Club Chaplain

You know that moment in the meeting when everyone sits in a circle and someone tells a story that holds your attention from start to finish? Behind it is an official role: the club chaplain. Think of them as the team's coach — they don't step onto the field to score goals, but they prepare every player for the decisive moments. In this article you'll learn what the chaplain does, who can take on the role, and why even a Pathfinder can be chaplain of their own unit.

🙏What Does the Club Chaplain Do?

The Pathfinder Club is the worldwide program of the Seventh-day Adventist Church for preteens and teens ages 10 to 15. Within it, each member of the club's leadership has a role — and there's one position dedicated entirely to the spiritual side: the chaplain. According to the Pathfinder Club Administrative Manual, the official guide published by the South American Division (the church's headquarters for South America), the chaplain plays "a very important role in the Club, leading and offering opportunities for spiritual development" for everyone — Pathfinders and leadership alike. They're part of the club's leadership alongside the director, secretary, and treasurer; the full breakdown is at club officers.

On the official list of duties, the chaplain: prepares spiritual activities together with the director (the main one being the Bible class); coordinates the devotional moment at every meeting; organizes mission activities in partnership with the Executive Committee — the club's "board"; serves as a spiritual counselor for anyone who needs to talk; and makes a point of getting to know every Pathfinder and every leader personally, encouraging everyone in their relationship with Jesus.

Think of it this way: if the club were an adventure video game, the chaplain would be the one guarding the team's spiritual energy bar. Knots and lashings, campfires, and drill are great — but it's the chaplain who makes sure that, in the middle of it all, everyone finds a real moment with God.

📖Who Can Be Chaplain? Do They Need to Be a Pastor?

They don't need to be a pastor. The requirement the Administrative Manual sets out is clear: the chaplain must be a baptized member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, in good standing at the church where the club is organized. A "baptized member" is someone who has already gone through the waters of baptism and officially belongs to that church — it could be an elder (a local church leader), a mature young adult, or any adult gifted for leadership.

So who chooses? The club's Executive Committee — made up of the director, associate directors, secretary, and the district pastor or elder — appoints the chaplain, just as it appoints counselors, instructors, and the treasurer. Only the director and associate directors are appointed directly by the church. Once appointed, the chaplain also takes part in the Regular Committee, the leadership's monthly meeting that reviews how the club is doing.

Beyond the formal requirement, the manual calls for the ability to organize and lead spiritual activities. In practice, a good chaplain is a person of prayer, creative, and close to teenagers — the manual itself advises avoiding "endless lectures" and tapping into young people's curiosity with well-told stories.

🗓️What Does the Chaplain Actually Do During the Year?

Chaplaincy isn't just the opening Bible verse. The Administrative Manual outlines a full spiritual calendar, and the chaplain is the conductor of nearly all of it — the summary is in this section's table.

The Bible class deserves special mention: it should be a fixed, weekly program in the annual planning, not filler to pad out the schedule. The chaplain also encourages units to meet during the week in small groups, to pray, sing, and study the Bible together.

And the high point of the year? In September, in South America, the Bible class's work culminates in the Spring Baptism. In April 2026, for example, Clube Constelações, from Campos dos Goytacazes (RJ), Brazil, launched its Bible classes heading toward Spring 2026 with a skit and even a trained-dog demonstration — proof that Bible study and fun go hand in hand.

Spiritual activities described in the SAD Administrative Manual and the chaplain's role in each one.

⛺Unit Chaplain: Can a Young Person Lead Too?

Yes — and that's the part most people don't know. Each club is divided into units, small fixed groups of Pathfinders that work like teams within the team — the so-called unit system. Within the unit there are roles held by the Pathfinders themselves: captain, secretary, treasurer, quartermaster, first-aid officer… and the unit chaplain.

According to the Administrative Manual, the unit chaplain works in close sync with the club chaplain: leading the spiritual moments in the unit's corner (the group's internal meeting) and encouraging fellow members in the Bible Year. It's like being the classroom monitor or the youth team captain — except the mission is caring for friends' faith.

For 10-to-15-year-olds, it's the first real experience of spiritual leadership. Many of today's directors and adult chaplains got their start exactly this way: leading their unit's prayer at camp.

Works in close sync with the club chaplain. Leads the unit's spiritual moments, encourages the Bible Year program, working like a pastor within the unit.Pathfinder Club Administrative Manual (SAD), on the unit chaplain

🤝How Does the Chaplain Work with Counselors and Families?

The chaplain doesn't work alone. The manual describes them as a "special spiritual counselor" who works side by side with the counselors — the direct leaders of each unit. Together, they put together a plan to draw each Pathfinder closer to God in a personalized way, like a teacher who knows every student by name and knows what each one needs.

The Revista Adventista, the church's official publication in Brazil, sums it up well: the chaplain is the coordinator of spiritual development, builds bridges with Pathfinders' families, and keeps a baptismal Bible class running — a study group that presents Bible teachings and prepares, without pressure, those who decide to be baptized.

An important detail: many Pathfinders don't come from Adventist families, and that's perfectly fine. The chaplain's role is to welcome, answer questions patiently, and let each person move at their own pace. No one is required to do anything — the decision to be baptized is always personal and discussed with the family.

🚀How to Be a Chaplain Everyone Admires?

The secret, according to the manual itself, is creativity: well-told stories, skits, Bible relay games between units, music, and challenges that make the message stick. A good devotional is one that ends with everyone wanting more — not checking the clock.

Preparation matters too. Chaplains often take part in training offered by the church's Conferences/Associations — in 2015, for example, a course in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, brought together dozens of chaplains and club directors to study chaplaincy. Reading the Administrative Manual, keeping a life of prayer, and studying the Bible consistently round out the toolkit.

In the end, it all comes down to the purpose that guides the whole club: "to save from sin and guide into service". The chaplain is the one who keeps that compass pointing the right way — meeting after meeting, camp after camp.