2025 Adventist General Conference Session Adopts Digital-First Approach
Apr 2, 2025, 2:30 AM
The 2025 General Conference (GC) Session is taking a digital-first approach to ensure greater accessibility and real-time transparency for members worldwide.
"Everyone should be able to know what is going on and when," said Alyssa Truman, GC assistant director of communication and ANN director.
This year’s GC Session will take place July 3-12 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Held every five years, the session serves as the global church’s forum for electing leaders and voting on constitutional changes.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the previous session was the first hybrid session held both virtually and in person. That shift prompted a significant transformation in the World Church Communication Department’s digital strategy, prioritizing timely and accessible coverage of business meetings.
"You used to have to be physically at a GC session to experience transparency," said Truman. "But in today’s digital world, we need instant transparency at the click of a button."
To support this digital-first approach, this year’s strategy prioritizes complete accessibility for global members by providing content in seven languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Swahili, Russian, and German. American Sign Language (ASL) will also be provided.
Social Media & Digital Implementations
The Adventist Church has platforms on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Sam Neves, associate director of communication at the GC, explains that this year’s social media campaign will expand on the successful strategies from the last session.
“The last GC session was revolutionary in the digital media sphere,” said Neves. “This year’s session will be evolutionary.”
All Adventist Church social media accounts will offer live updates in multiple languages, and the hashtag #GCS25 will drive engagement across all platforms.
Returning from the 61st session is a newly improved GC Session app, which serves as a comprehensive resource center for attendees.
Sabrina DeSouza, associate treasurer of the GC and leading the app's development, explains that it utilizes a modern user interface that provides easy access to maps, session meeting schedules, live news updates, and a local restaurant directory.
“Improving the navigation of both the event and host city supports participation in the various spiritual and business aspects of the GC Session,” said DeSouza.
A new initiative also being spearheaded this session is the introduction of an ANN WhatsApp Community.
Those who join the community will receive live updates regarding GC breaking news and live statements. Exclusive content, such as video messages from the communications team, interaction through polls, and podcast updates, will also be provided.
The community is available to join today and is actively updating users on the latest Adventist breaking news.
For those physically attending the GC Session, another way to stay up to date with hotel information and meal tickets is through the session’s official website
Learning From the Past
There were many unknowns going into the 61st session because, until then, a digital approach had not been implemented. Despite ambitious goals, only a portion of the original plan was achieved, providing valuable lessons for this year’s improvements.
“We now know what is possible, and so we can continue to push those boundaries by collaborating as a team and utilizing the different digital tools at our disposal,” Truman said.
One such tool is Web Engine, a backend program launched in 2024 that speeds up article translation for greater efficiency.
These digital improvements make the session more transparent and help expand the church’s mission worldwide through technology.
Digital Strategy for Mission
During the two Sabbaths of the GC Session, a special offering will be collected to support the Digital Strategy for Mission, a GC initiative that ensures all technological and digital projects align with the church's mission. Virtual attendees can also contribute through the Digital Strategy for Mission website, with all funds going directly to local churches worldwide to help implement their own digital strategies.
Richard Stephenson, associate treasurer for the GC, highlighted that the ultimate goal of the Digital Strategy for Mission is to connect those seeking the Savior with local Adventist church congregations.
“Today, millions of people are congregating online in social spaces such as Instagram, X, Facebook, and TikTok,” said Stephenson. “We want to foster genuine synergy among all Adventist media entities for maximum societal impact.”
Neves emphasized that while the church's work in the 20th century was Holy Spirit-led and made a significant impact on the physical world, in the 21st century, the goal is to achieve a Holy Spirit-led digital impact on the world.
One such campaign this year includes a paid ad in June and July targeting St. Louis residents on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.
“The campaign will invite everyone in St. Louis to visit the Dome or Exhibition Centre for a special prayer during the session every evening,” said Neves.
Through these initiatives, the 62nd GC Session aims to bridge the gap between digital innovation and faith, ensuring Adventist communities worldwide stay informed, connected, and engaged.
For more information about the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the upcoming session, visit http://www.gcsession.org
by Lauren Davis | March 31, 2025
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