Here's My One Question I was able to ask the Newly Elected President of the General Conference, Elton Köhler

On July 4, 2025, the delegates at the 62nd General Conference Session voted to approve the nomination of Elton Köhler as the new President of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Formerly serving as the president of the South American Division, Köhler was officially introduced before the global church body and delivered an acceptance speech emphasizing unity, healing, and forward momentum.

Pastor Köhler said that it is time for the church to come together and not focus solely on our differences. He called for renewed focus on mission and cooperation. In a moment of gratitude and transition, he publicly thanked outgoing president Ted N. C. Wilson, saying it had been a privilege to work alongside him. His remarks received both approval and applause from the delegates.

After the election of Elton Köhler as General Conference President, he held a press conference with members of the media. We were informed by the General Conference Communication Department that not everyone would have the opportunity to ask a question and that those who were selected would be limited to just one, with no follow-ups or back-and-forth exchanges because of limited time.

I was fortunate to be one of the last two individuals allowed to pose a question to President Köhler. I asked about his position on the so-called "miracle vaccine" that he had publicly asked the church to pray for during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. [1]

In 2020, just one month after the World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a global pandemic-and while lockdowns, travel bans, and school closures were sweeping the world-then-South American Division President Elton Köhler made a public appeal for the global Adventist Church to pray that God would provide a vaccine.

Pastor Elton Köhler's April 11, 2020 Twitter Post (now X) stated the following:

• "We need a miracle! Shall we pray together for the discovery of the vaccine? Men study, but God gives intelligence. #IfMyPeoplePray at 7 am and 7 pm." The text in the picture says: "Pray for the vaccine discovery. United in prayer at 7 am and 7 pm" (X post, formerly Twitter). [2]

Back in 2020, as president of the South American Division, Elton Köhler publicly called on the church to pray for what he described as a "miracle vaccine" to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Basically, this was essentially asking God to bless the efforts of global figures like Bill Gates and Anthony Fauci in developing a vaccine to save the world.

That was 2020. Now, in 2025, after the pandemic, the widespread effects, the mandates, the lockdowns, and the undeniable erosion of religious liberty, I felt compelled to ask him whether he believes that God answered his prayer by giving us a "miracle vaccine."

You can see his full response in the video. To his credit, Köhler's answer seems to reflect a broader perspective. Today, he acknowledged the value of natural remedies and alternative approaches, something that was absent in his earlier appeals during the height of the crisis.

Whether his response signals a genuine shift towards a more balanced view-or simply polished messaging designed to defuse criticism-remains to be seen. But what we can appreciate is that President Köhler was willing to take on tough questions and engage in difficult topics, something that was sorely lacking in our last General Conference President.

Sources

[1] https://youtu.be/hD2llUV_2p0?si=EcTAZMfQhGpgL14h

[2] https://x.com/prertonkohler/status/1248922588660805632?s=61&t=ZNH09CzGb1I4ug-XFFjPyg

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This release was published on openPR.