(formerly MV Societies). The young people’s organizations, senior and junior, in the local Seventh-day Adventist churches, called Adventist Youth (AY) or Adventist Junior Youth (AJY) Societies, sponsored and guided by the General Conference and union and local conference youth directors.
Youth ministry in the Seventh-day Adventist Church has gone through several phases, always evolving into a more specialized ministry to a narrower segment of the church’s population. This evolution has taken the church from the early beginnings, when youth work was blended with Sabbath school, to the present, when youth ministry is divided into clearly defined areas of interest but pursues the same goals.
Three levels of ministry to youth are active in youth ministry today:
Adventurers Ministry. To reach and help children 6–9 years of age.
Pathfinder Ministry. To reach, help, and train youth 10–15 years old.
Senior Youth Ministry. To work with youth and young adults 16–30 years of age.
Activities. The AY Society’s objectives are best revealed by the variety of features in the Seven Modules of Youth Leadership:
Organization. The organization module presents the history and organization of youth ministry in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The strong emphasis is on youth ministry based in the local church, not a ministry based on conference-organized activities. Responsibilities of the leaders at the local church level are also covered in this module.
Leadership. This module incorporates aspects of training and actual practice of those activities required for senior leadership, and includes both philosophical base and practical practices. Emphasis is placed on qualities of ideal leadership, the psychology of leadership, leadership styles and functions, and practical matters such as how to chair a committee or business meeting.
Commitment. The commitment module primarily revolves around those activities and programs that are devotional in nature and that provide for special affirmation and celebration opportunities. Weeks of Prayer or Weeks of Spiritual Emphasis are outlined in which a seven-day period of time is selected for a concentrated thrust of personal relationships with the Lord through fellowship, intense scriptural study, and communion. Also featured are Bible conferences, with ideas and helps for church and school youth groups.
Discipleship. This module deals with how to help youth become disciples and stay committed to that way of life. Extensive presentation on the psychological aspect of youth leadership is given. Growth and nurture group leaders specializing in the spiritual well-being of their members will find resources in this module to accomplish all that might be desired, whether in youth or family situations. The ultimate objective is discipling others to the Lord and equipping them to share in this experience.
Worship. Worship is not merely attending church. The religious exercise of worship includes learning to live in God’s presence and integrating those things learned at church into one’s daily living. The purpose of this module is to help SDA young people discover the joy of worship and how to adopt a worshipful spirit while attending church.
Witnessing . Witnessing, the sharing of our own individual experience in the Lord, is among the first and foremost ministries in which the discipled Christian will want to engage.
Fellowship . This module is designed to guide in finding resources to help provide meaningful recreation for the AY Society. Youth must be guided to discover and take part in meaningful recreation, in addition to learning how to deal with their leisure time. Recreation and entertainment must be defined, and proper practices that reflect the SDA lifestyle adopted.
Aim, Motto, and Pledge. The blueprint for AY activities is found in the Aim, Motto, and Pledge. For the Senior Society these are:
Aim . The Advent Message to All the World in This Generation.
Motto . The Love of Christ Constraineth Us.
Pledge . Loving the Lord Jesus, I promise to take an active part in the work of the Adventist Youth Society, doing what I can to help others and to finish the work of the gospel in all the world.
Pledge and Law: The AJY /Pathfinders are guided by a Pledge and Law.
The AJY /Pathfinder Pledge: By the grace of God, I will be pure and kind and true. I will keep the AJY /Pathfinder Law. I will be a servant of God and a friend to man.
The AJY /Pathfinder Law: The AJY /Pathfinder Law is for me to—1. Keep the Morning Watch. 2. Do my honest part. 3. Care for my body. 4. Keep a level eye. 5. Be courteous and obedient. 6. Walk softly in the sanctuary. 7. Keep a song in my heart. 8. Go on God’s errands.
History: AY Societies date from 1907. In that year plans for a Young People’s Department were made in a General Conference council at Gland, Switzerland; and later in the same year at Mount Vernon, Ohio, the new department was named the Young People’s Missionary Volunteer Department. See MV Societies . This department gave the societies their present organization. However, this was not the beginning of young people’s societies in the church; for earlier history, see Youth Department of Missionary Volunteers . In 1972 the name of the department was officially changed to Youth Department of Missionary Volunteers. The term Missionary Volunteers was changed to Adventist Youth in 1979.
In 1985 the General Conference Youth Department was merged with four other departments of the General Conference (Home and Family Service, Lay Activities, Sabbath School, and Stewardship) to form the Church Ministries Department.