I have been involved in Scouting for 38 years, for the past 12 years I have served as a Chaplain and Scouting is my Ministry. My church charters a Pack, Troop and Crew with over 100 youth.

Scouting is an awesome outreach ministry. I have had the opportunity to introduce many youth, both unchurched and of Non-Christians beliefs, to the Gospel through Scouting.

The Scouts meet in our Sunday School classrooms, and in our sanctuary. They and their families come to church on Scout Sunday to provide a flag ceremony and listen to the sermon. We have offered parenting classes to parents of Scouts using Christ-centered educational materials. As a Chaplain, I have had the opportunity to give Christ-centered counseling to these youth and their families. Because of Scouting, many families have felt a connection to the church and have joined us for Christmas and Easter celebrations. I pray at every major gathering and invite the families to talk to me about our church.

I all of these years, working with thousands of kids, I have never had a discussion regarding homosexuality. Even if I had, and I forgot, I am sure that is was minuscule, compared to the opportunity I have had to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I, myself was brought back to Christ through my involvement in Scouting.

I am in the program working directly with the youth. I can assure you that this entire issue has little to do with the operations at the unit level. It makes for good media, propagation of personal causes and armchair quarterbacking from people wo are not working at the unit level and have no clue what is going on.

We can hide behind our might fortress or we can take our message to the woman at the well. If we, as a church, are not using our Scouting Programs, AA Programs, community program or any other contact with the community as an outreach ministry, shame on us! If we want to build dividing walls and hide behind them, then we have lost the meaning of the Great Commission.

Scouting is not a church. Scouting is a youth program that teaches Leadership, Participating Citizenship, and yes, Moral Values through the Ideals. Nowhere in the ideals of Scouting, is sin of any kind encouraged. The fact that Scouting has changed is membership standards for youth, will not change those values and will probably have little to no impact at the unit level. It does, however, relieve pressure on the national level from some very loud and powerful organizations.

If your church is not involved in it's Scouting Program, then you are squandering an opportunity that God has given you and has invited you to work with Him. My hope and prayer is that the LCMS sees and ceases this community outreach opportunity.

I believe it was Pastor Steve Wagoner who stated that if the church is once again to become the center of the community, it needs to act like a community center.