EIGHTEEN students of the Omaura Adventist School of Ministry from East Sepik and Sandaun Provinces have taken the initiative into their own hands, launching a one-hour online digital tools training session today equipping themselves for the practical realities of ministry in a digitally connected world.
The training was driven by the students themselves, under the leadership of Nathaniel Sut, an active media officer of Sepik Mission who is currently undertaking ministerial training at Omaura. Facilitated online by Sepik Mission’s Communications Director, Minister Joe Philip, the session focused on practical, step-by-step guidance on accessing and using digital tools that are already in the students’ hands starting with what they have, not what they lack.
EQUIPPING FRONT-LINE WORKERS FOR MISSION
The training carries a clear strategic purpose. As future pastors and church leaders, these students are the front-line workers of tomorrow’s church. Equipping them now with digital ministry skills means that when they are placed in local churches across East Sepik and Sandaun Provinces, they arrive ready to communicate the gospel effectively, manage their church’s digital presence responsibly, and contribute to the unified voice of the Adventist Church in Papua New Guinea.
The training is also timed with intent. It is designed to prepare students for the upcoming OneVoice27 initiative a coordinated global Adventist communication movement set to roll out next year ensuring that Sepik Mission’s ministerial graduates are ready to participate meaningfully when that moment arrives.
BUILDING A UNIFIED DIGITAL VOICE
Beyond the technical skills, the training also carries a broader message about responsible digital stewardship. Students are being guided to understand that their future church’s digital identity does not stand alone it is part of the collective voice of the global Adventist Church. Every social media post, every video, every graphic produced under the church’s name must reflect the values, branding, and integrity of the denomination they represent.
The first session ended on a high note. Participants left the online room motivated and already looking forward to the next session before the week is out. For 18 students sitting at the intersection of ministerial training and digital ministry, today was a practical reminder that the tools for mission have never been more accessible and that the responsibility to use them well begins now.
