One Year of Advent Christian Voices

It is seldom the case that an initiative born from impulse lives on to see much success. In my life, I have been inspired at various times to try my hand at something, only to see it eventually fail. Nevertheless, I still find myself trying. Last March, I decided I would try something on an inspired whim after receiving some encouragement from friends. I had seen a blog put out by some Southern Baptists by the name of SBC Voices; I was struck by how the blog functioned effectively as an interface for dialogue. I thought to myself, “This is what Advent Christians need, we need a place to dialogue, to get issues out into the open.” And so, with no brilliant stroke of originality, I created our own blog, Advent Christian Voices.  

Since then, we have featured twenty-one contemporary authors on the site, each bringing their own unique voice to the Advent Christian table. This played prominently in the days leading up to 2017 Triennial Convention, at which it was to be decided whether the Advent Christian denomination would adopt a statement of faith. We featured views from across the spectrum, bringing voices into conversation that may have otherwise felt silenced in the process. The willingness of these authors to share their opinions with civility and charity is a testament to the character of our people.

After the Triennial Convention and the adoption of the Statement of Faith, we went on to introduce live video broadcasts as part of our content, featuring discussions on theological diversity, pastoral education, church planting, and other topics. Most recently, we have made this content available in audio through our podcast on the site and on iTunes. At the same time, we introduced a new format for the site, thanks in large part to the hard work of Chase Mendoza. 

As voices have come to the table, people have been listening. In our first year, 4,925 unique visitors have visited the website. As we continue to develop as a site, we expect our audience will grow as we continue to foster dialogue among Advent Christians, digging into the important issues that face our churches.

I could have never brought this site this far by myself. Advent Christian Voices has only succeeded because of all of you. You took the time to write articles. You took the time to have live conversations about important issues. You took the time to read, watch, comment, and share, to be informed and engaged as Advent Christians. This is the way of the Advent Christian Church- there can be no one-man show, the only way forward is together.

Stick around the table, there is more to come. 

PS- A special thanks to Erik Reynolds, Corey McLaughlin, and Chase Mendoza. Your significant efforts have helped make all of this possible.