October 10, 2026 | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review

“I am here today before you because of two things,” Seventh-day Adventist social media influencer Petronellah T. Kunzwa told more than 300 members of the General Conference Executive Committee (GC EXCOM) on October 8. “I love Jesus with all my heart and soul . . . and I have this,” she added, showing the audience her cell phone. “This is the most powerful evangelistic tool in this generation . . . and this is what I have been using for the past 15 years.”

Kunzwa’s devotional message opened the LEAD Conference, a full day of training and reflection for hundreds of Adventist leaders who are meeting at the church’s headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, for Annual Council, the most important business meeting after a General Conference session. During the October 9-14 sessions GC EXCOM members will listen to reports, vote on initiatives, and discuss policies and official documents that will inform decisions and plans of the 24-million-strong denomination.

Seventh-day Adventist social media influencer Petronellah T. Kunzwa shared the opening devotional of the LEAD Conference of church leaders in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, October 8. [George Nelson/Adventist Media Exchange (CC BY 4.0)].

Sharing Her Story

During her brief message Kunzwa, a Zimbabwean who now works as a physician in the United Kingdom, shared how as a 17-year-old, after feeling the urge to share God’s message with everyone, she began to make videos telling her story, sharing about her life and “what it means to walk with Jesus.”

“I shared about my life as a student, and people have seen me get married and have children. Throughout this whole thing I have been sharing Jesus,” she shared.

Kunzwa’s social media numbers are impressive. Just in August her YouTube channel had 1.2 million views, and on Instagram her channels average 300,000 to 500,000 views. “What other platform do you have that can reach 2 million people a month telling them about Jesus?” she asked. “This is the evangelistic tool for this time . . . and we must be thankful to God, because He has given us this method of advancing the truth.”

Members of the General Conference Executive Committee follow the program at the Adventist Church headquarters on October 8. [Tor Tjeransen/Adventist Media Exchange (CC BY 4.0)].

A Method for This Time

During her presentation Kunzwa made a distinction between the message and the method. “We can just go out and pump out information . . . about the church,” she said. “But is it making disciples?” In that sense, she emphasized, “followers . . . and views don’t mean anything unless [those followers] become disciples of Jesus.”

Kunzwa shared how six years ago she decided she would be not only a social media influencer and content creator but a digital missionary. “I decided that I wanted to see this . . . as a mission field, not just to get the views . . . the followers . . . not just to grow.” Kunzwa then launched Biblical Boss Babe, “a ministry for women based on the Proverbs 31 woman,” with the goal of “learning what biblical womanhood looks like as we follow Jesus.”

The ministry launch surpassed Kunzwa’s expectations, as within a week she had reached 5,000 followers. Out of those, 500 women—90 percent non-church members—eventually signed up for Bible studies, she reported, and 200 to 300 of them ended up in a local church.

Kunzwa shared some of the messages she received after women reported answers to prayer, victory over addictions, and miracles in their lives. “These are people whom I’ve never met,” she emphasized, “but whom I’ve seen in my social media, because we are using the methods that work.”

“You have been called for such a time as this,” Seventh-day Adventist social media influencer Petronellah T. Kunzwa told Adventist leaders on October 8. “Now it’s your turn.” [Tor Tjeransen/Adventist Media Exchange (CC BY 4.0)].

Not by Chance

Quoting Mordecai’s words in Esther 4:14, Kunzwa told Adventist leaders that they have reached this moment “for such a time as this.”

“God and His angels, right now, in this moment, care about this meeting that you’re having. . . .  What if you have been called for such a time as this?” she said.

Following the Esther analogy, Kunzwa appealed to Adventist leaders to go all-in regarding the ministry for this time. “If you don’t make the right decision about media ministry, deliverance will come. Jesus is going to come back,” she emphasized. “God wants to use you. What if you have been made president of your conference, of your division, for such a time as this, so that you can use the media [ministry] to reach people?”

Kunzwa explained that perhaps not everyone is called to be a vlogger.[*] “But you can make the right decisions. You can support the mission to make disciples,” she told Adventist leaders. “I have seen the impact of social media, and I am just a layperson. Imagine what you can do.” She concluded, “You have been called for such a time as this. Now it’s your turn.”

[*] A person who uses video to record and share his/her life.