Doug Marsh Blog September

Dear District Directors and Organizational Leaders:

Members of the national team have recently returned from General Council. We had a great booth representing Royal Rangers! The quantity and quality of conversations we had with pastors was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. The enthusiasm was invigorating. This is a direct reflection of your outstanding work in the district. I want to encourage you and thank you! What we are doing together is producing results.

Here’s another exciting piece of news. Since May, we have been working closely with members of the internal management team and the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) to explore ways to expand the denominations eligible to use Royal Rangers. I’m glad to announce that the General Presbytery (GP) approved an important policy change at General Council.

In a nutshell, we retain the current three chartering categories (AG, PCCNA, and Independents approved by the district on a case-by-case basis) while adding another, Denominational. The GP approval allows the ELT to populate this category with Pentecostal and Pentecostal-friendly denominations. Individual churches associated with these denominations will be allowed to charter on the national ministry web site as PCCNA-affiliated churches do today.

We have updated the information on our chartering page to reflect this policy change. I urge you to read it carefully: www.RoyalRangers.com/programs/chartering.

These Denominational churches are to charter online and associate themselves with the geographic district they are in (just as PCCNA churches do). As you will see when you read the information on the web site, the ELT has currently only approved two denominations (and more will be approved in the future). I urge you to huddle with your district team and create a strategy for connecting with these churches in your district and let them know they are welcome to adopt Royal Rangers. As they start mentoring boys, welcome them to your district events and training. We will do the same nationally.

I’ve also prepared a chartering video that is posted on our home page. Take a few minutes to watch it. And please send a link to everyone in your district so they know about this change. Let’s face it, our leaders know lots of people, and we can leverage their connections to get the word out.

After reading the full information on the web site, feel free to drop us an email if you have questions.

God is good! He continually prepares us to live our dream—to influence more boys and young men than ever, more effectively than ever!

Doug Marsh
National Director
Royal Rangers

NEW CHARTER INFORMATION

The national web site has all of the new charter information that the national director talked about. Outposts can see the benefits, eligibility, and requirements at http://royalrangers.com/programs/chartering/.

Independent churches can also find the revised charter application from this page, which will walk them through the process. The one thing that has change in this process is the church completes the application and sends it to the national office. We will then forward the application to the district director for review before he sends it to the district superintendent. This application must be signed by the district superintendent and returned to our office for final processing.

CHARTERING SEASON OPEN

As you know, the national charter season opened on August 15 and runs through October 31. Please promote it vigorously in your district. Our contacts from churches wanting to start Royal Rangers have been increasing steadily since last fall. You have been working hard to support and mentor those new outposts.

DISTRICT LEADERSHIP AWARD AND DISTRICT EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP AWARD

The updated DLA and DELA award application are now available on the national web site. Click here to go to the application page. The distribution method (dashboard) for the statistical information for these awards is still in development but should be ready in the next few weeks.

RR WEEK AND INTERNATIONAL PRAYER VIGIL

October 6-12 is National Royal Rangers Week. This is a time when many churches across the country, and indeed around the world, recognize the Royal Rangers ministry in a special way. Often, churches will recognize Royal Rangers during a service, or an outpost will have a special campout or plan a special community outreach. The week is a great time to promote Royal Rangers both inside and outside of the local church environment. The national office has prepared a list of ten things your church can do to promote Royal Rangers during National Royal Rangers Week. The list is not all inclusive. The ideas to promote Royal Rangers in your community are only limited by your imagination! Please click here to download the list.

In conjunction with National Royal Rangers Week, October 11-12 is the International Prayer Vigil. Just as Jesus asked His disciples to pray with Him for just one hour, we ask boys, young men, and Royal Rangers leaders from around the world to pray for one hour during this vigil. The national office has prepared Prayer Vigil guidelines that will help show you exactly what the prayer needs are for Royal Rangers at all levels—Royal Rangers International, national and district leadership, and your local outpost needs. Many of you joined us at LEAD2013, and you experienced how powerful this focused pray vigil can be for our ministry.

RANGER ORIENTATION

Ranger Orientation presents the Royal Rangers ministry to pastors and church leaders as a vital ministry for boys. It is an interactive presentation, guided by an experienced Royal Rangers leader that utilizes visual aids, group collaboration/discussion, and personal evaluation.

It is available on AGPassport in the “District Director & Regional Staff” link. It is best utilized by a select team of experienced Royal Rangers leaders, identified by the district leadership, who are able not only to present the material well but also to answer questions about Royal Rangers as needed. It is recommended this team be some of your premier leaders who will represent Royal Rangers at the highest level. After all, this is the first impression many church leaders will have concerning RR2.0.

There are two versions that each includes a PowerPoint, Instructor Guide, and handouts. The version you use will depend on the amount of time you have to make the presentation. The compact version is designed for 1 hour. The full version is designed for 1 hour and 45 minutes and is the preferred option because it gives more time to process and evaluate the material presented.

E-BOOKS

The following books should be available soon as e-books for Kindle, Nook, or other readers: new Ranger Kids Handbook, A Guy’s Journey to Servant Leadership, new Leader Manual.

WINS

Kevin McCollum (Penn-Del): “Since the reconstruction of the Royal Rangers program, we have seen not only growth in the number of boys in Outpost 178, but also in the quality of the program which is evidenced by the progress the boys have made along the advancement trail, as well as their interests. For many years, our Outpost struggled to retain boys beyond the grade school level. Over the past 7 years we’ve expanded into Adventure Rangers, hope to launch Expedition Rangers this fall/winter…”

Kurt Griffis (Arkansas): “Doug, thanks for all the hard work you and the National Staff are doing. I have been working at the Wal-Mart Corporate Office for a little over a year now as an Accountant. I just completed their Global Leadership Course for Managers at the Corporate level last week. I found it interesting how the majority of the teaching was based on Servant Leadership and thru it is how we have vision, purpose and success.  It was a year long training course. I am one assignment from finishing my JBEI assignments and will have PLATINUM for the OLT. I have been amazed how our training is right up there with the training managers at the corporate level of the largest business in the world receive. Thank you for all you do. All of you are hitting it out of the park with the training and resources you are providing Royal Rangers.”

http://dmarsh.agblogger.org/2013/09/03/news-september-2013/

I know Kurt Griffis from FB. He is dead-on about our training for Org leaders being right up there with Wal-mart management training. The same books they read are in the Org Leaders Track.

Kevin, its no surprise a leap in advancement when only half the work is required when compared to the Marriott program per quarter.

I wonder if the new updated dist level service medal reqs are more reasonable now. Before it was only possible to get if you go to a lot of non-ranger A/G events.

I figured a change in chartering acceptance was coming soon. This year with the BSA policy change causing other denominations to rethink their ties with the Scouts.

A bad time to be not just a old scouting program huh.  If we were we might beable to pick up these scouts and get back to having a great time like years past.  I doubt us offering every boy a life long servant leader will draw many scouts.  They like many of us they have read their Bibles and know that is not what the Bible says will happen besides all that they would be drawn to Rangers for the scouting theme.  

In that.. I am still a Church Boyscout Group with a focus on Jesus Christ...now that will draw some scouts and some Rangers as well.

Mark Jones

Looks like the "Make the Case" sells program is about to go RR 2.0. Scrap and try something else program.

Perhaps they might try selling chocolate cover popcorn in a can. Seems to work for others. GRIN! I know I bought mine every year with the cookies... and most folks I know did as well.

The make the case seemed a bit to Avonish to me. Mpacts might have done better at selling it.

Mark Jones

They were banking on selling something to biznesses that woud generate a residual income because its a consumable product. Cookies and chocolate consumed but are not needed to be kept replenished.

How is selling hand sanitizer RR2.0?

Rangers 2.0 and the Make the case have a lot in common. Great ideas just not really what Rangers is about.

2.0 is reading Dougs books and selling hand sanitizer. I am sure Rick Warren is proud but not so much for the rest of us Rangers.

Mark Jones

Ya know, Girl Scout Cookies have such a good reputation that I think most of us have heard stories of some Girl Scout's Mom who had an entire car-load of cookies stolen.

Somehow, I can not envision a band of crooks plotting to hijack a car-load of hand sanitizer.

Not trying to hijack, but I hate hand sanitizer and I refuse to use it. Good old fashioned soap and water is just fine. This cultural phenomenon of habitually using hand sanitizer is stupid! Just one more thing that the left has convinced everyone that they need. I believe that it's just another piece in the puzzle of creating what I'm starting to call a religion of safety. People are going crazy over it! Who ever said life would be guaranteed safe? It's an enigma. It also attempts to make God useless.

I won't go on much more here as it's bending the thread off course a little, but if you haven't already, look around and observe how much the general populace worships the idea of safety. And I do mean worships!

On the idea of hand sanitizer, as we keep killing the germs before we even are exposed to them, we weaken our immune system. Also as the bugs keep getting killed, they adapt & become resistNt

Ok. I use instant hand santizer all the time. I am hardly ever sick.

Yet... it's not a Ranger thing... except I do bring some on some of the backpacks and batcave campouts to kill what ever is on those dirty stained hands before I eat something. GRIN!

I use it. I just don't think it's what we need to be selling. I have to agree with Claymore. I don't see anyone trying to steal a car load of santizier...those cookies... errrr um.... I will pay for my box(s) GRIN!

Mark Jones

Philip and Strods,

You are right about worship of safety and killing too many germs. My anatomy & physiology teacher preached against overdoing it with antibacterial its not bad if you use it like Mark does. My teacher was set against antibacterial handsoap as it kills the good germs that protect your skin too. She said that preventing kids from being exposed to the outside environment and using it too much can lead to a deficient immune system.

Claymore and Mark,

You're both right on that hand sansitizer is about as exciting as a box of rocks. I was just curious what hand sanitizer had to do with being a lifelong servant leader.
It is necessary from time to time to disinfect or clean surfaces.

Well. If Doug could talk every outpost in the USA to get their church folk and related business to using it they would be funded and funded well.

I get his idea. Just the wrong group trying to sell it.

Mark Jones