“I thought there would be more young people attending.”

Orgil Tuvshinsaikhan, ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency) Mongolia Communication director, made that comment as he shared his take on the Global Adventist Internet Network (GAiN) Conference in Asia. The gathering brought more than 230 Seventh-day Adventist communication and church leaders together on Jeju Island, South Korea, in September for several days of training, networking, and worship.

New Generations Are Stepping In

Orgil, his wife, Otgonbayar, and their friends Bilguun and Maral Nyamdavaa were part of the young delegation from the Mongolia Mission, a region where a significant percentage of Adventist Church members are young. And despite his passing comment, the gathering of Adventists serving in radio, television, internet, and press positions across Asia shows a steady trend toward younger, tech-savvy, highly educated professionals.

Unlike many of the foreign pioneers of the past and, at the time, the first generations of indigenous missionaries, many of these young people serving in church communication roles seem to be better traveled, more experienced, and better prepared to tackle sweeping changes in the field of communication—artificial intelligence (AI) being the latest—and use what they know or get to know for mission.

These young professionals were born in the era of computers and the internet. Many of them are too young to remember a time when cell phones were not available. And being online is, for many, not a luxury but the only way they know to move around and communicate.

National boundaries are also increasingly blurred. Young Indonesians speak fluent English with a marked Australian or British accent, depending on where they got their education. Several of them speak more than two languages and switch from one to the other easily, depending on those with whom they are talking. Others scarcely talk, as their job is focused on writing, photography, video editing, or search engine optimization (SEO).

Geographical boundaries have become blurry, too, as Adventist communication professionals work together in projects from offices across several continents and time zones: a digital evangelist based in the Philippines; an SEO consultant from South Korea; a video editor from Malaysia; a content developer in Taiwan. Communicators across the continent combine their efforts with only one goal in mind: to share the good news of Jesus with more people—faster and in more efficient, cost-effective ways.

At the same time, the Asian talent is underpinned by the new generation of global communication leaders. Pastor Sam Neves, associate Communication director for the General Conference, Justin Kim, executive editor of Adventist Review, and Vyacheslav Demyan, Hope Channel president-elect, have many differences yet one key common element: The three of them are in their early 40s.

In a sense, the new generations of Adventist communicators are the future, but it’s not a distant future—not even a near future. It’s a future that is already here, as they redefine and deploy their seemingly immeasurable talents for mission.

The Voice of Experience

At the same time, many countries across Asia make a point of valuing the word and advice of more experienced leaders. These are resilient professionals who, throughout their working lives, had to adapt to the rapidly evolving challenges posed by changes in communication.

These leaders are the ones planning strategies, budgeting, and opening ways for younger professionals to revamp what they themselves began to do decades ago.

Several of them have extensive experience in mission and communication initiatives. There’s Suk Hee Han, Mongolia Mission president, now serving in a challenging region. While studying in the Philippines two decades ago, Han participated in planning and launching the 1000 Missionary Movement initiative. Later, he served at the regional SDA Language Institute, the Korean Publishing House, Adventist World Radio, Hope Channel, and the digital His Hands Mission Movement (HHMM).

On the technological side, there’s Joo-Hee Park, recently elected president of Sahmyook Health University in South Korea. A doctor of engineering and an experienced professor of medical information systems, Park has established what he touts as the world’s first metaverse education platform and now embraces AI robot training for sharing Adventist beliefs.

This powerful teamwork among the seasoned and experienced and the young and audacious to tackle new challenges is proving to be a game-changer for communication initiatives across the region. As the unofficial motto of the Adventist Church’s Total Member Involvement initiative proclaims, “Everyone doing something for Jesus.”

Against that background, for Adventist communication in Asia, the future couldn’t look brighter.

The original version of this story was posted on the Adventist Review website.