Milton Earl Kern maybe a name that many young people and youth leaders of today have not yet heard. Milton was born in 1875 to Alvin Green Kern and Elizabeth E. Boyd Kern. As was normal for those days, Milton grew up on a small farm learning responsibility, honesty, hard work and faithfulness. After his grade and high school days he was educated at Union College in Lincoln Nebraska and became an educator and youth leader.
In 1893 Kern organized a “Young People’s Society of Christian Service” in response to appeals from Ellen White to provide missionary opportunities for Seventh-day Adventist youth. He had a passion to work with youth that they would know of Jesus love and continued to work with youth for many years.
In 1900 he married Florence Pierce. From 1900 to 1904 Kern was head of the Bible and History Departments at Union College. Because of his promotion of student missionary activities and dedication to young people he was appointed secretary of the Young People’s Department at the Central Union Conference (currently the Mid-American Union Conference) in 1904, the first Young People’s secretary (Director) in the denomination.
At the General Conference Council held in Switzerland in 1907, when the Young People’s Department of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist was set up, Kern became the first chairman with Matilda Erickson as Secretary (Associate Director). Later that year at meetings at Mount Vernon, Ohio the new organization was named the Young People’s Missionary Volunteer Department (can you see why we called it MV?) and Milton E. Kern became its first Secretary (Director).
Kern was a very devoted and energetic Christian gentleman. From 1910 to 1914 he was also president of the Foreign Mission Seminary (Columbia Union College – currently Washington Adventist University) at Takoma Park, Maryland. During the 1920’s he spent much of his time overseas building Missionary Volunteer Societies. In 1922, when the Home Commission (Family Life) was established by the General Conference Kern became the chair. He was elected associate secretary (Associate Director) of the General Conference in 1930 and then secretary (Director) in 1933. In 1934 he entered another phase of his lifework when he was made dean of the Advanced Bible School. When in 1936 this school became the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary (later a part of Andrews University), he became its first president. He became Field Secretary for the General Conference and President of the board of trusties of the White Publications. He never lost his love for youth and telling them about Jesus.
Retiring in 1950 he died 22 December 1961 at the age of 86. He is remembered as the pioneer head of the Youth Movement of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
