Tim & Kim Heiliger wrote:
> My name is Tim Heiliger. I have just recently taken over the position of
> Advancement Coordinator at my church and was wondering if I could get some
> guidance on something that I feel is not quite right at our Outpost.
*Yes.. But your outpost is not uncommon or out of line...I want to encourage you,
that yes the GMA is important and warn you that the GMA is not the MOST IMPORTANT
THING<G>
>
> Our Outpost is fairly new and is trying to very much start producing GMA
> recipients. They have set up a special class for several boys to only do GMA
> each week. These boys (4)were pulled out of Trailblazers and they spend each
> week going through their folders trying to pass off advancements and Merits
> with two commanders. At first I thought it was a good idea because that way
> a boy who really wanted to reach GMA could put his heart into it, however
> over the past 6 to 8 months I have noticed some things about this
*Good Job for looking at the results...
The LTC does not recommend what you instituted, though I understand your desire to
isolate
and promote achievers over other boys... Even at NTC *Commander assigned the patrols
in
such a way that *perhaps a "achiever" or FCF member might be in with a new leader..
Patrols are there to not dominate or win events.. but to mix the boys so that team
building will happen on a boy level. Commanders try to do too much.. and when men
decide
to pick and choose.. we allways choose poorly. Boy Leaders are not allways the
shineing
achiever but sometimes the scruffy sand lot
huckster<G>
(I'm tipping my hand so I'll read more..)
>
> arrangement that bothers me and am not sure how to approach the rest of the
> staff about it without stepping on toes.
Bring up the subject of Ministry vs Program....
It seems a judgment has been made that some boys are "more" Ranger than others..
and that would be an affront to a "Ministry" However.. some boys do achieve and
desire to advance.. sometimes even on their own<G> Royal Rangers is a program where
they
are rewarded for this motivation...
Rangernet has discussed this to some end... with differences of opinion and blended
agreement<G>
(Be advised the coming Re-write may address this, as it is a "concern" of many)
>
> Two of the boys in this group are mine. My oldest will get his GMA within
> the next 4-5 months. We are new at this church(a little over a year) and he
> reached his Trailblazer Master rating and had about 16 merits when we moved
> here from the Potomac District. At his last Outpost, advancement was left to
> the boy and he had to search out the commander and asked for signatures on
> his advancement.
*That could be changed by an advancement Commander or even allowing another
person to hold the boy accountable to a understanding of the requirement and a
fulfillment
of the requirement under the guidelines of "No More- No Less" than what is written.
I happen to think Commanders are being expected of too much in too little time.
It don't have to the the Big Leader who signs off...
> I have noticed since he was put in the GMA group he no
> longer works on his advancement on his own time. He just waits for them to
> spoon feed him on Wednesday nights.
*Danger...Will Robinson! this smacks of a Top-down leader led attempt social
engineering.
Commander should spoon-fed everyone! That at least would seem fair<G>
> They want to eventually set up a program
> that would produce a GMA achiever every year. I feel that a boy that decides
> he wants the GMA will no longer need to be spoon fed the information, he
> will go out and find it himself (with a little guidance from a leader)
> *Here's where we see REAL GMA boys and those "engineered" but still lost!
*There's an element that see's the GMA as representing "the Best" ...but we are not in
agreement as to what is the best!
..allways a Commander points and says: *Go FCF they are the best! *Do the GMA that is
the
top award..
Then along comes a boy.. dosent earn anything but becomes a soul winner<G> *What about
that?
*Program vs. *Ministry...
>
> There has also been a wedge driven between the other Trailblazers and these
> boys as the GMA boys are given more privileges. We have lost two boys to
> youth because they say that they should be able to get into the GMA group
> and the other leaders don't think they deserve to.
Clearly a Man-centered view represented.. *Jesus didn't require the merits the GMA
does to
come to him...
I'm willing to award the deciples the GMA<G> why not?
*One reason is: we compete with Boy Scouts and their award of EAGLE SCOUT
*We want the GMA to not just be equal but HARDER!
... we want to recognize the effort as Honorable, and hold it up as a success...
I agree to that 100% HOWEVER NOT IF WE LOSE BOYS OR STEP ON THEIR HEARTS!
The boy "Honored" still has to remain friends with his hang-behind buddies... *narrow
the
gap!
Cdr.Johnnies plan was ment to include everyone.
>
> Does anyone know whether this has been tried somewhere else and found to
> work? If so what are we doing wrong or what could I do to change it to make
> it work? If it didn't work is there something written down that I could use
> to persuade the others that it won't work here either? I have searched the
> NET and found no reference to this.
*You've discovered a grand failure<G>
We write programs without thinking of how they will effect the application of the
Gold-Track in a large outpost!
(They test drove the program.. but didn't forsee what you have discovered)
We suggest the Patrol Method but do not train leaders in building a stong patrol ethic.
Remember that the *problem lays not with the boys... they are our "customers" The
problem
is ours.. LEADERSHIP!
Be asured handing over the success of the advancement program to the boys and their
personal integrity is not easy!
*You may not win "Best Camp" ...but ask yourself what you want if you were the boy?
What
does it mean to:
"with God's help- do my best?" Mayby, the boys need to understand Rangers is theirs..
Brother.. I'd like you to pray for me<G>
I don't need to be right... and I pray I'm not wrong!
-=A=-
>
> My personal feeling is that we should put the GMA boys back into
> Trailblazers and make them the gold bars or something. The boys that are now
> in Trailblazers do not have any boys that are willing to lead the rest. They
> are all just trying to do what they can to pass off enough requirements to
> get into GMA. If the most advanced boys were the Guides and Ast. Guides the
> rest would be able to learn from them and eventually catch the dream to move
> further up the trail to achieve GMA.
>
> Any comments or help would be greatly appreciated.
>
> In
>Him
>
> _______
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