For a surprising number of people who leave the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the one ministry they still speak about warmly is Pathfinders.
Not the prophecy seminar. Not the tent campaign. Pathfinders.
For kids roughly ages 10 to 15, it may be the most developmentally intelligent expression of Adventism we have. Those are the years when identity solidifies, confidence wobbles, and belonging becomes oxygen. Pathfinders gives structure, challenge, leadership, and community. You learn to lead a group, start a fire, speak in public, serve others, and pray out loud. Faith becomes embodied instead of merely debated.
It is accessible. You don’t need a celebrity evangelist or a massive production budget. You need trained adults, consistency, and commitment. And doing it well requires uncompromising safeguarding. Proper screening, training, accountability, and zero tolerance for abuse are not optional; they are sacred. If young people are not safe, nothing else counts.
But when it’s done right, it works. It forms resilient teenagers. It builds competence and confidence. It creates positive emotional memory around church. Even those who later deconstruct often defend their Pathfinder years.
So here’s the provocation: what if half the evangelism budget went into long-term formation instead of short-term spectacle? Big tents make headlines. Pathfinders makes adults.
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