Growing Young Leaders is a new initiative from the Pacific Union Conference (California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Hawaii) which seeks to support our young people as they become the next great leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Incoming theology and education majors can apply for our program through their local conference. If selected, they will receive tuition funding, direct mentoring, and career placement assistance upon graduation.
Growing Young Leaders began in 2015 with the selection of our first scholarship recipient, an education student in Southern California. Since then, nearly two dozen scholars have completed the program and gone onto full-time teaching careers in the Pacific Union. In 2022, Growing Young Leaders was expanded to include theology students, marking an important development in our ministry.
We now have over 50 scholars in the program, currently studying to pursue their dream of teaching or pastoring in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The majority of scholars attend one of our union’s two higher education institutions: Pacific Union College in Northern California, or La Sierra University in Southern California. In 2025, Pastor Aren Rennacker was named as the first full-time Director for Growing Young Leaders.
We are excited to see how God continues to bless our students through this ministry. We invite you to explore our webpage to learn more about Growing Young Leaders, and about how you or your loved one can apply to receive our scholarship and join our program. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.
