In the early history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, evangelism techniques relied on long journeys, printed pamphlets, and preaching tents. However, today, communication is different. According to the Facts and Figures 2025 report, prepared by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), 6.6 billion people are connected to the internet worldwide.

For three days, nearly 400 communication professionals linked to Adventist institutions from eight South American countries met in Jacareí, São Paulo, Brazil, to learn how technology and their work can share the gospel with others.

MídiaTec is a communicators' event that shares knowledge about design, audio and video production, events, and live streaming across multiple channels. During the program, many speakers also discussed the use of artificial intelligence and offered resources for using it effectively.

Digital scope of the mission

With ten years of experience in video production for the Adventist Church, Virgilio Noguera, who works at the Adventist headquarters in Paraguay, highlights what impressed him most about the meeting.

“Artificial intelligence is not going to replace the communicator. It doesn't replace people, but rather empowers them. It is a tool that, when used properly, allows us to reach places where, perhaps, an evangelist cannot be physically present,” he said.

Lara Leite has worked for almost two years at the São Paulo branch of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the technical production area of ​​the Communications department. There, she works as a video editor and camera operator. However, another area of expertise caught her attention: event production.

“That greatly broadened my understanding of how all the team's functions need to be aligned and in harmony to achieve a good result,” she said.

Update and vision

Jorge Marcio Oliveira, manager of the Media Center at the South American Division Adventist headquarters and one of the organizers of the event, points out that handling equipment can be simple, but a good professional needs to understand the reasons behind everything and, above all, its risks.

Along those lines, Noguera reflects that communication “is like a wheel that never stops: the algorithm evolves, new trends emerge, and, as a church, we need to be up-to-date, prepared, and have the right tools to be able to evangelize effectively.”

Oliveira shared, “In my opinion, staying up-to-date is essential; however, the most important thing is to move in the same direction. We can't ignore the fact that there's always someone who knows more than we do, so being open to dialogue and willing to learn new ways of doing things will make communication a stronger field.”

Digital evangelism

During the program, the OneVoice27 project was also presented, a global Adventist Church initiative that aims to spread the message of the coming of Jesus on a massive scale next year, using billboards, radio, television, and the internet to preach. Adventist communicators were encouraged to use their creativity and talents to achieve this goal.

For Jorge Rampogna, Communications director for the South American Division, it's fundamental to provide technical training to everyone working in this field, but even more important is helping them understand their missionary role in this function.

Between workshops, pastors and missionaries shared their experiences and spiritual perspectives on digital evangelism. For Leite, this was transformative.

“After MídiaTec, I understood that I have a powerful tool in my hands that, through the materials we produce, brings many people the opportunity to receive eternal life. It’s a great responsibility, but above all, it’s an honor,” she concludes.

The original article was published on the South American Division Spanish news site.