On Friday, July 4, 2025, over 90% of delegates to the General Conference Session elected Erton Carlos Köhler as GC president. The nominating committee chair brought to the session floor a motion to elect Köhler, aged 55, who has served as GC executive secretary since 2021. Köhler won by a vote of 1721 “yes” to 188 “no.”
In 2022, outgoing GC President Ted N. C. Wilson won with about 75% of the delegate vote. Elected three years later, Köhler, the denomination’s first Brazilian president, garnered 90.15%.
Köhler was the president of the South America Division (SAD) from 2007 to 2021 and—for those 14 years—he theologically and bureaucratically centralized Adventism on the continent. The status of SAD unions clearly showcase his leadership style: 12 of them are union missions and thus directly controlled by the division, while only four are union conferences who answer primarily to their constituencies.
Köhler is also known for publicly opposing women’s ordination and has expressed anti-pop culture views on Adventist lifestyle, writing against various types of entertainment—such as sports, music, and video games.
Köhler’s long tenure in the SAD has led to controversial results. Membership growth has been modest—high membership accessions are balanced by increased exit rates, leaving a positive growth of approximately 30 percent and youth membership at a decline. According to the SAD’s 2021 executive secretary report, between 2011 and 2020, about 674,000 people aged 17 to 30 left the South American church, while only 534,000 people of that age range joined during that period.
In his brief remarks after the presidential election, Köhler said, “Let us go forward together.” He expressed gratitude for his predecessor, appreciation for the writings of Ellen White, and emphasized the Adventist Church’s need to integrate its diverse people and ideas.
