joshua Martin.
Smith said his background as an atheist continues to shape his evangelistic approach. He understands why people question Christianity and hopes his videos will help them find reliable information about God and Adventist beliefs.
More to come
Smith is planning a second series focused on Bible prophecy, the subject that first drew him to Christianity. His goal is to explain prophetic teachings clearly while treating those who disagree with respect. “I don’t want it to be an attacking series,” he said.
He’s discussing the project with the Indiana Conference and exploring funding opportunities for 2027.
Smith has no plans to put away his camera. “This is a part of my ministry. It’s not separate,” he said. “Some pastors might write books, and that is an important ministry, but God has called me to filmmaking, the printing press of our day.”
The original article was published on the Lake Union Conference news site.
