Scouting’s role in the rich history of the commission By Larry W. Coppock
Before starting October 1, 1997, I attended the first board meeting of the commission with my colleague, Larry Malone, director of men’s ministry. Dr. Joseph Harris, the first general secretary of the commission, wanted to bring in “outsiders” –– that we were. Our newly established team, combined with volunteer and episcopal leaders, created many new programs and events. However, our ministry was not without challenges. Challenges emerged from ex-officio representatives of affiliate organizations who did not understand the responsibility of a general agency and its relationship to the General Conference and scouting.
Scouting as a ministry While I was the first scouting director for the commission, there had been two previous directors who related to the General Board of Discipleship. The Rev. Dave Worley and the Rev. Byron White established a firm foundation to build upon.
Larry W. Coppock is the former national director of scouting for the General Commission on UM Men, and former executive director of Strength for Service Inc.
14
Upon being hired as the third director of scouting and civic youth-serving agencies, the enormity of the responsibility dawned on me. The UMC was the number one charter organization of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). In 2006 we added Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Coming from a professional scouting background, I reasoned my primary responsibility was to strengthen our partnership with BSA while initiating agreements with lesser utilized organizations like Girl Scouts of the USA and Camp Fire. We did that from 1998-2001. Our relationship with 4-H was more challenging as their leaders leaned on separation-of-churchand-state status. How ironic, since long-standing men’s events in North Georgia and West Virginia were held at 4-H camps. This was a reminder to me that ministry happens at a local level and I should not get too caught up with national decisions that may impact local ministries. First, we had the huge job of changing the mindset of volunteers from scouting as a “program” to one of “ministry.” We would no longer emphasize Wood Badge, scout-o-rama, scout camp, merit badges, and popcorn sales. We did not need to duplicate what BSA did so well, we needed to leverage spiritual aspects such as chaplaincy, chaplains’ aides, and churchcharter relationships. While we needed to strengthen the existing foundation, we needed to add second and third stories to the framework.
