News Articles

Ken Norton Named Voice of Prophecy Bible School Director

February 5, 2025 | Loveland, Colo. | Amanda Blake

Photo of a man in a suit — *Ken Norton, Montana Conference president, will begin serving as the new Discover Bible School director effective March 2, 2025.*

Ken Norton, president of the Montana Conference, has accepted the Voice of Prophecy’s invitation to serve as the Discover Bible School director. He will begin his service at the ministry on March 2, 2025.

Norton will replace Bill Payne, who recently became the Sabbath School and Personal Ministries director at the North American Division.

“I get very excited when I see God lining things up for His work. It was obvious — almost immediately —that He was answering our prayers by sending Ken to us,” said Shawn Boonstra, Voice of Prophecy speaker/director. “Ken has a soul winner’s heart and deep experience using the Bible School to lead people to Christ.”

Before his time in Montana, Norton served as president of the Guam-Micronesia Mission (GMM) for five years. His professional background also includes pastoral ministry in the Florida Conference, Georgia-Cumberland Conference, and the GMM, as well as teaching and international missions. Throughout his career, Norton has utilized the Bible School’s resources and aided its global growth.

The Voice of Prophecy’s Discover Bible School is one of the largest Bible lesson programs in the world, supporting more than 2,800 local branches across North America, with hundreds more around the world. It offers lessons in more than 100 languages — a feat made possible, in part, by Norton.

While serving as president of the GMM, Norton led efforts to translate the Bible School’s Discover guides into local island languages. He also developed a website enabling the local islanders to study the Bible School’s lessons online.

“For a long time, I’ve had this passion for equipping lay church members in evangelism, and of course, the foundation of that journey is studying the Bible with others,” Norton expressed. “In almost every district where I’ve been a pastor, I’ve started a Discover Bible School. I’m excited to help our churches as Bible School director by getting as many lay people involved in soul winning as possible.”

Norton looks forward to enriching the Bible School’s virtual outreach operations. In fact, Norton’s doctoral study focused on how video chat technology can help lay people organize effective small-group Bible studies. His academic journey resulted in a Doctor in Ministry degree from Andrews University and yet another connection to the Voice of Prophecy: his primary adviser was Kurt Johnson, World Bible School director and associate director for the Discover Bible School.

“Ken’s passion for Bible study ministry, humility, and desire to live like Jesus are apparent,” said Johnson. “Both he and his wife, Julie, are devoted to missions — to walking in the footsteps of Jesus and doing everything in their power to help others make that same journey.”

Headquartered in Loveland, Colorado, the Voice of Prophecy has been engaged in evangelism and media ministry since 1929, making it one of the longest-running Christian media ministries in existence.

~Amanda Blake is the editorial assistant for Voice of Prophecy.

Ken Norton Named Voice of Prophecy Bible School Director

From the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church: An Appeal for Human Dignity and Decency

There are many in the United States who are afraid for their futures, and for the lives of family members. As a Christian denomination in the U.S., the Seventh-day Adventist Church supports the rights of all persons, no matter their country of origin — the equal rights provided in the U.S. Constitution and fair treatment as immigrants and refugees in this country. As members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, we believe that “we are all equal in Christ, who by one Spirit has bonded us into one fellowship with Him and with one another; we are to serve and be served without partiality or reservation” (Fundamental Belief No. 14). The Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America encourages its churches and schools to be warm and welcoming places for all people. All are created by God and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

No More Summers: Walla Walla University Offers New Adventist Teachers’ Certification Courses

Walla Walla University believes Adventist education is more important than ever. To train even more Adventist educators who ensure the Christ-focused development of the whole student, WWU is offering job-embedded North American Division Adventist Education Certification courses that do not require summer classes.

Mission Integration Trip Ties AdventHealth Leaders to Battle Creek Legacy

Every AdventHealth hospital leader has two roles: chief executive officer and chief spiritual officer. While the daily demands of the first role could easily overshadow the second, AdventHealth believes the latter determines the organization’s ultimate success. A group of 17 AdventHealth CEOs recently had the opportunity to learn this lesson firsthand in Battle Creek, Mich., where, beginning in 1866, the Seventh-day Adventist Church began its commitment to extending the healing ministry of Christ through health care services to the public. The CEOs, all in the early phase of their tenures, were there as members of the inaugural class of AdventHealth’s Chief Executive Leadership Program (CELP).

Only U.S. Opportunity to See Artifact With Oldest Alphabetic Sentence at Southern Adventist University

In partnership with the Israel Antiquities Authority and The Israel Museum, Southern Adventist University is the only scheduled location in the United States where visitors can see the first complete alphabetic sentence in human history ever found. This oldest deciphered sentence is inscribed on an ivory lice comb, which was excavated by Southern archaeologists and dates to 1700 B.C. The rare artifact is on display at the Lynn H. Wood Archaeological Museum on Southern’s campus on loan from the Israel Antiquities Authority. The current exhibit, “The Ivory Comb: Lice and Literacy at Lachish,” is open to the public through May 2, 2025.