The time comes to renew the leadership and the same question arises in every club: who decides who will be the director? The answer dismantles a common misunderstanding. It is not the club that meets and chooses. It is not the outgoing director who names a successor. And it is not the pastor who decides alone.
The one who chooses the Pathfinder director is the church's Nominating Committee — the same body that, at the end of every church year, defines the elders, the treasurer, the department leaders and the other officers. The club is a ministry of the church, and its leadership goes into the same election as all the other positions.
This article explains that process from the inside: how the committee is formed, how it arrives at the director's name, who can be elected, what the link is between the club and the church board and where the Pathfinder Ministry of the Field comes in. If you want to understand the leadership team once it is formed — roles of secretary, treasurer, counselor —, that is in the club's directive committee; here the subject is who puts that leadership in place. Data verified on 07/23/2026 in the official sources listed at the end.
What is the Nominating Committee and why does it choose the director?
The Nominating Committee is the group that the church forms once a year to choose all its leaders for the following period: elders, deacons, secretary, treasurer, department leaders — and, among them, the director of the Pathfinder Club. It does not decide on the spur of the moment; it is a body provided for in the Church Manual, with its own rules of formation, quorum and operation.
The point that causes confusion is this: the Pathfinder Club is a ministry of the local church, not an independent club. It exists because the church voted to found it, it operates under its umbrella and it answers to it. That is why the club's leadership goes into the same election as any other department. The Pathfinder Club Administrative Manual (2020 edition, SAD) is direct: the appointment of the director and the associate directors is made, annually, by the Nominating Committee of the local church that sponsors the club.
Translating the jargon: "to sponsor" here is not only money. The sponsoring church is the congregation under whose responsibility the club operates — it is the church that, as the manual itself says, institutionally sponsors the club. If a club gathers families from more than one congregation, the understanding between the churches involved guides the choice.
And there is a link to the regional level that many people ignore: once elected, the director must keep in contact with the Pathfinder Ministry of the Conference or Mission (the Field), through the Regional or District coordinator. The Administrative Manual determines that he follow the official projects and programs, work to meet the Field's goals and send the activity reports within the deadlines. It is not pointless bureaucracy — it is what keeps the director on the Regional coordinator's radar, with access to training and to the official systems.
How the committee arrives at the director's name: the step by step
The process follows the rite of the Church Manual, and knowing it takes the club out of the position of an anxious spectator.
1. The church forms the Nominating Committee. In the last quarter of the church year, the pastor or an elder brings the matter to the church, and the congregation first chooses a small organizing committee, which in turn proposes the members of the Nominating Committee. All must be baptized members in full fellowship. The district pastor chairs the committee as an ex officio member — that is, by virtue of the office, without needing to be elected for it.
2. The committee gathers and evaluates names. It discusses, prays and proposes candidates for each role. For the club, it looks for someone with the right profile: committed, with a dynamic spirit, who enjoys working with the juniors' age group. The pastor and the treasurer help to check the eligibility of each name — whether he is up to date, whether he is a regular member, whether there is any impediment.
3. The candidate is consulted. No one is thrust into a position without knowing. Before the name goes to the plenary, he is invited and accepts — or not.
4. The church votes on the report. The Nominating Committee recommends; the one who actually elects is the church assembly, which approves (or returns) the report in a business meeting. Only after that vote is the director elected.
5. The director takes office and forms the team. Approved by the church, the director takes over, is presented to the congregation and begins to work in contact with the Pathfinder Ministry of the Field, via the Regional or District coordinator. Note that forming the team has two parts: the associate directors are also elected by the Nominating Committee, while the secretary, treasurer, chaplain, counselors and instructors are appointed by the club's own Executive Committee; the next section separates the two.
Who can be director? The eligibility
Here the rule and good practice add up. The Nominating Committee does not choose just anyone, and it is worth knowing what it looks for before dreaming of the position — or before suggesting a name.
What is expected of a candidate for director:
- To be of legal age. The club's leadership is an adult's responsibility.
- To be a baptized member in full fellowship with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, living according to its principles.
- To be faithful in tithes and offerings. It is one of the criteria that the Church Manual applies to officers in general.
- To have no moral or legal impediment. Any history of violence, especially of a sexual nature, disqualifies the person from any role in the club. This is non-negotiable, for the safety of the minors.
- To have, preferably, the Leadership Class — or to be taking it — and to have gone through the Pathfinder officers' training course.
- To love the age group. A dynamic profile, a genuine liking for working with juniors and teenagers.
An honest distinction, because the rule varies in level of requirement: legal age, baptism, full fellowship and the absence of impediment are firm requirements. Already having the Leadership Class completed is a strongly recommended ideal, not an absolute barrier — the Administrative Manual treats leadership training as something the director should pursue, even after taking office, when the club's reality does not offer anyone already graduated. Where a trained leader is available, he is the natural path. Where there is none, the committee chooses the best profile and invests in his training.
If you want to qualify for the position, the official path goes through the leadership classes — Leader, Master Leader and Advanced Master Leader —, which have their own order and prerequisites.
Read alsoThe role of the church and the pastor in the clubWhy does the director end up seated on the church board?
This is the effect that almost no one explains, and it changes the weight of the position. Having been elected by the Nominating Committee, the club director officially becomes a member of the church board.
Do not confuse the two similar names. The Nominating Committee is temporary: it meets at the end of the year, chooses the leaders and dissolves. The church board (also called the administrative committee) is permanent: it meets all year long to administer the congregation. As the director of a department, the club leader gains a seat on that permanent board.
In practice, this means three things for the director:
- He has a voice where the decisions happen. Church calendar, use of the space, budget, support for club projects — all of that goes through the church board, and the director is there to defend the club's interests.
- He has a duty to give an account. The Administrative Manual expects the director to represent the club before the other leaders, present proposals and projects, put the club at the disposal of the other departments and inform the church of the results of the work.
- He stops being a "parallel" leader. The club is not an add-on to the church; it is part of it. The seat on the board is the institutional proof of that.
That is why choosing the director is not an internal detail of the club: it is a decision that slightly reorganizes the church's own leadership. Whoever comes in directs the club and helps administer the congregation.
Does the committee elect only the director — or the whole leadership team?
Good question, and the answer is: partly by the committee, partly by the director. Understanding that split avoids friction when forming the team.
The local church Nominating Committee elects, annually, the club's leadership and trust roles: the director and the associate directors — at least two, a woman responsible for the girls' side and a man for the boys' side. If the club is large and needs more associates, it is also the Nominating Committee that defines them.
The other club officers, on the other hand — secretary, treasurer, chaplain, unit counselors, instructors, support — are appointed by the club's Executive Committee (the director, the associates, the secretary and the district pastor or elder), according to each one's needs and skills. It is team-building work, not an election in the church plenary. The golden rule of the counselors still holds: adults, one per unit, of the same gender as the unit they accompany.
| Role in the club | How it enters | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| Director | Elected (annually) | Nominating Committee + church vote |
| Associate directors (min. 1 man and 1 woman) | Elected (annually) | Nominating Committee + church vote |
| Secretary and treasurer | Appointed | Club Executive Committee |
| Chaplain, counselors, instructors, support | Appointed | Club Executive Committee |
| Contact with the Field (after the election) | Reports and follow-up | Pathfinder Ministry via Regional/District |
A reminder that saves confusion: the clubs do not use their own term. The club's leadership follows the church's election calendar. When the church renews officers, the club's leadership is renewed — or reconfirmed — along with them.
How often is the election held? Term and reappointment
Since the director goes into the church's general election, his term follows that of the other officers. And here there is a margin of decision that belongs to the local church.
The written rule: the Pathfinder Club Administrative Manual is specific — the appointment of the director and the associate directors is made annually by the local church Nominating Committee. Each year, the position passes through the committee again; there is no lifetime office of director. (The Church Manual allows elected officers to serve for one or two years as the church decides, but, for the club's leadership, the Pathfinder text sets an annual review.)
What this means in practice: every year the club's leadership is reassessed together with the other church officers. It is not an automatic change — it is a review. If the work is going well, the most common outcome is reappointment; if something is not going well, it is the time to correct. The one who conducts that review is the church, through the Nominating Committee, not the club.
Reappointment: there is no barrier to re-electing a good director. If the work is going well and he agrees to continue, the committee simply recommends the same name, and the church votes again. The change is not mandatory — what is mandatory is going through the evaluation each cycle.
And if a director needs to leave mid-cycle — a move to another city, health, resignation? The Administrative Manual is direct: it falls to the local Church Board to define the replacement. The club does not choose its own replacement on its own.
Why doesn't the club choose its own director?
It could be simpler: the club meets, votes, done. It is not that way on purpose, and the reason is a good one.
First, out of legal and spiritual responsibility. The club cares for children and teenagers — the children of families who trust the church. Placing that leadership in the hands of a church body, which checks the eligibility, record and fellowship of each name, is a layer of protection. The choice goes through responsible adults and through the pastor, not through internal popularity.
Second, because the club belongs to the church. As the official page on founding clubs puts it, the church needs to be involved in the process to give legitimate backing to the club. A club that chose its own leadership apart from the church would be, in practice, a loose entity — without the backing, the space, the budget and the institutional cover that only the congregation offers.
Third, for unity. When the director is elected together with the other leaders and sits on the church board, the club stops competing with the other departments and starts walking with them. It is the difference between a club that "the church tolerates" and a club that the church embraces.
The principle, in the end, is this: the club's leadership is a delegation from the church, not an internal conquest. Whoever directs receives the mission from the hands of the congregation — and gives an account to it. All the rest of the process, from the requirements to the contact with the Field, exists to honor that delegation.