Redefining
your Troop’s Religious Program
by Virgil Burke
Contributing Scouter
For many Troops, an outside observer would likely conclude that there are only 11
points to the Scout Law, and a 12th optional one, reverent, to be used if the Troop has
someone who is particularly “religious,” who insists on doing something about
it. But this is not the way the program is meant to be run. In its by-laws, the Boy Scouts
state that no boy can grow into the best kind of man without giving attention to his duty
to God.
Part of the problem may be that many leaders are not comfortable themselves in sharing
and outwardly proclaiming their own faiths. Part of it may be a passive acceptance of the
position of a lot of our society which states that whatever you want to believe, and
however hard you want to believe it, is just fine. Another part may a misunderstanding of
Boy Scout guidelines. “Non-sectarian” in the rules and regulations does not mean
Godless!
Baden-Powell had no such reservations. For Baden-Powell, “There is no religious
side to the movement. The whole of it is based on religion, that is, on the realization
and service of God.” (Italics added.) That is pretty direct. How does your Troop
measure up to that? No matter how you rate, there are some things built into the Scouting
program that, if any Troop uses them correctly, can hardly fail to help improve its
performance in making the 12th Point of the Scout Law an integral part of its program.
This article will give a few basic beginning steps in achieving this.
The Scoutmaster must set the tone, for that tells the Troop that the 12th Point is not
only important, but essential. Scoutmasters who give the matter much thought realize that
reverence is the point on which all the others are built. Our duty toward our Creator
works itself out in the way we treat other people. The Scoutmaster must be able to
recognize this, and be willing to build up reverence to God as the most important point of
the Scout law and the first duty of the Scout Oath.
The above in not to say that the Scoutmaster is the only one responsible for the 12th
Point in the program of the Troop, or that he has to do it himself alone. Just as some
Scoutmasters will be better at teaching knots than others, so some will be better at doing
the “God stuff” in the Troop. But we would not accept a Scoutmaster who says,
“I’m not real good at knots, so my Troop isn’t going to do any.” We
would expect him to work at it himself, and to find an assistant who is good at knots, and
have that assistant help with the knot work.
That assistant in charge of “God stuff” is called a Chaplain. The Chaplain is
a registered position on the Troop Committee. The Scoutmaster and the Troop Committee
should work hard at finding one. How to go about doing that depends partly on your
sponsor.
If the Troop is sponsored by a church, the first step would be to tell the Chartered
Organization Representative or the Pastor that the Troop wants a Chaplain. Take a copy of
the job description along with you. Point out that, in most religious sponsoring
institutions, the Troop Chaplain does not have to be an ordained minister. A lay person
will do just fine, if you have the right one. It can also be pointed out that this gives
the church an easy way to get the message of the church to the Scouts and their families.
If the Troop is not sponsored by a church, first try you own Committee members and
parents. Someone among them might be very willing and capable of doing the job. If not,
try the church down the street. Point out to that church’s pastor that you are
offering him or her an opportunity to influence the spiritual lives of young men, many of
whom are not reached by any church. If he is not interested, “shake the dust off your
feet” from that church, and go the next one down the street. Some church is going to
have the vision to grab the chance to minister to your Scouts.
In addition to recruiting a Troop Chaplain, recruit a Chaplain Aide for the junior
leader team. This should not be a giveaway job. That is, do not have someone 12 years old
be Chaplain Aide because he needs a job and Chaplain Aide is the only one not already
filled. If you can recruit a young man who is devout in his own religious obligations, and
is a mature and caring young man, he can be a constant resource, not only for encouraging
earning religious awards, saying grace at meals and prayers on Sunday morning campouts,
etc., but also for counseling other Scouts. There will be times when that young man can
get through to a boy better than an adult can. And that does not mention the tremendous
example he can be in taking the 12th Point and his duty to God seriously and living it out
in front of the Troop.
Then recognize that young man. Make him part of the Patrol Leader Council meetings to
make sure that the 12th Point is observed in all of the Troop’s activities. Let him
give annual Troop presentations on religious awards programs. Let him open or close Courts
of Honor with an invocation or benediction. Hold him to a high standard, then hold him up
as a high example.
Now turn the Chaplain and Chaplain Aide loose. Let them, along with the Patrol Leader
Council, evaluate your program.
Is Scouts’ meeting their religious obligations and living up the their duties to
God part of your advancement program, Scoutmaster conferences, and Boards of Review?
Is grace said at every meal, at home and at campouts?
Is there an invocation and/or benediction said at Courts of Honor and Scout Banquets?
Is some kind of devotional or service done at campouts when away from church on Sunday
morning or Sabbath?
How many Scouts have earned their religious awards? If not many, why aren’t there
more?
This list could go on and on.
Duty to God and Reverence for God were not afterthoughts or add ons in the Scouting
program. They were foundational elements in the mind of Baden-Powell from the very first.
They should not be afterthoughts or add ons in the programs of today’s Troop
programs, either. The 12th Point of the Scout Law should be given at least as much
emphasis in the day to day program as knots, hiking, or campouts. It is up to each and
every leader in Scouting to work to make this happen. And when it happens, be prepared,
because you will be amazed at the results!
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