The Perfect Outpost is Self Sustaining.

This means that if Senior Commander is run over by a bus today, the outpost camp would still go ahead tonight. Rangers would continue on Thursday evening. Council of Achievement would still go ahead on the 4th of December. Rangers would start up again after the summer holidays - right on schedule on the 12th of February.

It also means that if given a choice between a rugby match or a ranger event - the kids in the perfect outpost would choose the ranger event. If given a choice between a youth concert or a 12 mile hike, trailblazers would choose the hike.

That's because the perfect outpost oozes with spirit.

The children own the program. They own the meetings. They own the flags. They own the camp outs. They own their commanders. They own their guides. In short the kids in the perfect outpost choose Rangers.

Reality Check

If the parents of your rangers suddenly said "I'd rather you signed up for little athletics this year and pull out of rangers" to their kids - how many would kick up a HUGE fuss - and be totally devastated and do everything in their power to change their parents mind?

My guess would be somewhere between 4 and 7. Seven out of seventy. Not even hitting Pareto's magic ratio yet.........

So why are our programs such a failure?
Why are we content to do half the job?
Why do our outposts suffer the "no leader syndrome"?
Why do we let this intolerable situation continue.

No don't be alarmed by this revelation. Your church would operate on much the same ratio. Given a better thing - they're out of there. That's the Pentecostal way after all.

Reality Check

If your leaders got a more "prestigious" offer in the church - maybe "choir" or "ushers" or "youth leader" or "preacher" or "whatever" - how many would turn down the offer because their vision, passion and motivation is children?

My guess would be one. Your senior commander. (if your outpost is blessed enough to have a man (or woman) with passion, vision and motivation for working with children - many don't). My guess is that you (whoever you are) would take the offer.

Why is this so?

Answer: we don't believe in this ministry. We don't believe that working with children is important. We don't believe that we can change the world with our program and the Holy Spirit. We allow ourselves to be sucked into the "baby sitting" model of children's ministry.

I say "ENOUGH"

I am not a baby sitter.
I am not incidental to the plan and purpose of God.
I am not going to sit back and let this generation slide into hell.
I will not.
I won't.
I can't.

Commander: get angry. take up your battle gear. This is a war, a fight. a battle that has eternal consequences.

You loose a child from your program and your influence wanes.
You loose a leader from your program and your vision slips.

When was the last time YOU sought to recruit a child to your program?
When was the last time YOU sought to recruit a leader to your program?

It's not senior commanders job.
It's not the outpost councils job.
It's not pastors job.

It's your job.
Yes YOU.

So stand up.
Place your right hand on your heart and repeat after me.

I pledge
that with God's help
I will do my best
to serve God,
my church
and my fellow man
To live by the Rangers code
and to make the golden rule
my daily rule.

Further I pledge
to make my influence eternal
to shape the future of mankind
by my weekly,
consuming involvement
in the Ranger program.

I will not stand by
and let God's plan and purpose
for my life
slip away.

I will fight for this generation.
I will fight for their very lives.

This is my solemn pledge.