Wisconsin Club Ministries Info: Planning for the 2026-2027 Season

As June approaches, a new season of Club Ministry is almost here! Whether your church is preparing new leaders, recruiting members and staff, launching a new club, taking a hiatus, or planning summer schedules, we know there’s a lot to consider. Some clubs meet year-round, while others pause until fall. Whatever your club’s plans, we hope this article helps you prepare for the year ahead.

Website, Documents, and Resources

If you haven’t already, be sure to explore the Wisconsin Conference Youth Department website. There you’ll find resources for Adventurers, Pathfinders, and Master Guides, including parent information, club registration, monthly reports, and updated forms for the 2026–2027 season. Leaders—especially those new to club ministry—can also find helpful resources on our Leadership Resources Page.

If you've ever asked questions like...

• How do I start a club?

• How do I register with the Wisconsin Conference?

• What are the best practices for supervising and protecting children?

• How do I properly handle off-campus trips?

• How do I receive training and train my staff in best club ministry practices?

• What documents are there to help with effectively leading a club?

...then our Leadership Resources Page will be a helpful hub of information for you.

Other Helpful Resources

Pathfinder leaders are encouraged to purchase the Pathfinder Club Handbook from AdventSource HERE, which includes updated standards, best practices, and leadership guidance. Adventurer leaders may also benefit from the Adventurer Club Directors' Guide, available in multiple languages HERE. AdventSource also offers a variety of awesome booklets on topics like marching, uniforms, and teaching honors. They can be purchased on the AdventSource website, but will also be for sale at LeaderShop in October, for those who would like to forego shipping.

Leaders can also download the Wisconsin Club Ministries Leaders Packet from the Leadership Resources page. These Wisconsin-specific guides help clubs prepare for events such as Pathfinder Fair, Pinewood Derby, parades, and 200 Club. Updated 2026–2027 editions will be distributed at LeaderShop and posted online afterward.

A new free resource, Camping at Camp Wakonda, will debut at LeaderShop this October. The guide will outline camping policies and expectations for club events at Camp Wakonda, including maps, forms, and sample schedules, and will later be made available online.

LeaderShop

Every October, the Wisconsin Conference hosts a youth ministry leadership training event that specializes in (but is not limited to) training Club Ministry leaders for the year ahead of them. The 2026 date is October 23-25, Pastor Ron Whitehead will be the main speaker, we'll have educational seminars and workshops, and we'll have important discussions about conference policy and plans. We hope you plan on coming to this event, as we find that it is helpful and important for any Club Ministry leaders at any level. We are planning to offer five tracks of training at the upcoming LeaderShop event:

1. Basic Adventurer Staff Training

2. Basic Pathfinder Staff Training

3. TLT (Teen Leader in Training) Workshop

4. Master Guide Seminars

5. AYMT (Advanced Youth Ministry Training)

Another beneficial aspect of the weekend is the networking. New leaders can meet and get advice from those who have been leading for many years. Area Coordinators are present and are able to, in person, meet and coach directors and leaders in their area on the upcoming year. For those leaders who struggle with English, we have recently started offering live translation from Spanish to English, and from the feedback we've gotten, it's been well-received.

Documenting The Year

Now is the perfect time to begin documenting your club year through photos and video. Clubs are asked to create a year-in-review video for Pathfinder Fair, with instructions available in the Leaders Packet. Recent guidelines require videos to be 3–5 minutes long, with at least half consisting of moving video rather than still photos. Clubs that capture footage throughout the year will be best prepared to create a strong final video.

If you'd like to view last year's videos, check out this YouTube playlist!

Studying for PBE

The other thing that you should start planning for now is the Pathfinder Bible Experience (or PBE). The books that Pathfinder PBE teams will be tested on in early 2027 are Mark, 1-3 John, and 1-2 Peter. You can utilize various resources like pbecoach.com to start training as teams and as individuals now.

Schedule for the Upcoming Season

You can access our Calendar anytime, but for your convenience, we'll list the pertinent dates for Club Ministries here.

• September 4-6: Adventurer Family Camp Out

  • Location: Camp Wakonda

  • Signup: HERE

  • Cost: $10/person (includes all attendees, not just Adventurers)

• September 24-27: Lake Union Conference Pathfinder Camporee

  • Location: Berrien Springs, MI

  • Signup: HERE

  • Cost

    • $35/person Early Bird (Jan 1 - Aug 24)

    • $50/person Regular (Aug 24 - Sep 4)

    • $10/Child pass (6 and under)

    • $20/Day Passes

• October 3: Up Nort' Youth Day

  • Location: Rice Lake

  • Signup: Will be sent via email

  • Cost: Free

• October 23-25: LeaderShop

  • Location: Camp Wakonda

  • Signup: HERE

  • Cost: $60/person

• January 16: Wisconsin Conference Youth Rally

  • Location: Milwaukee SDA School

  • Signup: Will be sent via email

  • Cost: Free

• February 6: Area PBE

  • Location: (decided at LeaderShop, per area)

  • Signup: Will be sent via email

  • Cost: Free

• February 19-21: Pathfinder TEEN Winter Retreat

  • Location: Camp Wakonda

  • Signup: Will be sent via email

  • Cost: $60/person

  • Note: This event is now only for Pathfinders in grades 8 (or age 13) and above

• March 6: Wisconsin Conference PBE

  • Location: Wisconsin Academy

  • Signup: Determined by Area PBE placement

  • Cost: Free ($8/person if eating in the cafeteria)

• March 20: Global Youth Day

  • Location: Your local church/area, especially Milwaukee

  • Signup: Handled locally

  • Cost: Free (unless there is a local materials or merchandise cost)

• March 26-28: Lake Union Conference PBE

  • Location: Camp Wagner, Cassopolis, MI

  • Signup: Determined by Conference PBE placement

  • Cost: Event free; lodging was $40/night last year (including meals)

• April 10: Adventurer Fun Day (North)

  • Location: Chippewa Valley SDA Church

  • Signup: Will be sent via email

  • Cost: $10/person (includes all attendees, not just Adventurers)

• April 16-18: North American Division PBE

  • Location: Colorado

  • Signup: Determined by Lake Union PBE

  • Cost: Individual arrangements to be made by Club Director/Team Coach

• April 30 - May 2: Wisconsin Conference Pathfinder Fair

  • Location: Camp Wakonda

  • Signup: Will be sent via email

  • Cost: $12/person

• May 8: Adventurer Fun Day (South)

  • Location: Milwaukee

  • Signup: Will be sent via email

  • Cost: $10/person (includes all attendees, not just Adventurers)

Don't Be a Stranger

We have lots of helpful resources, but nothing beats connecting with a real person. That's one of the reasons LeaderShop is such a helpful event to attend. Nevertheless, if at any juncture you find that the FAQs, documents, and trainings aren't addressing your specific questions or needs, please reach out. Our Connect Page will link you with contact information for our Coordinators, Camp Wakonda staff, and Youth Director team. We are available to you and are passionate about helping youth leaders feel confident about their ministry, so don't be a stranger.

May God's blessings abound in your upcoming year of youth ministry!