No chaplain....

[yarrow]

At present, although we have a large troop, several adult positions are not filled, including Troop Chaplain. I do not have a gift here and am already in an office. Several boys have expressed an interest in being in the Chaplain aide position. How may they do that if there isn't a Troop Chaplain.

 

I had heard that it is possible to be an aide and use the boy's personal pastor/minister etc. as a role model. Does this work. Anyone familiar with the leadership book or have heard of this?

 

Are there any references for suitable opening, closing prayers and camp services. A site perhaps.

 

 

[jmcquillan]

Having a Scout as the Chaplain's Aide, without having an adult Chaplain works fine, if the Scout has an adult advisor who understand what Scouting is looking for...services that serve all, not just one religion. Our troop has never had a Chaplain, but we've always had a Chaplain's Aide. When I first became SM, our Aide was Protestant. His parents took the time to speak with their minister about the Scouts responsibilities, and the minister filled the gap by being an advisor or sorts for the Scout and his duties. Since then, we've had both Jewish and Catholic Aides, using the same process with their Rabbi's and Priests. As long as the Scouts religious leader is willing to assist, it works quite well.

 

I can't think of specific publications or websites out there at the moment that might attend to your question, (you might look deeper into this site or USSCOUTS.org), but if there's anything the BSA does better than anyone else, it's publishing information about the verious and sundry parts of the organization and program. You might want to visit your local Scout Shop or Service Center.

[eisely]

Ditto for jmcquillan's post. I don't think I have ever seen a troop with an identifiable chaplain, but chaplain's aides are quite common. I would think that, if your troop has a broad membership, some parents of different denominations may even object to a chaplain, unless the unit is quite homogeneous in its approach to religious belief. I like the idea of having a chaplain's aide seeking outside advice from an expert.

 

As an aside, it's a comment on the times to note how some adult scouters respond to the god question in scouting. I just came off of a weekend of adult leader training run at the council level. The course director, who did an otherwise totally admirable job, reacted quite negatively when I suggested in an off hand way that we might do scouts own just to kill time Sunday morning.

[EagleWB]

The Boy Scouts do have a handbook for Chaplain's Aide. It is similar to the one for Patrol Leader and the other Junior Leaders. Check with your Council office. It should help your Scout get started in the right direction.

[jmcquillan]

In answer to your question about resources, try this link:

 

http://www.macscouter.com/ScoutsOwn/

 

[yarrow]

Thanks to all. Check the Macscouter site. Very helpful. I will pass the information along. Sounds like we may be able to have our boys in this POR even if the adult position is not filled.