When a Pathfinder finishes the six regular classes and turns around 16, a new door opens. It's no longer just about learning knots, marching, or studying nature: it's about learning to lead. The Pathfinder leadership classes shape, step by step and at a steady pace, the counselors, instructors, and directors who sustain every Club. There are three progressive levels — Leader, Master Leader, and Advanced Master Leader — and each one deepens character, biblical knowledge, and hands-on experience in service. Here's what each stage requires and why it matters.
Where the leadership path begins
The leadership classes are offered to baptized Adventist young people over 16 who have already completed all the regular classes (from Friend to Guide). They don't replace the regular classes — they're the next step, meant for those who want to take on a role in leading the Club.
According to the South American Division (DSA), each level must be earned separately and in ascending order. No matter what age someone starts at, everyone begins with the first level, Leader. There's no shortcut. Someone who is 25 and has never taken the leadership classes starts at exactly the same point as a 16-year-old.
Before starting any of the levels, the candidate needs a written recommendation from the church board and must be an active Club member with up-to-date registration. Leadership, here, grows out of the community — it isn't a standalone title.
Leader: the first level
The Leader class is the entry point. It prepares the young person to take on, for the first time, a real role in running the Club. To be invested, one must be a baptized member of the Adventist Church and meet a set of spiritual, intellectual, and practical requirements.
The required study includes the Pathfinder Club Administrative Manual, ten beliefs from the book "This We Believe," and readings from Ellen White. There are exams with a minimum passing grade of 7.0, a Bible reading plan, and the task of teaching two honors to a unit or class.
The heart of this level, though, is practice: the candidate must serve for at least one year as a counselor, associate counselor, instructor, or director. Leadership, here, is learned by leading. The investiture is conducted by the Pathfinder Ministry (MDA) of the Union/Mission or by an authorized district pastor.
Read alsoGuide Class for PathfindersMaster Leader: the leader's growth
The Master Leader — internationally known as Master Guide — develops leadership within the Club's main programs. To begin it, the candidate must already have been invested as Leader and have served a minimum time in that role.
The required study steps up a level: chapters from "The Science of Good Living," ten more beliefs from "This We Believe" (11 through 20), and a leadership development course. The person must teach a regular class and an advanced class over the course of a year and serve for several months in roles such as counselor, director, secretary, or chaplain.
This level also requires specializations in specific fields — the candidate chooses areas such as administration, camping, evangelism, creativity, citizenship, outdoor education, or recreation — along with reading projects on leadership and adolescent development. The investiture is conducted by the MDA of the Division or an authorized Union.
"The leadership classes are progressive: one is a prerequisite for the next."DSA guidelines for the leadership classes
Advanced Master Leader: the final specialization
The Advanced Master Leader is the highest level of Pathfinder leadership training. It's the leader's final specialization, with a strong emphasis on deeper doctrinal study and personal experience with God — on top of the practical maturity built up over the previous years.
To reach this point, one must have been invested as Master Leader and have served the required time at that level before starting. As with the previous stages, there's a church recommendation, study, exams, and projects, all completed within the timeframe set for the level.
The big difference lies in who grants it: the investiture of the Advanced Master Leader is conducted by the MDA of the General Conference or an authorized Division, with the South American Division taking part in evaluating and approving the candidate. It's the highest recognition that a leader is ready to train other leaders.
Why this training matters
A Pathfinder Club runs on people willing to serve: counselors who guide the units, instructors who teach honors, directors who hold the structure together. The leadership classes exist precisely to train these people with intention, not by improvisation.
That's why the DSA made a point of making the three levels more applicable to the Club's day-to-day life, without lowering the bar. The result is a path that brings together spirituality, knowledge, and real practice — the young person doesn't just study leadership, they lead, teach, and serve while they're being trained.
More than a filled-out card, each level earned represents refined character and a life placed at the service of others. That's how the cycle renews itself: those who were once guided through the regular classes return, years later, to guide the next generation.