Marvin Smith
Director
Purpose: To lead young people into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and help them embrace His call to discipleship.
Motto: The love of Christ compels me.
Our Work
The Youth Ministries department is a composition of four separate but interrelated and interdependent ministries. Adventurers, ages 6-9; Pathfinders, ages 10-15; Ambassadors 16-21; and, Adventist Youth, ages 16-35. Master Guides lead the Adventurers and Pathfinders and AY Leaders lead the Ambassadors and the AY Societies. Collectively these are known as Adventist Youth Ministry (AYM), whose aim is to assist in the spiritual, mental and physical development of each child, youth and young adult.
The Department provides resources and training that support Conferences and Missions Youth union leaders, mentor conference leaders, and serve church leaders to develop Seventh-day Adventist children, teens and young adults in their faith, hope and wholeness in Jesus Christ.
Global Youth Day (GYD) an initiative of the General Conference Youth department, aims to recapture the reality of Adventist youth as a global movement mobilized for service, contributing to the proclamation of the everlasting gospel and ushering in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
The department’s work includes but is not limited to:
- Encouraging and supporting young people being involved in the evangelism process and in the general evangelism efforts of their local church and/or conferences/mission
- Hosting and supporting union-wide youth programs and equipping sub-entities youth departments to conduct the same. Examples of these include Camporees, Camps, Bible Connection competitions, and youth outreach activities.
