Over the past five years, the Mid-America Union Communication Department has focused on strengthening and supporting the communication ministries of our local conferences while helping tell the story of how God is working throughout our territory. In keeping with the union’s mission to strengthen its conferences and institutions, much of our work has centered on collaboration, consultation and providing practical resources to those serving on the front lines of ministry.
STRENGTHENING PARTNERSHIPS
Communication cannot be done alone. It requires strong partnerships, trust, listening and collaboration. Because of that, we have intentionally invested in relationships with our conference communication directors through regular consultations, advisories, retreats, training opportunities and shared projects.
During this quinquennium, five of our six conferences welcomed new communication directors, making relationship building and mutual support more important than ever.
We have also worked closely with our union department leaders, local conference administrations, Union Adventist University, the North American Division, AdventHealth communicators, other union communication leaders around the NAD, and communication leaders across the world church to strengthen our collective efforts.
Another major focus has been strengthening OUTLOOK magazine and our digital communication platforms so they better reflect the ministries, churches, schools and members across the Mid-America Union. Through our magazine, websites, social media channels, newsletters, videos, volunteer bloggers, photographers, student interns and countless local contributors, we have sought to share stories that remind our members how God is moving in the heartland.
LEARNING THROUGH LISTENING
One of the greatest lessons we have learned is the importance of listening. Through surveys, conversations, and ongoing feedback, we have gained a clearer understanding of what our members value most and how we can better serve them.
Recent survey results revealed a strong desire for spiritually grounded content, practical health and wellness resources, stories of community outreach, and evangelism-focused articles. Respondents also expressed interest in improved digital navigation, searchable archives, and more organized online resources on our OUTLOOKmag.org website while indicating a preference for a monthly e-newsletter. These insights are helping shape the future of our editorial and digital strategies.
Compared with our 2019 survey, members continue to look to OUTLOOK as an important source of information while demonstrating a growing desire for practical resources and accessible digital communication. Their feedback reminds us that effective communication begins by listening well.
We have also learned the value of investing in people.
Retreats, advisories, conventions and continuing education have strengthened relationships and helped us stay informed on communication trends, crisis response, storytelling, social media strategy, marketing, artificial intelligence and team collaboration.
BLESSED BY CONNECTIONS
We are deeply thankful for the opportunity to serve alongside so many creative, dedicated and spiritually gifted communicators throughout our territory. We are especially grateful for our conference communication directors, whose partnership and willingness to collaborate have strengthened communication across the Mid-America Union.
We are equally thankful for the many local church communicators, pastors, teachers, photographers and writers who faithfully document ministry in their own communities. Their stories, photos and videos allow OUTLOOK and our other communication platforms to reflect God’s powerful work across the heartland.
We are grateful for the opportunity to invest in future communicators through student internships, partnerships with Union Adventist University feature writing classes, the annual OUTLOOK issue highlighting the university, and the LouAnn Howard Student Essay Contest.
These initiatives provide young communicators with opportunities to discover and develop their gifts for ministry.
Additionally, we are thankful for the trust and support of our administration and local conferences, particularly during the recent leadership transition within the communication department. We have seen firsthand that intentional succession planning, humility, and shared mission can produce healthy leadership transitions that are a testimony to God’s leading and the blessings that come through collaboration.
SHARING OPPORTUNITIES AND SUCCESSES
During the coming years we look forward to continuing to strengthen and equip the communication ministries of our local conferences. Whether through training opportunities, collaborative initiatives, shared resources, or one-on-one support, our desire is to help conference communicators succeed in telling the compelling stories of what God is doing throughout their territories.
We are also excited to continue investing in the next generation of communicators. Through the recently funded Journalism for Adventist Solutions fellowship grant from Versacare, we are developing a communication fellowship model that we hope can eventually benefit other unions and conferences across North America.
Finally, we look forward to continuing to strengthen our Mid-America communication channels: OUTLOOK magazine, our websites, social media, newsletters and video ministries. By listening carefully to our members and leaders, we hope to communicate more effectively while informing, inspiring and connecting the Mid-America family.
Hugh Davis is communication director for the Mid-America Union.
Stay Connected!
As we move forward together, we encourage our members to stay informed and engaged by subscribing to the monthly OUTLOOK e-newsletter, following our social media channels, visiting our YouTube channel, exploring midamericaadventist.org for resources and OUTLOOKmag.org for news and inspiration, and supporting the communication ministries of their local conferences as we work together to share the everlasting gospel.
