The Seventh-day Adventist Church announced a new website and app for missions, during the 2017 Annual Council meetings. Expected to launch August 2018, VividFaith will be a virtual community where those who want to serve the Church can find places around the world to serve and then be matched with the opportunities for which they are best suited.

VividFaith will be unique from other job-search websites as it will allow organizations to do more than create and post service opportunities. Organizations will be able to filter through interested applicants and be notified of interested applicants. They will also be able to share unique details about their region and offer resources and tools for those applying. 

Similarly, those interested in serving will no longer need to contact individual organizations. VividFaith will be a one-stop place where they can search for all the service opportunities offered by the Adventist Church and other supporting ministries. 

“VividFaith will be a unique place to find or post mission opportunities, similar to a global searchable index,” says Italo Osorio, architect of VividFaith. “Based on profile information, VividFaith will send notifications when a mission opportunity matches the interests of a member. Or the moment an organization adds a mission opportunity, VividFaith will immediately tell the number of possible candidates fitting the request.” 

The practice and culture of missions and service has been a part of the fabric of the Seventh-day Adventist Church since 1874 when John Nevins Andrews left the United States for Europe. In those early days, managing resources, people and logistics of international service began as a small centralized operation at the Adventist Church World Headquarters. Today, service opportunities are not just through one office. They are offered by many departments and entities within the Adventist Church, by Adventist-owned entities outside of the General Conference, like ADRA and independent ministries run by Adventist lay ministries, like Maranatha International.  

As of June 2017, Seventh-day Adventist Christians make up only 0.27% of the world’s population, leaving billions who have never heard of the Seventh-day Adventist Church or its life-changing message. Despite the increase in service opportunities and the number of people ready to serve, the two groups are currently not connecting as much as they could. VividFaith will work to streamline the process so that everyone who wants to serve has the opportunity. 

“VividFaith will be open to anyone, Adventist or non-Adventist, who has the desire to do ministry with the Adventist Church,” says Osorio. “Members will discover a place to find mission opportunities and/or create social interaction with other people engaged in mission. 

Future versions of VividFaith will include resources for those serving and a social media platform where family and friends can support those abroad. On their temporary website, vividfaith.com, you can sign up to receive updates on the developments of VividFaith.