Scouting in the LDS Curch Rev_2

8/3/2019 Scouting in the LDS Curch Rev_2

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Scouting In The LDS Church



The BSA & The Church of Jesus

Christ of Latter-Day Saints• The core: It‘s about values, ethics, and character

• 400,000 LDS youth in the BSA,

• 180,000 Leaders

• 30,000 units.• Scoutmasters and leaders have a tremendous influence in

the life of a young man.

• The Church adopted the Scouting after PresidentHinckley's father made a presentation to the church‘s First

Presidency in 1911• It was adopted as the official activity program of the

church in 1913



―Where Scouting is available, please understand that this is not

an optional program. Make certain priesthood leaders in your

regions understand this. It is an economically, socially, and

spiritually sound program. It builds men of character and

spirituality and trains them for citizen and leadership

responsibility. Scouting teaches a boy to take care of himself

and stand on his own two feet. It is an inspired program for a

demanding time. This is that time!‖

President Ezra Taft Benson‖

Regional Representatives Seminar



The Purposes for Scouting In The

LDS Church• Cub Scouting

– The help fulfill the purpose of Primary

• Boy Scouting, Varsity Scouting, and Venturing

– To help fullfill the purpose of the Aaronic Priesthood

• For most, Scouting itself is the ―End‖

– For LDS Units, Scouting is the means to an end



The Purpose of Primary

• The purpose of Primary is to teach children the gospel of

Jesus Christ and help them learn to live it.* *With joy



The Cub Scout Program in the LDS

Church• A boy becomes a Cub Scout as a baptized member of the

church – No Tiger Cubs

– Age 8; Webelos is a one-year program, not two

• Cub Scouting provides a wonderful opportunity forfamilies to participate in activities and in the life of theyoung boy. – Time is a crushing issue in our lives.

– Families need to do things together.

• The role of the parent is essential in the success of theprogram.

Advancement in Church-sponsored packs is by birthday NOT by grade-level or other measures accepted by the BSA. It is important to understandthat Church leaders have considered all of these things and have made their decision.







"When we are using the full scouting

program, and when we are using the full

Aaronic Priesthood program, we will have

a synergy that will bring great growth in

the lives of the young men in the church."

President Thomas S. Monson, June 7,

2002





What‘s Aaronic Priesthood

Scouting?• It is the integrated use of Scouting to support and sustain

the purposes of the Aaronic Priesthood

• Scouting is therefore the ―Activity Arm‖ of the Young

Mens organization or the Aaronic Priesthood• In the LDS church, the A.P. program is the LDS scouting

program



The Boy Scout Program in the LDS

Church• Eleven-year-old Scouts meet separately from the

"Deacon‘s Quorum Scout Troop" because they are not yetpart of the quorum.

• They usually comprise a stand-alone New Scout Patrol• They camp enough to earn their First-Class rank and no

more

• 11-Year-Old Leader is an SA (sometimes still called the

Blazer Scout Leader )• 11-Year-Old Scouts are functionally under the leadership

direction of the Primary and a ward scouting committee



The Boy Scout Program in the LDS

Church• At 12, a worthy boy receives the Aaronic Priesthood, is

ordained a deacon, and joins the ―rest‖ of the troop in hisnew quorum

• The quorum comprises the majority of the scout troop• Led by a Scoutmaster and usually one SA and the troopfalls under the leadership direction of the Young Men‘sprogram and a ward scouting committee

• The Deacons Quorum Scout Troop should be part of the

young man's family focus.



Advanced Scouting Programs in The

LDS Church: Varsity & Venturing

• Varsity Scouting focuses on the Teacher Quorum-ageyoung man, 14-16

– It is a step above scouting and focuses on five areas of personalgrowth

– Strong emphasis on purposeful Sports and High Adventureactivities

• Venturing focuses on the Priest Quorum-age young man16-18

– Six areas of emphasis – up one from Varsity – It‘s not your father‘s Oldsmobile

– Venturing ends at 18 in LDS units

• It helps prepare young men for missions and life.



Responding to the Call to Serve

• Church members are taught to respond when a calling isextended

• Like the BSA, all church positions are served by

volunteers and lay clergy• Unlike the BSA, not everyone may have a burning desire

to do scouting well

• Turnover in scout calling can be frequent

– Be patient and teach your units about the four Ts



The Four T‘s for LDS Scouters

• ‗T' of Testimony:• Develop a strong testimony of Jesus Christ and share it with the

young men.

• T' of Time:• Scouting takes time. We are not to neglect our duties and family but

Scouting takes time.

• ‗T' of Training:• There is wonderful training available within the organization of the

Boy Scouts of America which provides skills and attributes.

• 'T' of Tenure:• Plan to stay in the Scouting calling a lengthy period of time. Look atthe six principles of the Aaronic Priesthood mission and apply them inScouting. Bear testimony around the campfire and on the trail. Seeeach other eye-to-eye and heart-to-heart.



Things for LDS Wards & Scout

Programs to Consider• ―We use Scouting in the Church as quorum activity. We

have relatively small troops.

• ―Every ward should charter a pack, troop, team and

crew. It is important to keep the identity of thequorum. (No blending of units or quorums)

• ―Bishops can't abdicate or delegate their priesthood dutiesto another bishop.

• ―This is the stake president - he is the presiding authority

in our stake. You follow him. If he needs to be corrected,the Area President will take care of it. Trust in the servantsthat the Lord has called.‖

K. Hart Bullock: LDS Week, Philmont 2000



Things for LDS Wards & Scout

Programs to Consider II• ―Get the water to the end of the row! We have to make

some changes. We have to change our mind- set, ourenergy levels. We must save our youth.

• ―We need to commit ourselves to the combination of theAaronic Priesthood and Scouting.

• ―Get people excited in your units. We want you to go outand do more things. We want you to do things.

Elder Hammond: Philmont 2000



Q&A: What about Overnighters &

JLT for 11-yr-olds?• Run JLT in your new scout patrols and do annual program planning

too!

• ―The 11-yr-old boys go camping three times. That's it. They needthose three campouts to pass off the skills required for the First Class

Rank.• ―Prior to those campouts, the adult leaders should practice, practice

and practice the skills that need to be passed off. Then they gocamping and pass them off. If there is a regular calendar, you shouldbe able to get this done for every boy in just three trips per year.

• ―You might need to schedule a fourth campout each year, BUT the

boys who have already been three times do NOT go. This is simplyhow it is.‖

Source unknown, LDS Week, Philmont 2000



How vital is a well-run LDS Eleven-

year old program?• 85% of LDS scouts who achieve first class-rank by their

12th birthday go on to achieve Eagle Scout Rank

• 94% of LDS Eagle scouts serve full-time missions

• Conclusion: Effective & successful scouting starts early,

not later.

• You can help make sure effective leaders are called for

those Cub Scouts, Eleven-year old Scouts, on up



Q&A: If the manual says one thing,

why do wards and stakes sometimes

do another?• Not everyone has read the manual

• Those that have are entitled to inspiration for their area of responsibility

• Sometimes a bishop or stake president will offer to clarifyan issue but not always; you may need to ask or counselwith them

• Stake presidents can clarify on matters with the Area

Authority• Follow the SP and Area Authority



Misc Items

• The Stake is to see that all boys are registered.

– We shouldn't cheat the boys and the Lord by notproviding the program that the Church has already paid

for and use it to bless their lives.• The Stake Executive Secretary can help the StakeYM/Primary Presidents with Re-Charter and MembershipInventory

• The Troop Committee/Ward Scouting Committee

– All bishops should be involved (counselors, too). Thecommittee will help the scoutmaster (and other leaders)so that they won't get burned out.



Misc. Items II

• The Church is behind the BSA in protecting the rights of

free association.

• The national boards and leadership are firmly behind

scouting maintaining its right to determine what constitutes

moral behavior among its leaders. In some councils,

important decisions are made.



Misc Items III

• Every ward has a Charter Organization Representative(usually a counselor in the bishopric) that has a vote on theCouncil Executive Board.

• If there are issues that are of concern at a local level, makesure that the CORs (Bishopric members)are informed andvote to protect the local interest of the Church.

• Stake leaders are encouraged to be involved on District andCouncil committees. They serve as volunteers; it's not partof the Church calling. The District Executives shouldrecruit stake leaders to fill key volunteer positions.



Things You May Encounter with

LDS Units• Under-trained adult leaders

• Low numbers of Quality Units

• Higher-than-normal turnover

• Troops, Teams, and Crews who do mostly sports or justadvancement

• Weak district or council support: JLT, Camporee, Popcorn,FOS

• What‘s Venturing? – Isn‘t that optional?

• Adults that run the troop/team/crew



Why doesn‘t Scouting work as well

as it should in the LDS Church?• We don‘t read the BSA literature and use their resources

• We seldom think outside the box or look at the big picture(mission, aims, methods)

• We are obsessed with Advancement (one of the eightmethods of scouting)

– We measure success by one standard

– What is the first question you ask your son when he

returns from Scout camp?



What Are Successful LDS Units

Doing?• Advisors with attitude: ―We can do this!‖

• Getting ―Trained‖ and attending roundtable

• Using Council resources to make their programs fly

• Quorum Leadership equals Troop/Team/Crew Leadership

• Organizing a one or sometimes two- year calendar withSummer camp, or one High Adventure and one Super High

Adventure

• Use Refelection to help Scouts understand theirexpereicences – Activities are designed to be revelatory experiences. So teach &

lead Reflection



It‘s not your little brother‘s

Scouting program!



How to ―Sell‖ LDS Units on

Venturing?

• ―It‘s not a box or a package we present.‖

• ―It is focused resources designed to help a community

organization provide wholesome, flexible, well-rounded,challenging activities, tailor-made for teenage youth.‖



Priest Duty to God & Venturing

Help your units to understand

that Priest Quorum Duty to God

requirements will satisfy

recognition elements in the

Venturing program



Bronze

Earn On MyHonor Award

Plan and leada serviceproject

Attend ayouthconference

Gold

Serve in aleadershipposition

Set and meetgoal forscripturereading

Plan andimplementCrew activities

Silver

CompleteLeadershipCourse

Serve in aleadershipposition

Help teach anethics forum

Ranger

ResearchChurch history

Present yourresearch to aCub or Scoutgroup

Complete acourse in Howtocommunicate

This is how easy it is…



Elder Spencer J. Condie2nd Counselor in the General Young Men‘s Presidency,

October 25, 2001, Logan, Utah

• We want every young man to earn his Aaronic Priesthood

Duty to God Award and we want every young man to earn

his Eagle Scout Award.

• We want to re-enthrone Mutual in the Church

• Scouting is here to stay

• The youth program of the Church needs to have more

sizzle in it

• Our youth are out running their spiritual supply lines

• All Priests should be registered in a Venturing Crew



―If I were a Bishop, I would no more consider not having a

(Venturing Crew) than I would think of not having a Priest‘s

Quorum. We must realize that Scouting is an activity arm of

the Aaronic Priesthood, and that Priesthood leaders are alsoScouting leaders…Our present policy is that Stake

Presidencies may approve a program other than (Venturing) if

it is a fully developed, better program, but we have yet to see

anything better on a consistent basis. Each time I look into

such ―better‖ programs, I see a (Venturing) program with a

different name attached to it, or even more often, I see

unsupervised basketball.‖

-Elder Robert L. Backman

Is Venturing Optional?



Elder Robert K. DellenbachFirst Quorum of Seventy

―There‘s a new program in Scouting called Venturing. The

scouting organization has taken the old Exploring program

and completely renovated it, but held onto many of the fine

and wonderful attributes that it contained.

―Venturing provides wonderful outdoor activities, high

adventure, opportunities for learning about citizenship and

sociability. It is a great program for Priest-age boys in the

church.

1999 LDS Church Video on Scouting



[Continued]

―While the Venturing program is an optional program in

the church…as we look down the training path of a youngman, we see in Venturing many attributes and skills that

help prepare him for a mission and life. Therefore, we

encourage our priesthood brethren < Bishops, Stake

Presidents> to look very carefully at sponsoring a

Venturing crew in their ward or branch.” [italics added]

Elder Robert K. DellenbachFirst Quorum of Seventy



How can I Help My LDS Units?

• Meet the Folks:

– Bishop,

– YM president

– Primary President• Meet the Folks II: Stake President

– Stake, Young Men‘s President

– Stake Primary President

• Hook up with your Council LDS Relationships Committee

• Ask them to counsel you on how to help

• Educate, fellowship, promote, and Invite, Invite, Invite

• Be patient!



WHERE‘S THE PROBLEM?

―Ours is not a boy problem; it is a man problem. Our boys

want scouting; we want them to have it. Our problem is

leadership. Our great need is to provide the leadership to meetthe demands of the boys. Though scouting we can help them

develop real character; we can teach them cooperation; we can

help them develop qualities of leadership; we can teach them

the value of staying power.‖

President Ezra Taft Benson

The Teaching of Ezra Taft Benson



How You Can Help Units To

Call the Right Leaders to SuccessTraining

• At the time of the call

should be given:

– Fast Start Video

– Application

– Handbooks & resources

• Attend Basic Training

within 90 days:

• Wood Badge in 2 years

Experience - (Ideal)

• Returned Missionary

• Parent of a Cub, Scout, or

Venturer

• Outdoorsman

Attributes

• Personal interest in boys• Enthusiastic

• Positive Example



A Piece of Wood and Paper―I told them what a great Scouter my friend‘s grandfather was and that I wanted to

be just like him. My mother got me into bed by promising that in the morning shewould make rolls and that I could take them over to thank him for such an excitingday.

―The next day, before I left with the rolls, my mother told me my friend‘sgrandfather was someone important in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-daySaints. ―Maybe you should ask for his autograph,‖ she said. I grabbed a piece of paper and stuffed it in my pocket as I left the cabin. Picking up a piece of kindlingwood, I began whittling it as I walked.

―When I got to my friend‘s cabin, his grandfather greeted me with a smile. ―Youare a great Scout,‖ I said. Then I thanked him for the wonderful day in the forest.Before I left, I held out the piece of paper I had brought and asked, ―Will you signthis for me?‖ He signed the piece of wood and wrote a short message on the paper.

―I waited until I left the cabin before looking at the wood and the paper. On thewood was written, ―George Albert Smith—Scouter.‖ The message on the paper,dated 3 August 1946, read, “The pathway of righteousness is the highway of happiness. Don’t lose your way.” It left an impression on me that I have neverforgotten.‖

Karen Scalley Maxfield, “Lesson from a Scouter,” The Ensign, 1999



―Boys Need Heroes

Close By‖ ―Boys need heroes close by. They need to know

some man of towering strength and basic integrity,

personally. They need to meet them on the street,to hike and camp with them, to see them in close-

to-home, everyday, down-to-earth situations; to

feel close enough to them to ask questions and to

talk things over man-to-man with them.‖ Spencer W. Kimball



Is Scouting on trial in the Church?

―I do not believe that Varsity Scouting is on trial inthe Church, nor is Boy Scouting, Cub Scouting, or

Venturing. But rather it is my firm belief thatBishops, and the ward leaders, the advisors,Scoutmasters and coaches are on trial.‖

―The program will work if they will work and

become trained and put into effect the things theyhave been trained to do.‖

Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone



What Teenagers Need Most• Unconditional Love. Without it, a teenager cannot develop a sense of

trust, self-worth, or confidence.• Space. Teenagers need room to grow, to think, to learn, to make

mistakes. They develop confidence when they‘re allowed to ―fly solo.‖

• Friends. Friends help in the transition from home to the outside world.They offer comfort, safety, and empathy.

• Limits. Every teenager needs limits to learn how function in the realworld. Rules also provide a base and security.

• Adults. Teens need a role model who is accessible and understanding – someone to turn to when the going gets rough. This person could be aparent, another relative, a teacher, a school counselor, or a religiousleader

High Times Low times: How to Cope with Teenage Depression,

By John E. Meeks, M.D.



LET THE YOUTH LEAD

• Adult shadow leadership

• Hold periodic planning sessions to fine tunethe annual plan

• Always have a three month calendar

• Hold regular presidency meetings

• Train the youth about leadership

• Meet in advance with the youth leader• Ranger and Silver Awards require Venturer

to share what he‘s learned with others



―A child is a person who is going to carry on what

you have started. He is going to sit where you

are sitting, and, when you are gone, attend to

those things which you think are most

important. You can create all the policies you

please, but how they are carried out depends on

him.

He will assume control of your cities, states, and

nations. He is going to move in and take over

your churches, schools, universities and

corporations... the fate of humanity is in hishands.‖

Abraham Lincoln



Can the wants and needs of the young men in

your Quorum be met with no planned mutual

night activities?

Is the current program in your

priesthood Quorum, meeting the

needs and wants of the young men

better than Scouting can?

Can we afford to delegate the

responsibility of meeting the needs

and wants of the Quorums to any

other program or plan?

Documents

Scouting in the LDS Curch Rev_2