The Mid-America Union Communication Department exists to create a compelling and comprehensive awareness of our Adventist mission, message and activities throughout this nine-state region. We support Mid-America’s leaders and institutions in helping the 64,500 members of our local conferences have a sense of ownership in their world church family. This stimulates local participation, fervent witnessing and financial enthusiasm. Our ultimate goal is to facilitate the health and growth of local congregations.

Outlook magazine promotes what God is doing throughout our territory in churches, K-12 schools, Union College and our healthcare institutions. Along with communicating news, Outlook shares inspiration through the editorials of our union president, departmental leaders, and guest editorials from local conference presidents. Each issue features a particular theme of relevance to church nurture and outreach in the Mid-America Union. We also interview people making a difference in our churches.

Beyond publishing Outlook in paper form, an online edition of Outlook will harmonize with the print edition and enhance it by providing “web extras” such as photo galleries and video content not previously available. Outlook Online will bring breaking news from around the Mid-America Union territory. It will also feature exclusive content that cannot be found offline, due to space limitations in the printed magazine.

The Union website (www.midamericaadventist.org) features special messages from our leaders and the latest information from each department. A unique feature is our assortment of blogs from Adventist thought leaders of various ages and backgrounds representing the life and faith of the church in Mid-America.

Our Union website and Outlook Online link to social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Outlook Online will have its own iPhone and Droid app. Interaction among these various media will be optimized to gain the most from each individual tool in concert with the others. This will facilitate increased traffic to the websites, which in turn can generate advertising revenue to support operations. In every possible way, our websites will link to local conference websites, which in turn link to local churches.

Our department also provides annual training events for local communication directors in how to share the vision of their own presidents, develop their local conference websites and generate positive publicity in local secular media. During a crisis such as a natural disaster, we work with local conferences to communicate with the community what Adventists are doing. If some rumor or scandal erupts from a church entity, we will provide communication counsel upon request and consultation with our Union president to communicate whatever information is deemed appropriate by church leaders.

Regarding public emergencies on a grand scale, such as a domestic terrorist event, the Communication Department will work with administration to have a plan in place to address the spiritual, emotional and logistical aspects of a crisis.

The harvest truly is great and the tools of communication are many.

Our Mission

To communicate Seventh-day Adventist news, inspiration and truth with excellence, grace and relevance via various media throughout the Mid-America Union.

Our Values*

  • Quality – achieving the optimal excellence possible
  • Missionality – being purpose-driven in nurture and outreach
  • Relevance – being timely and meaningful
  • Collaboration – being interactive and interdependent
  • Christ-likeness – expressing the character and methods of Jesus
  • Edification – building up local churches in supporting the conferences
  • Inclusivity – involving and considering our entire constituency
  • Efficiency – stewarding time, effort and money
  • Pioneering – using cutting-edge methods
  • Mentoring – helping other communicators develop skills and practices
  • Respect – honoring God, church leadership and human dignity
  • Integrity – being honest, truthful, holistic
  • Excitement – facilitating joy and happiness

*core values in bold type

 

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