New Head of the Historical Archives of SDA Church in Europe
10. Oct. 2023
As of August 1, 2023, Bernd Müller, Ph.D., has been appointed by the Inter-European Division (EUD) as the new director of the "Historical Archives of Seventh-day Adventist Church in Europe." The archive is affiliated with the Friedensau Adventist University and is also located in this special place.
Bernd Müller, born in 1981 in Kronstadt (Romania), took his Abitur in Bogenhofen in 1999 and then received his first insights into theology at the seminary in Bogenhofen (2000 to 2002). At the University of Erlangen (2002 to 2003) he studied Biblical Hebrew and graduated with the Hebraicum. This was followed by a transfer to the University of Vienna, where he studied history, social studies and political education/German on a teaching degree basis (2003 to 2005) and completed the first part of his studies "with distinction". Following his theological and pedagogical passion, he continued his theology studies at the Bogenhofen Castle Seminary in 2005 and graduated "with honors" with a B.Th. in Theology in 2007. This was followed by the continuation of his teaching studies at the University in Vienna from 2007 to 2012 – and now also the successful Magister degree "with distinction". His educational aspirations led Bernd Müller to a PhD study of Advanced Theological Studies. He researched and wrote his dissertation on "Understanding Education in the Context of Adventist Educational Institutions in Austria“.
Since 2006 he has been in the teaching profession: as a history teacher in Bogenhofen (2006 to 2007), as a teacher and educator at the De La Salle School in Strebersdorf and at the Adventist private school Arche Noah in Vienna (2008 to 2011). After successful completion of the preaching internship in the district of Gleisdorf, Fürstenfeld and Oberwart (Austria), he was called to the Bogenhofen Castle Seminary in 2012 as the director of the language school (until 2014) and as a teacher at the upper secondary school (until 2018). From 2016 to 2022 he held the office of Secretary of Education of the Austrian Union. This was followed in 2018 by ordination to the preaching ministry and in 2020 by taking over the care of the Adventist churches in Wiener Neustadt, Mödling and Baden as their pastor. During his time as education secretary, he participated in important decisions in the D-A-CH Union. Here the document "Adventist Understanding of Education" should be mentioned.
Asked about this diversity in the educational path, Bernd Müller confesses: "In my academic career I have followed my passions – theology and teaching – and have also been able to gain practical experience in both areas as a preacher and teacher.“
His work as director of the historical archives will lead him into the vastness of digitizing the collections, in addition to researching Adventist history in Europe. In this way, he hopes to make Adventist history more widely accessible on the one hand and to strengthen Adventist identity on the other. Bernd Müller is married to Victoria; the couple has three children.