About Us

What is Scouting Ministries?

Scouting Ministries is the youth-serving outreach of the General Commission on United Methodist Men of The United Methodist Church. Our partnerships include Boy Scouts of America, Girls Scouts of the USA, Camp Fire, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and P.R.A.Y. We are a diverse collection of servants who live in relationships with Christ to serve others. We believe that a person answering the call of God to be a disciple will also be a disciple-maker. We cannot make disciples unless we are in a relationship with others. Our specialty is serving through the youth-building programs of our partners. Each has a specific mentorship and servant approach.

We are the bridge builders and translators that convert programs to ministry. Ministry is a program delivered with care and love. We help the community engage with the church. We help the church be the body of Christ in the community. We prepare confident, skilled leaders for today and the future and help churches find a ministry that matches the personality of the church. Our mission is to move from giving people “a room to meet in” to giving them room in the house of God. It is the reflection of that which lives inside us. We don’t preach with words, but with lives lived in service. We model and walk with others.

We recognize the road to Emmaus would be just another road without the presence of Christ. We help adults and youth find their calling and equip them. They become the presence, even if those we walk with do not recognize it. Finding your calling, preparing, and living your calling is the basis of our connection. The outcomes of connecting these valuable programs to our communities of faith is both in the present and eternal.

We want you to join the party. Even when we seem serious, we are having fun. Are you ready for a calling of joy? We can help.

BP – “The most worth-while thing is to try to put happiness into the lives of others.”

Scouting Ministries Committee Chair: Scott Pickering

When Scott Pickering was 8 years old, he attended a worship service on Scout Sunday. One of the leaders of that service noted that one-fourth of Scouts are members of the charter organization, one-fourth of Scouts belong to another denomination, and one-half of Scout are unchurched. “While I really did not understand what was being said,” says Scott. “I did know to which group I belonged––the unchurched.” Scott received a God and Church (now P.R.A.Y) Award, and went on to achieve the rank of Eagle.

Following the death of his father, Scott’s family decided it was time to become involved in a church. It is no surprise that his family joined the church that charted his troop. That was the beginning of Scott’s pilgrimage to becoming a United Methodist pastor. “Through gentle nudges, God used the leadership skills I developed in scouting for His kingdom.”

As an advocate for scouting units, Scott began serving on several church committees, and in 1992 he was one of 42 Scouts given a National Eagle Scout Association Scholarship. Following his graduation from Georgia Southern University, he attended Candler School of Theology where he received a Master of Theological Studies degree and was ordained elder in the North Georgia Annual Conference. He later received a Doctor of Ministry degree in the Church Leadership Excellence track at Wesley Theological Seminary.

Scott served as a staff member of the Order of Arrow’s Shows Committee, a director for 11 Order of the Arrow conferences and four National Boy Scout Jamborees. He also attended a 2014 United Methodist Scouters training experience at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. He started serving on the board of the GCUMM in 2016 and became the chair of the Scouting Committee in 2020.

Scott laments that too frequently there is little connection between scouting units and churches. “Most church members have no idea how many Scouts are involved in the program or who the leaders are within the units. That is why it is critical to seek ways for the church to connect with the Scouts and their families. This has to be done intentionally, and it cannot be taken for granted.”