Adventist Record editor Jarrod Stackelroth has been called as assistant director of communication for the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, where he will serve as news director for the world Church.
In his new role, Mr Stackelroth will oversee the development and sharing of global Adventist news through the Adventist News Network (ANN), support and train communicators around the world and contribute to content development for Adventist.org. He is expected to begin the role in May, pending relocation and transfer arrangements.
Mr Stackelroth said he is looking forward to the new challenge. “It is exciting and incredibly humbling to be called,” he said. “It is not something we expected or sought, but my family and I are trusting that God will use it to His glory. It is a little intimidating as well, moving our family to a new country and taking on a new challenge. I’ve been with Adventist Record since I left college, so, while I absolutely love what I do, it’s probably time for a new challenge.”
General Conference communication director Alyssa Truman said Mr Stackelroth brings a rare combination of strengths to the role. “His experience in both writing and copy editing is invaluable to the team,” she said. “Even more than that is his writing experience in both news and theology. Often you can find one or the other, but to have both of these areas be strong is going to be beneficial to the team.”
Ms Truman said she is also looking forward to Mr Stackelroth’s creativity, vision and humour. “Jarrod is someone who is steady, deeply spiritual and Spirit-led, and I am looking forward to seeing how God uses him while he serves in this role,” she added.
Mr Stackelroth has served at Adventist Record since 2007, starting as an editorial assistant and becoming editor in 2016. In 2021, he also took on the role of editor of Signs of the Times magazine. During his tenure, Record expanded from a primarily print publication into a multi-platform ministry, with increased digital reach and new content formats.
South Pacific Division (SPD) president and Record consulting editor Pastor Glenn Townend said Mr Stackelroth’s leadership helped make the publication more representative of the region it serves.
“He has involved more Pacific people and received much more news from the Pacific, which has made Record more representative of our full constituency,” Pastor Townend said. “He has also encouraged and developed more writers, particularly younger writers, and his own writing has been thoughtful, challenging and diverse.”
SPD communication director Tracey Bridcutt said Mr Stackelroth’s influence extended beyond the publication itself. “Jarrod has served Adventist Record with faithfulness, dedication and a calm, balanced approach that has shaped both the publication and the people around him,” she said. “He has been a mentor to many younger team members and has modelled integrity and thoughtful decision-making. He will be greatly missed by the Record team, but we wish him God’s blessings and guidance as he begins this next chapter.”
Looking back on his time at Record, Mr Stackelroth described his almost two decades at the publication as “being in a front-row seat to amazing stories, great people, inspiring ministry and faithful service”.
“I’ve seen us grapple with moving from print-only to digital and yet the products and information that the team is producing are still high quality and inspirational. I’ve been proud to see more Pacific content coming through. May it continue,” he added.
With Mr Stackelroth’s appointment, Ms Bridcutt will serve as interim editor while a selection panel reviews expressions of interest for the role.
