Connecting Scouting and Faith

Three years ago Gregory Nelson, 56, attended St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Swartz because it was Scout Sunday and he is the assistant Scoutmaster of his son’s troop. “I had fallen away from God,” says Nelson, “but the words of the preacher just hit me. I found myself crying in uniform.” The following Sunday, Nelson returned without the uniform and six months later he joined the church along with his son and daughter. Nelson now teaches a Sunday school class for teenagers, and he is the alternate lay member of the Louisiana Annual Conference. He also serves as the director of mission work, and he is the charter organization representative for the Scout troop and a Cub pack. As the country’s first Scouting ministry specialist, Nelson will now help other churches understand how scouting can bring people to Christ. He will introduce scouting to Louisiana churches that have no troops or packs, and he will help churches with scouting units relate more closely to the youth and their parents. A Scouting ministry specialist helps neighboring churches understand the importance of scouting and provide techniques to help launch Cub packs, Girl and Boy Scout troops, and Venturing crews. The effort to recruit Scouting ministry specialists is led by the Nashville-based General Commission on United Methodist Men, the agency responsible for scouting ministry. The pilot effort is being launched in the Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas Annual Conferences. “I know from personal experience how scouting can bring people to God,” he says. Reprinted with special permission from the United Methodist Daily News Service.