The 2026 Family Ministries (FM) Advisory, held from February 28 to March 05, at the Seventh-day Adventists World Headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, convened FM directors from all world divisions.
According to Willie and Elaine Oliver, FM General Conference Directors, the goal was to “shape a vision for Family Ministries that will make a real difference in people’s lives over the next five years—whether they’re married couples, parents, kids, or single adults navigating life’s journey.”
Erton C. Köhler, newly elected General Conference President, sent a letter of welcome, remembering the global call “to be grounded in the Bible and focused on the mission, so that families may become living witnesses of the gospel in today’s world.”
Robert Osei-Bonsu, Vice President for Family Ministries, also wanted to welcome the participants and remembered a fundamental principle: “The spiritual strength of the Church is directly connected to the spiritual health of our families. As families are strengthened, marriages are renewed, parents are equipped, and children are nurtured in faith, the Church becomes a powerful witness to the world.”
The advisory addressed several strategic topics, in addition to the division reports, during which each director not only had the opportunity to explain how FM’s mission is being implemented in their respective regions, but also learned about other initiatives and experiences from around the world.
Integration, Collaboration, and Strategy
The participants reflected on the GC initiative “OneVoice27” and had a brainstorming session on how to implement it in the respective Divisions. We talked also about the initiaves “Youth Alive” and “enditnow®”
Professional Development, Training, and Resources
The Olivers provided valuable insights into professional development and presented FM’s official training resource for the Division, the “Leadership Certification Program,” in its updated 3.0 version.
Commitment, Commissioned, and Moving Forward
The directors received the call to fully commit themselves to the mission to the families around the world. Every one felt connected to each other, and to the global church as they sung, for the last time, the mission song “Mission”, from Annual Council 2025, which invites, once again, to be grounded in the Bible and focused on the mission.
One of the highlights was the trip to Washington, D.C., where the participants visited the Museum of the Bible and took a short tour of downtown. In addition, there was the special visit to the headquarters of the North American Division (NAD), led by its FM directors, César and Carolann De León.
