LEAD conference 2014

This years LEAD is coming up March 13-15 in Dallas Texas. This year its at a new facility
also new this year will be archery instructor training & the "Mentoring Future Men Conference".  This event is open to anyone interested in learning more about Royal Rangers and will include an introduction to the program and the model we employ in mentoring boys into Christlike men and servant leaders.


full details here  http://royalrangers.com/lead/

Interesting. So it's like a Royal Rangers expo? Has anyone gone to one of these?

They should make it available as a webcast.

I have not been to one. Its usually District level staff & above who go, but I believe anyone is welcome.
They post the audio from LEAD on the National website, so you can listen. They have had some video in past years, but never the whole conference.

Used to go every year. Quit going in about 2007 and then they moved it to Texas. I don't think it's been paying it's expenses.

Mark Jones

Philip, some LEAD audio files were locked away when some forum nutjobs began criticizing segments...  

I think its open to anyone who has $500+flight $ from any organizational level. Of course now since Doug there are really only two levels national and district. Regional staffers wear the national patch and us sectional guys wear the district staff patch in place of the outpost numerals. Thinking about why they consolidated levels makes sense you only need 2 patches.

If you go back and listen to past years you'll get all those tasty soundbites we so enjoy...

Don't watch me while I am sneaking.  GRIN!
Hey once I empower you guys you call can call on my inner power and  sneak to.  

  
I pretty much just walked away.  Kinda like when I advised my son if any of the boys with a gun unsupervised. LEAVE RIGHT THEN. Time to distance myself.


Mark Jones

What? What's that all about?

Grin. Well Doug was talking the inner power me empowering you kind of thing and while your out in the "new age religious talk" he also talked about kicking people that were not in alinement with him off the bus. It wasnt' long before the audio files were taken out of the public view.

I pretty much walked away at that point. What evil is in the heart of man rarely comes out unless of course they get saved and God cleans them up. Sad to say religious folk most have walked away from what saved them into Religious Crusades. Very dangerous folk to be around. Hense the gun remark.

Clearer?

Mark Jones

I look forward to the days when we get back to the Bible and get away from this Rick Warren, new age garbage.

Only a fool would walk away from the bible and pickup a book written by man. Paul called them idiots when they would leave the gospel for other stuff. Man's been at it for a long time. So we should expect it.

Mark Jones

well LEAD is just 3 weeks away

curious to see what this year brings   

ccm2361 wrote:curious to see what this year brings   

How would we know? I've heard next-to-nothing from National in years, and I do look at their website. Don't get me started on their annual mig (short for mini-magazine). It's worthless.

We all know that is toilet paper.

joecool wrote:

ccm2361 wrote:curious to see what this year brings   

How would we know? I've heard next-to-nothing from National in years, and I do look at their website. Don't get me started on their annual mig (short for mini-magazine). It's worthless.

They will post Audio of the conference sessions on the National website

If they can still afford the server space...

Talked with Steve at our Outpost Ranger Derby. He is preparing for Lead. No real news. I did thank him for whom ever came up with the 8 bible lessons equaling a merit.

JR said a few weeks back they would be real busy with the decrease in staff to help out.

I told Steve we had 82 folks camping over night in that bat cave 2 weeks ago. It was a record crowd. Also said I was doing a lot more both sexes are welcome events and having ggreat turnouts.

Sure hope they trim back the dead growth and get back to the roots that made us strong.

Lots of things they can be doing right. Just hope they swing back towards those things.

Mark Jones

You like the 8 lessons or 6+2 alt lessons equal a merit?  I personally would like to see them recall what they learned from Bible 05 and 09...it ain't gonna happen. As silly as me expecting any expertise in skills from piecing 5 green lessons from 5 different skill merits. 

I think we oughta go back in time and relocate some humpbacks to save Royal Rangers...

It is making our recognition program go up. With all the winter cancelations and Derby car crafting... we only gave out bible merits in my group. It's working good here.

It's been my experience the one and done merit program doesn't really work in retention so I would go for the same thing in greens as well. At least they are getting credit for sitting through a meeting and learning something.

I like teaching a little bit of the 5 core merits anyway. The rest of those merits can be earned on the side with their folks.

Dan that is a good idea.

Mark Jones

Ok, I'll get Spock started on the calculations for time warp. The bible merits are enough if they earn skill thry will make it up or not get it.

Dan your thinking 2 dimisional. Go 3D and watch it happen. GRIN!

We could give out both. Greens and Silvers by ammount of lessons and if they complete all of one merit..give them the merit as well. Then in 13 months when you try to get them to demonstate what they have learned you won't feel bad because they only did it once and now no longer remember how to do it. Same difference either way. At least they would be getting recognition for attending.

I personally like just going back over the core merits, Fire,Rope, Compass, First Aid, Cooking, Camping and if they are of that 2% that are inclined to go for the gma...they can work on the others at home. This way at least they are good at something and when asked they know it.

Mark Jones

Beside all that. They love it. It's enough to keep them coming and it's the old Johnny Barnes method that works.

Mark Jones

We've been doing core skills. I think mixing skill lessons would be a step in the wrong direction. I haven't even done a leadership in over a year. 

A big cofa isn't the most important thing.

I haven't done a leadership sklll merit yet. I plan on doing one at a lockin. I want the Sunday night stuff to be fun and exciting and hands on.

Mark Jones

I will probablly have to subsitute quite a bit of it in the Leadership merits don't really agree with Non Spiritfilled leadership stuff.  Will need to read out of a Bible when it calls to read out of Rick Warrens nemisis a guys journey to man hood.  

I get enough of that hokum at work. Church should be teaching Scripture not a man plan.

They would be better off to get someone else to do that stuff.  GRIN!

Mark Jones

I do not much like the Leadership Merits. Way too much sitting & listening to Commander read stuff.  Most of the games built in are good, our kids enjoyed them when we used to do them. But now that we are off the rails & on to our own Advancement system we no longer do them

With our 9-month year, I've had to modify some of what we do, so that the boys still have an opportunity to earn their appropriate medal. The leadership merit takes a big hit, being distilled down to the essentials. Even if I had the extra time to do everything that's in the package, I wouldn't. Way too much fluff in there.