Every 13-year-old Pathfinder knows the Pioneer: the regular class for that age, in gray. What many people still haven't grasped is that there is a second door in the same year, with the same gray and a longer name — Pioneer of New Frontiers, the advanced class.
It is not next year's class. It is not the Explorer class taken early. It is the deepening of the age-13 stage itself: same focus, same age, but tougher requirements, more honors and more field activity. Anyone who wants to do more within their own age bracket — without skipping anything — walks this path.
This article is only about the advanced class. The regular class has its own page, and the overview of all six advanced classes is at advanced classes. Here we open the Pioneer of New Frontiers card area by area, explain what "new frontiers" means and show who decides what. Data verified on 07/22/2026 in the official sources listed at the end.
What is the Pioneer of New Frontiers class?
It is the advanced class matching the Pioneer, the regular class for age 13. Each regular Pathfinder class has a twin advanced class, at the same age: someone who does Friend at 10 can do Friend of Nature at 10; someone who does Pioneer at 13 can do Pioneer of New Frontiers at 13.
Notice what does not change. The age is the same — 13 years. The color is the same — gray, the official color of the Pioneer class in the South American Division (SAD) program. The focus is also the same: relationship with Jesus, creationism, care for body and mind, and doing your part in the mission. The advanced class does not swap the theme of the stage; it deepens it.
What changes is the density. The advanced class asks for more honors, more field activity, more practical service and its own card to record all of it. It is like the difference between reading a book and teaching it to the group: the subject is the same, the demand is not.
One term that comes up constantly and is worth explaining the first time: the regular class is the mandatory one for the age (Pioneer, at 13); the advanced class is the deepened version of the same age (Pioneer of New Frontiers), which the Pathfinder does in parallel, in the same year. There is no queue between the two — there is the same age bracket, seen with more depth.
Why "New Frontiers"? The meaning of the name
The name is not decoration. "Pioneer" already carries the idea of the one who arrives first, breaks the trail and prepares the way for those who come after. "Of New Frontiers" takes that idea a step further: reaching where others have already reached is not enough — the proposal is to go beyond the minimum.
This connects with the history of the Adventist Church itself, built by pioneers who crossed literal frontiers — of country, of language, of continent — to open work where there was none. The class takes that spirit and hands it back to the 13-year-old Pathfinder at club scale: leave the comfort zone, do the requirement that takes effort, serve someone you haven't served yet, camp in the rain instead of waiting for the weather to settle.
In practice, that is what separates the advanced class from the regular one in the same year. The regular Pioneer completes the program for the age. The Pioneer of New Frontiers completes the program for the age and more — the new frontier is always a little ahead of what has already been done. That is why the class suits anyone with a good hunger to learn: it breaks new ground without skipping a stage.
What does the advanced class ask that the regular one doesn't?
Here is the heart of the difference. Without reproducing the whole card — the answer key belongs to the club and the instructor — we can show the kind of demand the advanced class adds. According to the official SAD page, Pioneer of New Frontiers includes, among other points:
- Specific honors: completing the Christian Citizenship, Map and Compass and Campfires and Outdoor Cooking honors, plus recreational activity honors and one additional honor of choice.
- Service with your own hands: giving two Bible studies to an unbaptized person, acting out the parable of the Good Samaritan and practically helping three or more people.
- Physical field activity: choosing one test among several — walking 10 km, swimming 200 m, cycling 15 km, running 1,500 m, horseback riding, rowing or skating, for example — and turning in a written report of at least two pages.
- Outdoor skills: demonstrating the correct use of the hatchet and lighting and keeping a campfire going even in the rain.
- Nature study: researching and identifying 25 natural items, such as leaves, rocks, flowers, insects or shells.
See the pattern? Where the regular class asks you to recognize, the advanced class asks you to do, record and turn in. Where the regular class asks for one honor, the advanced class asks for a set. It is more hands-on and more field time — not because the Pathfinder became a different person, but because the class was designed to stretch those who already master the basics of the age.
An important note to avoid a myth: the advanced class is not a prerequisite for the next regular class. At 14 you do Explorer even without having done Pioneer of New Frontiers. But it is not an "extra" the club can simply choose not to offer — the Pathfinder Club Administrative Manual (2020 edition, SAD) states it is the club's duty to teach all the requirements of the regular and advanced classes throughout the year. And anyone aiming at Master Guide later on will need all the advanced classes.
How is the card organized by area?
The Pioneer of New Frontiers card follows the same division by areas as the regular class — it is the standard structure of every SAD class. What changes within each area is the level: the advanced class carries deeper requirements in the same drawers.
| Card area | What it covers |
|---|---|
| General | Minimum age, active membership in the club and regular attendance |
| Spiritual Discovery | Bible study, memorization and witnessing, such as the two Bible studies |
| Serving Others | Missionary activity and practical help to one's neighbor |
| Developing Friendship | Fellowship, relationship and teamwork |
| Health and Physical Fitness | The physical test of choice and the corresponding report |
| Organization and Leadership | Participation in the unit and basics of leadership |
| Nature Study | Identification of natural items and field observation |
| Camping Skills | Hatchet, campfire in the rain, map and compass, outdoor cooking |
| Lifestyle | Personal enrichment and recreation honors |
Why does this matter in practice? Because the instructor signs requirement by requirement, within these areas, on the Pathfinder's card. Knowing which drawer each demand lives in helps you leave no gaps — it is common for a group to close four areas comfortably and get stuck for months on a single field activity that no one scheduled.
The exact names of the areas can vary from one card edition to another (some carry "Personal Enrichment" instead of "Lifestyle", for example). The logic, however, is always the same: spiritual, service, relationship, health, leadership, nature and outdoor life.
Read alsoCompanion of Hiking: the age-11 advanced classWhen to do it: alongside the regular class or after?
This is the question that causes the most friction in the club, and the answer splits into three layers. It is worth distinguishing each one so you don't fight over the wrong thing.
1) What the rule states. The official program places the advanced class at the same age as the regular one — 13 years for Pioneer of New Frontiers. It runs in parallel, in the same year, and does not block the next regular class. This is settled and does not depend on opinion.
2) What varies by club and who decides. The calendar and the pace are a decision of the club leadership together with the instructor, within the Field calendar. Some clubs run the regular class in the first half of the year and the advanced one in the second, with an investiture in each block; some clubs run both together all year long. The guidance published by the SAD describes the advanced class as a class of the same age, but does not include a text saying whether it can be started before the regular one is 100% complete. In practice, most clubs only release the advanced class once the regular one is closed or well advanced. If your club does it differently, that is a leadership decision, not a breach of the rule.
3) The educational principle behind it. The advanced class exists to deepen the stage, not to shorten the path. Doing New Frontiers at 13 gives density to the Pioneer year; pushing it to another age breaks the logic of "same age, more depth". That is why the ideal design is both in the same year — the regular class secures the floor, the advanced one raises the ceiling.
What is the investiture of the advanced class like?
Meeting the requirements is half the road; the other half is the evaluation. And here lies a common misunderstanding: it is not the club that approves the advanced class.
In the regular and advanced classes, the instructor signs each requirement met on the Pathfinder's card. But the final evaluation and the approval of the investiture are the exclusive responsibility of the Regional director — or the District director, when authorized by them, according to the Pathfinder Club Administrative Manual (2020 edition, SAD). Once everything is done, it is the Regional/District director who makes the overall evaluation, signs the final part of the card and clears the ceremony.
There is a deadline that helps avoid a last-minute rush: this evaluation must take place with at least three weeks' notice before the ceremony, precisely to allow time to correct pending items. And the investiture happens at most twice a year — the main one at the closing and another in mid-year, for those left with pending items.
At the ceremony, the Pathfinder who completes Pioneer of New Frontiers is invested in the advanced class and starts wearing the corresponding insignia on the sash. It is recognition that they went beyond the minimum for the age — not a new class, but the same stage conquered in depth.
A difference that tends to confuse: the leadership classes (from age 16) require a portfolio or Virtual Card, with their own deadlines and documentation. The regular and advanced classes do not use a portfolio — what counts is the signed card and the Regional director's evaluation. Don't confuse the rite of one with the other.
Is the advanced class worth it? Who it's for
If the regular class already ensures the Pathfinder is up to date with their age, why spend the year doubled up? For three concrete reasons.
First, real learning. The advanced class forces you off the page: give a real Bible study, light a real fire in the rain, walk the kilometers and write the report. The requirement that takes effort is the one that sticks. Someone who does Pioneer of New Frontiers at 13 reaches 14 with a field repertoire that their regular-class peer has yet to build.
Second, the leadership path. The Guide class has as a prerequisite the completion of all regular classes, and anyone intending to advance to Master Guide also needs the six advanced classes. Doing New Frontiers at the right age is getting ahead on that path without rushing — leaving it for later only stacks up overdue requirements.
Third, the spirit of the thing. "New frontiers" is precisely for those who aren't satisfied with the minimum. If your Pathfinder finishes the regular class in September and sits idle, the advanced class is the natural destination for that energy — more challenge, more service, more outdoors, within their own bracket and without skipping anything.
For anyone still building the base for the age, it's fine to focus on the regular class first; the advanced one is not required to move up a class. But for anyone who already masters the essentials and wants to grow, it is the most honest next step — and the club has a duty to offer it to whoever wants it.