One good friend was on the trustees when I was voted on. We knew each other from Scouting. As a parent, he found it hard to see the youth leading the group. There were many inefficiencies whenever a new youth leader (Senior Patrol Leader) took over. Placing responsibility on individual youth and their groups does lead to challenges. The kind that both adults and youth learn from.
After two years of serving together, his time on the trustees came to an end. He had served as the chair for almost the whole time. His parting comment really stuck with me. “It feels like you just got it down when your time is up.”
Scouting is one of the few ministries where young people learn by doing all the time. They lead the meetings, plan the trips, cook the meals, and solve the problems. Adults mentor along the way. The church has long believed that faith is formed through practice, not theory alone. (Ask James in case you wonder about that verse 1:22.) When we support Scouting, we are supporting a hands‑on discipleship model that mirrors Jesus’ own approach with his followers – walk with me.
By the way, if the trustee chair had been a Scout, he would have already had some experience to lean on when leading in the church. That would have changed him and the church for the better.
Scouting Ministries 