Norm Middag, former North American Division Pathfinder, Adventurer, and Camp Ministries director, died suddenly on June 23, 2021, in Florida, where he and his wife, Barbara, retired in 2001. He was 91.

Middag was an educator, pastor, and youth director in a career spanning more than four decades of ministry at all levels of the church, from the local church to the General Conference, where he served as Youth Ministries assistant director in 1980. He served in Michigan, Southern California, Northern California, Florida, and Potomac conferences before joining the NAD in 1982.

While at the NAD, Middag spearheaded the development of the ministry manuals for Adventurers, Pathfinders, Teen Leadership Training, and many other resources and curricula. He also developed the Association of Adventist Camp Professionals (AACP), which is now a network of 300-plus camp ministry staff throughout the 60 camps of the NAD. In addition, he was instrumental in the creation of National Camps for Blind Children; and he also coordinated the 1991, 1992, and 1993 Witness Through Rose Parade floats sponsored and decorated by Pathfinders.

As chairperson of the camporee coordinating committee, Norm spearheaded the North American Division camporee program, including its first national gathering of Pathfinders in 1985 at Camp Hale near Leadville, Colorado. This later grew into the International Pathfinder Camporee held in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, since 1999, until its scheduled move to Gillette, Wyoming in 2024.

Middag firmly believed that every church needed to have some type of youth ministry. Integral to starting the Pathfinder Teen Leadership Training program (TLT) at Sligo Seventh-day Adventist Church in Takoma Park, Maryland, he was quoted as saying, “If your church isn’t doing anything for youth, start with the 13 year olds.”

“Norm was such a blessing to our church, not only in the North American Division but throughout the world. His kind, Christ-centered spirit was an inspiration to all,” said Elden Ramirez, NAD undersecretary. “When I became a youth director he took me under his wings, sharing a wealth of knowledge with me. Mentoring was his passion. Many church leaders today who, at one point served as youth directors as I did, will forever be grateful for his mentorship and inspiration.”

“Norm Middag was a mentor. He was a passionate youth ministries leader, a visionary. Many of us in youth ministry are standing on the structures and programs he dreamt and implemented,” said Armando Miranda Jr., NAD associate director for Youth and Young Adult Ministries and NAD club ministries director. “As a trailblazer, we can only be inspired by his commitment to God and helping young people know Him better. Truly, he was an inspiring man with an inspiring life.”

From a Farm in Minnesota

Middag was born into a family of seven siblings on March 15, 1930, living on an 85-acre vegetable farm with seven greenhouses to support a family nursery business in Duluth, Minnesota. He liked to recall a very special experience his mother often shared with him in his childhood years. “It was Sabbath on a bitter cold Minnesota winter day, windy and snowing, halting all transportation. My mother, an active children’s Sabbath School leader, was sitting over a floor heater, holding [me] in her arms of love, when she dedicated me to the ministry of Jesus.” At the age of 12, Middag was baptized.

During World War II, the family moved back to Michigan, home of his parents. He attended Cedar Lake Academy and graduated as president of his senior class. In 1954, he graduated from Emmanuel Missionary College (now Andrews University) in Berrien Springs, Michigan, with religion, education and history majors. Middag also met Barbara Popp while they were students at the college in 1950. The two married in the summer of 1952.

He began his ministry as the grade 7-8 teacher at Battle Creek Academy. Supportive in ministry, Barbara, who would later take a break from classroom instruction to help raise their family, also worked at the academy, teaching French, music, and secretarial science subjects. Middag taught for two years before being invited to serve as youth pastor of Battle Creek Tabernacle.

Following his Battle Creek experience, Middag accepted a call to Adelphian Academy to serve as boys’ dean. Two years later, he had the opportunity to pastor a 170-member church and a grades 1-8 church school. Within two and one-half years, the church school and church were remodeled, and the church experienced a 39 percent membership growth.

Camp Ministry

In 1960, Southern California Conference invited Middag to serve as youth pastor at Eagle Rock Church where the Pathfinder Club had 26 members. Within two years, a junior club and a teen club were organized with a total membership of 150. On a Sabbath afternoon at a Southern California Conference-sponsored youth rally in Long Beach, 200 members of the Eagle Rock Master Club were invested as Master Guides. In 1964, Middag served as associate youth director for Northern California Conference under James Harris. This was also the Middags’ first camp assignment at Pinecrest Camp.

In 1965, Middag was called to be the youth/camp director for Florida Conference. In 1967 Camp Kulaqua sponsored its first Camp for the Blind with 27 campers. Four years later, blind camp attendance grew to 200. National Camps for the Blind is now sponsored by Christian Record Services based in Lincoln, Nebraska.

In the fall of 1974, Middag was invited to join Potomac Conference as youth director and director of Camp Blue Ridge. All in all, with Barbara by his side, Norm had more than 20 years of inspiring camp leadership, mentoring camp staff, and ministering to campers.

In 1980, Norm accepted the opportunity to become assistant youth director for the General Conference Youth Department under the leadership of Leo Ranzolin. In 1981, the couple both worked at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. In 1982, he assisted Les Pitton, NAD director of senior youth. In the same year, Norm was assigned director of Pathfinder and camp ministries. In addition, he developed the Association of Adventist Camp Professionals of the North American Division.

While with the NAD Pathfinder ministries, a committee was commissioned to develop the Adventurer Club, a ministry for children in grades 1-4 and family network for parents. Middag designed the NAD Pathfinder logo and updated the Pathfinder uniform patches, outlining them in black. In addition, a committee of lay members and youth directors was formed to develop a curriculum for the Eager Beaver (Kindergarten) ministry, Pathfinder ministry, Teen Leadership Training (TLT) Master Guide ministry, Pathfinder Leadership Award, and Pathfinder Instructor’s Award. He also developed the governance concept of the conference Pathfinder Coordinator, Senior Youth Leadership Council, NAD Camp Committee and the AACP.

Of Camporees and Rose Parades

Middag pioneered the concept of the division-wide Pathfinder camporee. In 1985, the first NAD camporee was held at Camp Hale, Colorado, followed by the 1989 Friendship Camporee, sponsored by the Columbia Union Conference, and the 1994 Dare to Care Camporee sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Conference. Every five years thereafter, the Pathfinder International Camporee was held at the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. (In 2024, the International Camporee will be held at Cam Plex in Gillette, Wyoming.)

His dream and leadership in the Witness Through Roses project for the three Tournament of Roses Parade floats sponsored and decorated by Pathfinders in 1991, 1992, and 1993 was a highpoint in his career. The 1991 float won the Lathrop Award, “Most Beautiful Non-Commercial Float,” while the 1992 float won the National Award, “Best Depiction of Life in the United States.”

While the Middags lived in Florida, Barbara returned to the workforce in the early 1970s to teach at Forest Lake Academy. Later, she served as a secretary at Potomac Conference and as an administrative secretary in the General Conference presidential office.

The Middags moved to Florida in 2001 to be near family. In retirement, Middag continued to be involved in club ministry, helping to grow the Winter Springs Pathfinder Club, as a Pathfinder consultant, from 12 members to 58, plus 14 active TLT Pathfinders.

For 20 years, the “retired” Middags remained involved in ministry. They became the heartbeat of the North American camp ministry, and, functioning as a unit, worked tirelessly to stay connected to the camp directors via the AACP.

The Legacy Lives On

For the past year and a half Middag worked with author Bruce Coston to write the book Far From the Norm: Norm Middag's Life in Ministry, which will be released by AdventSource in the next few months. Proceeds from the book sales will go to the Camp Kulaqua Middag Nature Center.

“What a blessing he was to so many,” shared Lisa Bruce Gary, a home health aide and volunteer Adventurer administrator at the Florida Conference, in a Facebook post. “I’m proud to have been a summer camper at Kulaqua when he was youth director. And to have him as a friend and mentor as we grew in Adventurers — He and his knowledge will be missed.”

“Norm would always start his yearly phone call to me with ‘greetings, Vandeon, from Norm Middag, your camping friend.’ I will forever know him as that kind of friend,” said Vandeon Griffin, NAD Youth and Young Adult Ministries associate director.

“Norm was a personal mentor to me over the past 15 years. He always had words of affirmation and visionary ideas to share,” Tracy Wood, NAD Youth and Young Adult Ministries director. “There are literally hundreds of children, youth, and young adult ministry professionals around the world that he has mentored throughout his lifespan. He was highly respected, deeply loved, and will be greatly missed by us all.”

Middag is preceded in death by Barbara, who died on July 7, 2020, a few days after her 90th birthday on July 4.

He is survived by three children: David (wife Tricia), Loren (wife Joy), and Renee Brownlow (husband John); six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. A memorial service, “Celebration of Life – Norm Middag, A Servant of God and a Friend to Man,” is planned for 3:30 p.m. EDT, Sabbath, Aug. 28, 2021, at the Spring Meadows Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Orlando, Florida area. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Camp Kulaqua; Middag Nature Center at Camp Kulaqua (click here for donation site).

— Dixie Plata, NAD Youth Ministry historian, and Renee Brownlow contributed to this report; information also gathered from a Florida Conference article and North Pacific Union Conference article.