When I was called as a scout master in my LDS ward I spent a lot time reading and studying, trying to get a handle on how to make everything work. This is not my first time in scouting, but it is my first time as the Scoutmaster. Something about that title just makes everything seem so much more stressful.
As I read articles and books, listened to podcasts and studied the scoutmaster hand book I had one big issue with all of the information I found, none of it talked about scouting as part of an LDS unit.
There are valid reasons for this. Most scouting resources attempt to avoid discussing specific charter organizations so that there advise applies to all scouters. If you ask me this is a shame. Yes I hope that discussions on this blog can help all scouters, but every chartered organization has rules and guidelines that can drastically change the way a troop functions. The Latter Day Saints are no different. And with 37,928 and 412,720 as of December 31 of 2010 (the largest in both units and scouts) the LDS church deserves a little attention and discussion to help members effectively work with the scouts.
This is my goal here. Let's all talk openly about the challenges we face and how we overcome them.
The one favor I ask is that we keep the discussion positive and look for solutions and suggestions. Please do not use this blog as a place to complain but never make things better. I will try to always remember this in my posts, if you will please remember this in your comments.
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