Mark Francis is the director of LDS-BSA Relations, which is a branch of the Boy Scouts of America that strives to maintain a positive and helpful relationship with the LDS church.
In this interview we discuss:
- A brief history of relationship between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Boy Scouts of America.
- How LDS Scout troops differ from non-LDS Scout troops
- The Green Scouting Handbook
- Why LDS Scout Troops are based on geography
- Option to combine scouting units, especially as it pertains to areas outside of Utah and Idaho
- LDS Scouting Objectives (Purposes of the Aaronic Priesthood)
- LDS members in non-LDS troops
- False Traditions in LDS Troops
- How to motivate LDS men called as Scout leaders
- How to create an effective Scouting experience for boys not interested in the outdoors
- The role of parents in Scouting
- Scouting leadership trainings (i.e. Philmont Training)
- More information about the Philmont Training
- The future of the Boy Scouts of America’s relationship with the LDS Church
- Pres. Monson’s relationship with the BSA
(same reply below posted on The Utah National Park’s Council “The Boy Scout” Blog)…
I think this is a really good interview. I hope many readers/listeners take advantage of its message. I enjoyed reading it first, then listening to it, to let the concepts sink in.
The most interesting take-away for me was the discussion on false traditions. It’s interesting to draw comparisons to what is said in the podcast, and to one of the false traditions that I think persists and is sometimes regarded as either a primary goal or THE goal in LDS scouting: a boy getting his Eagle.
I think the author touched on this false tradition and did not even realize he was doing so when he said at the introduction, “Today, I am proud to be an Eagle Scout.” Or perhaps he was indeed aware as he later commented that his mother would no longer require that he go camping IF he earned his Eagle, to highlight that perhaps he and his parents thought the end goal of scouting was for him to get his Eagle. I think too many parents, including myself, sometimes get distracted from the true goal by setting false traditions such as “you can’t do/have X, UNTIL you get your Eagle.”
Not that being an Eagle Scout is a false tradition at all, or not a worthy goal, nor to discount the worth of the effort or outcomes involved in a young man pursuing the rank of Eagle. I’m an Eagle, my brothers are Eagles and I have two of three sons who are Eagles, the last of whom is part of the basis for my thoughts in this post, causing me to consider my motivations and actions in relation to him becoming an Eagle Scout.
My point is that a young man attaining the Eagle rank is NOT the goal of the LDS church in relation to scouting. In fact, a boy could grow up through the ranks, participate in all the activities and meet all of the requirements to become a great Eagle scout, and still be unprepared for priesthood service in the mission field, in his future quorums and becoming a worthy husband and father. I’ve personally seen this in my family growing up, as a father, and as a Scoutmaster and COR in my home ward.
One thing Mark did, as do many of our LDS leaders, is to point us back to the handbooks when we have questions, specifically the green scouting handbook. There’s not a single mention of “Eagle” in the handbook. In fact, I was surprised to see the only mentions of “Advancement” are related to 11 year-old scouting (focusing on the skills for the First Class Scout rank), and optionally in Venturing ‘if” rank advancements are being pursued. Do a search on LDS.org for “Eagle”, and see what you find.
Kurt’s questions and Mark’s comments offer great perspective to me. I think sometimes I get hung up with the “mechanics” of scouting as I try with my best intentions to “effectively implement” scouting. Sometimes I forget and lose sight of the true goal. I’m appreciative of Mark’s tone and focus on what is most important in the LDS-BSA relationship.