On June 4, 2026, Collonges Adventist University inaugurated a new office for one of the General Conference’s Global Mission Centers. The purpose of this center is to support and coordinate the missionary initiatives of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in secularized and post-Christian contexts worldwide.
The inauguration ceremony took place in the presence of several Adventist Church leaders, highlighting the strategic importance of this collaboration. Among those attending were Pastor Barna Magyarosi, President of the Inter-European Division; Jean-Philippe Lehmann, Director of Collonges Adventist University; Pastor David Milard, President of the Franco-Belgian Union; Pastor Olivier Rigaud, President of the French-Speaking Switzerland and Ticino Conference; and Jonathan Contero, Associate Director of the Center for Secular and Post-Christian Mission.
A Mission Rooted in Adventist History
Since its beginnings in the nineteenth century, the Adventist Church has made mission a central element of its identity. In 1874, with the sending of John Nevins Andrews to Europe, the Church embarked on a global missionary movement. Over the decades, mission centers were established on several continents, supporting church planting, training, and translation work, as well as educational and healthcare ministries.
This missionary dynamic reached a major milestone in 1990 with the launch of the Global Mission initiative by the General Conference. Within this framework, the Adventist Global Mission Centers were established and, today, there are six such centers worldwide. These specialized centers support mission work in specific cultural, religious, and sociological contexts, including secularized and post-Christian environments.
An Office Dedicated to Coordination and Training
Located at the heart of the Adventist Campus in Collonges-sous-Salève (the main office is in Maryland), this center serves as a hub for coordination, reflection, and training, thereby fostering collaboration among institutions, leaders, and individuals actively engaged in mission. Its purpose is to support contextualized missionary approaches adapted to contemporary challenges.
Thanks to the presence of Jonathan Contero, a pastor and missionary, the Adventist Mission Office of the General Conference strengthens the collaboration in the field. Since 2019, he has served as the associate director of the Center for Secular and Post-Christian Mission within Global Mission at the General Conference. Originally from Spain, he spent more than ten years serving as a pastor and church planter in Spain before continuing his missionary ministry in Switzerland, in the Geneva region. His work focuses on dialogue, cultural understanding, and sharing the Gospel in societies shaped by secularization.
The inauguration concluded with a time of fellowship and discussion, allowing participants to tour the facilities and share their vision for the future. With the opening of this office, Collonges Adventist University strengthens its role as a platform for resources and training in support of the Adventist mission in Europe and beyond.
For more information: https://cspm.globalmissioncenters.org/
