According to data included in the Adventist Church's Membership Management System, ACMS, children and teens are among the most baptized age groups in South America between 2010 and 2019. On average, there are three times as many people in this age group that were baptized when compared to other age groups.

In 2019 alone, 65,252 children and adolescents (between 10 and 15 years old) were baptized, followed by 23,019 young people between 16 and 20 years old. To understand why the numbers are presented in this way, we only have to look at the two of the Church's main active ministries: the Pathfinder and Adventurer clubs.

If a child joins the Adventurers Club at age 6 and leaves the Pathfinder Club at age 15, they will have received about 10 complete Bible studies, broken down by age group.

Creativity and study

In Manaus, to try to alleviate the effects of the social distancing caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which interrupted in-person activities, a club decided to carry out the studies through YouTube. Rebeca Netto, who is part of the board of the Clube Amazonas, details that two playlists were created: one for children aged 10 to 12, and another for teenagers aged 13 to 15.

“This is already a platform they like to watch, so it [replaced the aspect of them feeling like they are sitting and being lectured to]”, explains Rebeca. Weekly, the children access the videos, study, and at the meeting that takes place on Saturdays, now in a hybrid way, they discuss what they have learned.

In Rio de Janeiro, the time of the Bible study became a journey into space. The Adventurers of Clube Constelações Junior, who are between 6 and 9 years old, have become the “adventuronauts”. This "trip" had a very special scenario and an astronaut pastor, who thrilled the children. At the end of the study, eight children were baptized and about 20 showed interest in undergoing this ceremony.

For Marcelle Almeida, who is a member of the club's board, the method made a difference in the children's involvement. “We reduced the time of the common meeting to make more space for the Bible study and we had a total engagement, including from the families”, he points out.

Staying in the Church

This ministry proposes to offer physical, social, civic activities and, above all, communion with God. According to Udolcy Zukowski, who heads the department in eight countries across South America, of every 1,000 teenagers who are members of the Church but not in the clubs, 116 leave the denomination each year. On the other hand, among Pathfinders and baptized Adventurers, only six do the same annually.

This means that a work that involves all areas of the youth's life is effective when it comes to permanence in the Church. “The goal is to have a club in every church,” shares Zukowski. In Paraguay, Ecuador, and Brazil, for example, this is already a reality.

“We work so that each leader is aware of the importance of the Desbravadores Club”, says the South American leader, who also emphasizes that the club is based on three aspects: physical, mental, and spiritual. “Bible class is fundamental. It is not possible to conceive a club without a Bible class”, she exclaims.

This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Portuguese news site