Your first meeting at the club. Someone hands you the class card — the booklet with everything you need to complete — and there it is, right on the first page: “Actively participate in your Club’s Bible Class.” Class? Bible? If that raised a question mark (or a little chill of “wait, is there a test?”), take a breath: Bible Class is a lot more like a conversation in a circle than a school lesson. Here's what it is, how long it lasts, and where it all leads.
What is the club's Bible Class?
Bible Class is the part of the Pathfinder Club's program set aside for studying the Bible in a group, with material designed for your age. If you're new here, Pathfinders are the members of the Adventist Church's club for ages 10 to 15 — and Bible Class is one of the fixed activities in that package, alongside camping, honors, and drill.
The word “class” sounds scary, but forget the classroom image: there's no test, no grade, no oral roll call. It's more of a guided conversation — usually led by a club leader, often your unit's counselor — where each session covers a topic: who Jesus was, what the Bible says about choices, fear, friendship, the future.
One analogy that helps: if the club were a video game, Bible Class would be story mode. You can play the side quests (camping, earning honors), but it's the main story that shows you the why behind everything. And it moves at your own pace, one chapter a week.
Is Bible Class the same as the Friend Class?
No — and that mix-up is super common, because in the club the word “class” has two meanings. The progressive classes (Friend, Companion, Explorer, Ranger, Voyager, and Guide) are the six-step path you follow from age 10 to 15, one per year. Bible Class is something else: the Bible study that happens during the meetings.
The catch is that the two overlap: participating in Bible Class is a requirement inside the progressive classes' cards. In other words: to finish the Friend class, you need to have participated in your club's Bible Class during the year. One is the path; the other is one of the path's required stops.
How does it work in practice?
The format announced by official Adventist channels in 2026 is simple: clubs set aside 15 to 20 minutes of the weekly meeting for Bible Class, within the schedule that already exists. No extra session on another day (in most clubs): it's a short block, every week, for everyone.
The study follows illustrated notebooks split by age. In 2026, there's one notebook for ages 10 to 12 and another for ages 13 to 15 — each with different language and depth. In Adventurers, the club for children ages 6 to 9, there's an even more adapted version.
The cycle has a beginning, middle, and end. Clubs launch the classes between April and May (the exact date varies by region) and study for about four months, until September. In Brazil's North Union alone (Pará, Amapá, and Maranhão), more than 1,500 Pathfinders and Adventurers started the 2026 cycle together.
| Age range | 2026 material | Where it happens |
|---|---|---|
| 6 to 9 years old (Adventurers) | Adapted, creative, educational study | Adventurer Club meeting |
| 10 to 12 years old (Pathfinders) | Dedicated notebook for the 10-12 range | 15-20 min of the club's weekly meeting |
| 13 to 15 years old (Pathfinders) | Dedicated notebook for the 13-15 range | 15-20 min of the club's weekly meeting |
Age ranges and materials for Bible Class in the 2026 cycle, according to official Adventist channels.
Read alsoSpring BaptismWhy is it on the class card?
The class card is the official booklet with all the requirements you complete over the year — and Bible Class sits right in section I, called “General,” alongside items like memorizing the Pathfinder Pledge and Law. On the official Friend (age 10+) and Companion (age 11+) cards published by the Adventist Church, the wording is identical: it's requirement number 6 in the General section.
“Actively” is the key word. Just sitting in the room staring at the ceiling isn't enough: the idea is to attend the sessions, open the notebook, join the conversation. The club's leadership evaluates and signs off on the requirement — and each club has its own way of tracking it, so it's worth asking your counselor how it works there.
It makes sense when you remember the club's goal: shaping both body and character. The same hands that learn knots and lashings also learn to open the Bible. That's why Bible Class isn't an optional extra tucked away at the end of the card: it's part of the basics, at every step of the path.
What is Spring Baptism?
Spring Baptism is an annual event held by the Adventist Church in South America, traditionally in September, when teens and young people who decided to follow Jesus are baptized by immersion — submerged in water as a public declaration of faith. In 2026, the date is September 26. Spring isn't a coincidence: the season symbolizes new beginnings and new life.
Bible Class is the path that leads there. The official idea is that, over the months of study, each Pathfinder matures their own decision — understanding what they believe before making any choice. That's why the cycle lasts months, not an afternoon.
One important point, no fine print: no one is required to be baptized. The decision is personal and free — and usually involves talking with family and leaders. Anyone who takes part in Bible Class and decides not to be baptized that year doesn't “fail” or lose the card requirement: the requirement is participating in the study, not getting baptized.
Can parents take part?
Yes — and many clubs actively invite them, including parents who aren't Adventist. In 2026, launch activities included Bible classes adapted for parents, held in person or online, so the family could follow the same content their kids study at the club.
In some clubs, it even turns into a friendly competition: at the 2026 cycle launch of a club in Campos dos Goytacazes (RJ, Brazil), parents who finished the study earned a certificate — and the Pathfinder earned 500 points in the club's internal ranking (250 per parent). That kind of bonus is a local initiative and varies from club to club — check with your club's leadership.
If you're a parent who landed here searching “my child joined Bible class, what is that?”: it's the club's Bible study, short and weekly, at no extra cost. For the full picture of what your child experiences there, see our guide what the Pathfinder Club is.
I've never opened a Bible. Will I be lost?
No. The material is built to start from zero, like a video game tutorial: no one expects you to show up already knowing it. Plenty of people join the club without ever having read the Bible — and the age-specific notebooks exist exactly for them. Asking questions is welcome; “I didn't get it” is a valid answer.
Practical tip for the first week: find out from the leadership when the Bible Class block happens during the meeting, get your notebook for the right age range (10-12 or 13-15), and bring a Bible — printed or on your phone, either works in most clubs.
And if the study hooks you, you can go further: the Bible Year is the challenge of reading the whole Bible in a year, at your own pace, outside the meetings. Bible Class is the group warm-up; the Bible Year is the personal marathon.