Biography

Paulo C. Oliveira is Assistant Professor of Religion in the area of Missiology at Andrews University. His research explores how religious identity, meaning-making, and faith practice are shaped within the network society, with particular attention to Muslim emerging adults (ages 18-29) and the implications of these dynamics for Christian mission in a globally connected age. An interdisciplinary qualitative researcher, he draws on the fields of missiology, Islamic studies, cultural anthropology, and digital religion. At Andrews University, Oliveira teaches courses in missiology, theology, world religions, witnessing, and Christian ministry, integrating contemporary missiological questions into the classroom through research-informed teaching.
This scholarly agenda is informed by extensive international experience. An ordained minister of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Oliveira has served across three continents—in Brazil, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman—in pastoral, leadership, church planting, and cross-cultural ministry roles. Born and raised in Brazil, he brings that formation to questions of how faith communities take root, adapt, and bear witness within diverse cultural and digital environments.
His applied expertise has also extended to consulting with church organizations and mentoring pastors on missional vision and contextually responsive structures for witness, including service as Missiology and Media Consultant for Hope Channel International, the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s global media network.

Current Research or Professional Activities

His scholarship looks at the intersection of digital society, faith, and emerging adults—young people from 18-29 years of age. He has conducted qualitative research among college students in the UAE, contributing to a better understanding of how their interactions in the digital space affect their Islamic faith and practice. His expertise and research interests include the fields of Missiology/Mission Studies, Islamic Studies, Cultural Anthropology, Digital Media and Religion, and Emerging Adulthood.