Syllabus: Religious Diversity and Interfaith Program for Patrol Leaders’ Councils

of Religiously Diverse Units

Published 05.04.2021

Jacob Perkins
Unit Chaplain
Scouts BSA Troop 4019
Old North State Council
S7-70-20

The purpose of this document is to provide a training program for the Patrol Leaders’ Council
which offers guidance and advice on providing strong, spiritually sound leadership to a
religiously diverse troop. This may be used either independently or alongside the Introduction to
Leadership Skills for Troops training upon the election of a new PLC.

Outline:
1. Introduction: BSA Statement, why this training
2. Topic 1: PLC: planning and leadership
3. Topic 2: Troop Meetings
4. Topic 3: Outings
5. Topic 4: Religious Emblems Program
6. Conclusion: Wrapping up

I. Introduction:
a. BSA’s Declaration of Religious Principles
b. “The Boy Scouts of America maintains that no member can grow into the best
kind of citizen without recognizing an obligation to God. In the first part of the
Scout Oath the member declares, “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty
to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law.” The recognition of God as
the ruling and leading power in the universe and the grateful acknowledgment of
His favors and blessings are necessary to the best type of citizenship and are
wholesome precepts in the education of the growing members. No matter what
the religious faith of the members may be, this fundamental need of good
 citizenship should be kept before them. The Boy Scouts of America, therefore,
recognizes the religious element in the training of the member, but it is absolutely
nonsectarian in its attitude toward that religious training. Its policy is that the
home and the organization or group with which the member is connected shall
give definite attention to religious life.”
c. Discussion: Why does this declaration, and having a strong religious
life/chaplaincy program, matter for the PLC and the troop (see next question)?
How do we currently apply this declaration in our troop? What are some ways we
can improve our application of this declaration? What resources do we have or do
we need to accomplish this? Do we have an interfaith troop? What dimensions
can we look at this from?
i. Why it matters to the PLC:
1. Duty to God; Physically Strong, Mentally Awake, and Morally
Straight
2. A Scout is Reverent
3. Focus on developing the entire person – this is what makes us
unique compared to other youth programs. We emphasize the
physical, mental, social, and spiritual health of each scout.
II. PLC: Planning and Leadership
a. Planning events: being mindful of holidays
b. Accommodations: most troops have a standing schedule for camping on
weekends – Friday evening through Sunday morning. While this schedule works
well for many Christians, with a worship service on Sunday morning, it can easily
(and inadvertently) create a barrier to those who celebrate the Sabbath on days
other than Sunday. A few examples of this are Muslims, who gather on Friday
afternoons; Jews, who typically gather Friday nights and at various times on
Saturday, as well as some specific Christian sects which mean on alternative days.
While it may not be necessary to completely recreate the schedule, adults and
members of the PLC should be prepared to accommodate religious obligations
whenever possible. Those troops with large Muslim, Jewish, or other non-
Christian denominations may pursue other options, including organizing full
religious services in the field. This should be done strictly with the guidance of
the Chaplain and other key adult leaders.
c. Scouting is about growing the whole scout – including providing a space for
spiritual growth and education. As such, the PLC should consider incorporating
religious themes into meetings and/or outings. Some examples are listed below
i. Interfaith community panel
ii. Religious Emblems promotion
iii. Series of educational talks/presentations about world religions
iv. Speakers from local colleges/universities
v. Site visit to nearby indigenous center/Native American nation
vi. Site visit to community faith centers
vii. Visit local interfaith council
III. Troop Meetings
a. Discussion: What are occasions to set a religious tone in our troop meetings?
Why and how should we do this?
i. Invocation at the beginning of the meeting
ii. Scoutmaster’s Benediction (or other) at the end of the meeting
iii. Religious themes during meeting – celebrate & each about religious and/or
cultural holidays (holidays make great teaching moments), interfaith
community panels, etc.
b. Where does the Chaplain and Chaplain’s Aide fit in here?
IV. Outings
a. While the meeting is the most frequent unit activity, the outings are really the core
of a successful unit. Scouting is about the outdoors, and the more time a unit
spends in the outdoors, the more likely they are to retain scouts. A part of any
thriving scout outing program is a brief, reflective worship service. While these
are most often (in my experience) done on Sunday mornings, they can be done at
any point in the outing. A common choice is for evening vespers. We are not
limited to one service per outing – the PLC may decide to incorporate a Friday or
Saturday night vespers service into their outing routine, in addition to the “Scouts
Own” worship service traditionally on Sunday.
b. Whatever the PLC wants to do, the Chaplain and Chaplain’s Aide should work
together in the prior weeks to plan the services. This provides time for successful
planning and to produce any necessary materials – such as a handout with a
responsive reading, program pamphlets, cards with prayers, etc. This, like all
things in Scouting, is to be planned and prepared ahead of time.
c. In addition to dedicated worship times discussed above, it is appropriate to say
grace before eating meals. While the Chaplain’s Aide may be the obvious choice
for this, it is also encouraged to invite volunteers and/or to include it on the duty
roster.
d. A third opportunity for setting a spiritual tune to unit outings is to build in time
for reflection – perhaps even journaling for scouts who wish. I don’t suggest
drawing out this time, and it should be something that comes from the PLC (not
imposed by adults who simply want some quiet time…). If this is something
the PLC wishes to pursue, I recommend setting a time no longer than 15 minutes,
and allowing scouts and adults to spread out some; to enjoy nature, reflect on their
experiences and their place in nature/the world, and to slow down and enjoy
living. This may be particularly desirable when hiking or camping near especially
scenic areas.
V. Religious Emblems Program
a. The religious emblems program is designed to encourage scouts to spend time
exploring their own faith and faith community, as well as their personal beliefs.
Although being a primarily individual task that scouts must pursue on their own
with their adviser, there are a few ways that the PLC can incorporate this program
into their program planning.
 i. Invite/ask the Chaplain and Chaplain’s Aide to make a presentation
promoting the program, probably on an annual basis. Providing basic
information and examples of the possible recognition available may
encourage scouts to seek out more information and to pursue earning the
religious emblem for their age range.
ii. Incorporate an awards ceremony for those scouts who have earned a
religious emblem into a Court of Honor or other special occasion, to
recognize these scouts (which should also encourage other scouts to also
seek their own award).
iii. Use the religious emblems program to make connections and build a
network of local faith leaders. This may be a valuable asset for a scout unit
to have, especially if the PLC decides to host some of the events from the
preceding sections.
VI. Conclusion: Wrapping up
a. Recap
i. Ask for summary of each session
b. Discussions
i. Why bother with any of this?
ii. What did we learn?
iii. Start/Stop/Continue for general meetings/outings (using white board, flip
chart, etc.)
c. Put it into action
i. What things do we want to implement now?
ii. Plans to implement.
iii. What else do we want to think about doing in the future?
d. Instructor and Course Feedback