Choosing a new COR

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We and a troop are chartered by a United Methodist church. I'm a member of the church.

 

For the past ~20 years, our COR has been the church secretary. We had the same secretary for 19 years and when she was training her replacement, she told her all she had to do was sign the adult applications. Now the new secretary is leaving and I'd like to be able to voice an opinion on what I would like from the new COR. We do not have a rule in place that the COR has to be a staff member, just the way we've done it the past 20 years.

 

Who is typically your COR?

 

How do you (or would you if you could) go about choosing a new COR? What are you looking for in one?

 

I know I have my ideas about what I want, but finding the right person that would be able to somewhat

do a more active job and also want to do it may be difficult.

[Beavah]

Hi relapse,

 

Yeh might want to check out the materials on the National Association of United Methodist Scouters pages, eh? They provide a job description for a COR in da United Methodist tradition at

 

http://www.naums.org/NAUMS/coordinator_of_scouting_ministri.htm

 

You might use that to spur a conversation with the pastor.

 

Generally speakin' in larger institutional churches like da Methodists, there is a real premium to having a regular church staff member as COR. It really keeps the unit "plugged in" to the church, and avoids a lot of the communication and misunderstanding and resentment issues that can come up otherwise. "THOSE Boy Scouts are using OUR facilities" type stuff. And when big-picture issues come up, staff members easily can refer it to the rest of the staff at a staff meeting or direct to da pastor, eh? If yeh don't have a staff member, you should at least consider a church council member.

 

This choice is really up to your church council or pastor, eh? But gettin' them to think about the job description a bit can often help 'em think about how to integrate scouting better into their youth work, and who the right person would be for COR.

 

Beavah

 

[Buffalo Skipper]

We are chartered by a United Methodist Church (specifically the United Methodist Men). The head of the UMM is the institutional head, and his designee is the COR.

 

We had for years a COR who was on paper only (former SM, but was out of the country 6 months at a time). I do not know how anything really got done during that 5-10 years. No one dared suggest a replacement, as his connection to the troop was so "old."

 

As the cubmaster of the pack and a troop committee member (at the time), I approached the IH and suggested a member of the UMM with a strong scouting background. He Eagled with our troop in 1953. His son Eagled in 1983. He was a former SM, District Chairman and active Eagle board rep. It was a good fit. He is retired, and is committed the long-term success of all the units. That was almost a year and a half ago.

 

I always felt it was ironic that I recruited my own boss, in a matter of speaking.

 

I would approach your IH and discuss the matter. It is the IH who appoionts the COR.

[BadenP]

relapse,

 

Traditionally the COR must be selected by the IH - Institutional Head, in your case with a church this is usually the head of the church, commonly the pastor. The COR is his or her link to the unit representing the interests and concerns of the chartering organization, and this selection is not up to the committees approval or vote.

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Badenp,

 

Yes, I know that. But nows the time to give input to the pastor on who we would like or what we want in them.

[Nike]

We're chartered by UMC as well and our COR is a Scouter who is also a member of the "vestry?".

[Eagle92]

Best to let the new COR know that they are part of the District committee and a voting member of the council executive board. That way the unti's voice is heard in major matters.

 

[Crossramwedge]

 

The CO is the one who is supposed to Choose and appoint the COR. But that does not mean that you cannot relay your concerns and suggestions to the SM,CC, IH and his/her staff. From my point of view I would at least want my COR to be a person who was the outdoor type. He/She needs to be a person of good moral character and a good listener. Preferebly a former scout or may be a person with a military back ground. Somebody who has the ear of the Pastor and movers and shakers. The COR doesn't have to go camping or attend Scout meetings, but it would be nice for him/her to make a showing every now and then.

 

 

[John-in-KC]

Indeed, have a talk with the Pastor and the parish President.

 

Take a look at the link Beavah provided you. Take a look, yourself, at this package:

http://www.scouting.org/Media/Relationships/TrainingtheCOR.aspx

 

Share the joy and the work of the Chartered Partner, per its license/franchise/charter agreement with the local Council:

http://www.bsa-grc.org/recharter/Annual%20Charter%20Agreement.pdf

 

Be prepared to be asked to serve

 

A good chartered partner relationship is one of those things that make Scouting work. Scouting as a program package to raise up youth works pretty darn well when the moving parts all work together