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 relationship 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 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 program to ministry. Ministry is program delivered with care and love. We help the community engage with the church. We help the church be the body of Christ in 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.”
2021 PTC Conference Overview
Come out to God’s country and join other Methodists and Scout leaders to celebrate 100 Years of Scouting within the United Methodist Church by developing and connecting your ministry with others who see Scouting as a ministry. Learn ideas on how Scouting can be a ministry in your pack, troop, council, church or Conference at this unique training conference held at Philmont Training Center in Cimarron, NM.
Find your calling to make your Scouting program a ministry. You will be exposed to a variety of topics including: Finding your Calling, Scouting as a Ministry, Organizing a PRAY program, Navigating within the Methodist Church, Talking with your Minister about Scouting, Finding and Recruiting other Faith-based Scout Leaders, Being a Local Scout Coordinator in a Church, Building a Conference Scout Team and much more.
This conference is designed for Scout and church leaders of all positions, including: local church, District and Conference Scout Coordinators, Ministers and Youth leaders. These include positions in Scouting and the church such as Charter Organization Representatives (CORs), Scoutmasters, Cubmasters, committee members and others.
Common Table Overview
The Common Table is a Methodist version of the Girl Scout Service Unit Meeting or the Boy Scout Roundtable. Since we serve a diverse group of partners, we come to the common table. We are all serving together. We will focus on topics that meet the opportunities we work in. It is an open time of fellowship and growth. The key will be to be open to sharing.
Topics that have are on the agenda are: Protecting youth, Connecting Girls Scouts and the church, responsibilities of the Local Church Scouting Coordinator, Who is Camp Fire?, BSA Bankruptcy, How to run a virtual PRAY program, Covid / Scouting, and many more.
Topic: Virtual Common Table
Time: Dec 11, 2020 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
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Steven Scheid
Steven Scheid, an experienced scouter and a former licensed local pastor in the South Carolina Annual Conference, serves as Director of the Center for Scouting Ministries for the General Commission on United Methodist Men. He was named to that post on June 1, 2018.
“The opportunity to serve in this position connects the two organizations I deeply love – the church and scouting,” said Steven.
As a former troop chaplain and charter organization representative, Steven sought to connect the church to the youth in the troop. “It is a ministry. Not just a group that meets at the church,” he said. “We need to pray for the youth and support them in growth. When the church reaches into a community it clearly points to God.”
Steven’s passion is to help churches create faith-building opportunities for youth. “Our daily schedule and activities frequently detract from the opportunities to see where God is present,” he said, “When churches introduce faith components to scouting and other youth-serving organizations they provide much more than just a space for activities.”
Steven and his wife, Connie, recently celebrated their 27th wedding anniversary. Together they have journeyed through college and both have served as licensed local pastors. They have two children: Richard and Cathryn, who is married to Matthew; and two grandsons: James (8) and Ryder (5).
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.”
Community Outreach Youth Ministries 