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What is it?

It’s an adventure rich weekend surrounded by Christ centered men where you just happen to earn 5-6 merits.

The advancement system wasn’t designed to just earn merits or learn skills it was designed to create a platform that could be used by an Outpost or a commander to mentor and grow young men.

SMC has taken this concept and filled it with rocket fuel.  In a four-day span of time SMC creates safe yet challenging experiences that hone boys’ skills in decision making, teamwork and situational awareness.  We take the Biblical concept of personal discipline and weave into every blue, gold and red point of the Ranger code.

Merit based or patch based

If you’re teaching a merit by reading out of a lesson plan and filling in the blanks you are missing out on so much of the relational experience that is intended.  Merit patches and the advancement awards are the points on the scoreboard and part of a competitive foundation that all boys and men thrive on.  Obstacle course races around the world are enjoying huge success that tap into this simple urge inside all of us.  I have enjoyed participating in a few of the Savage Races.  Upon completing you get a large medal that is unique to that race and crafted to give the look and feel of accomplishing something great.  It’s the bling, as my wife so aptly calls it.

My friends and I have never once signed up with an expectation of finishing first but rather an expectation of being personally challenged and stretched, and the bling represents that accomplishment.  An individual ranger may never reach the level of GMA, but each level of the advancement trail is designed to challenge and stretch, and the patch is the bling.

Give a young man a set of clearly defined goals, keep the bar high, and then sit back and watch their “want to” kick into high gear.  Give a young man a clearly defined essay assignment, paper and pencils, and prepare yourself for crowd control and restlessness.  And by the way, no number of patches will abate the situation.  If that worked why not have them read the Bible at home and on their own time complete a 10,000-word essay?  Presto, you have a GMA.  We have been asked several times, “can you home school a Ranger through the advancement trail”?  I think all of us would instinctively say, no.  We might pause for a minute in an effort be accommodating but so much of the program is relational.  After all, the Bible is relational at it’s core.

Rangers does something better than any other program.  We produce confident and competent young men.  Not because they are the best naught tiers or canoe paddlers but because they are “ready”, ready for what life throws at them and ready for what the enemy tries to ensnare them with.

The Nuts and Bolts

1. Orient everything to Christ. If Christ is not front and center in everything you do at Summer Merit Camp then you have waisted your time.  Sure, you may still produce boy that are confidence and competent, but the world will soon deal them a blow that will dissolve even the strongest self-worth.  Only and identity in Christ is one that is unshaken.  We accomplish this in two ways.  First is to embrace a God given theme that will act as an underline mission statement and a lens that all the instructors will use to see their curriculum come to life.  Second, is to appoint a camp Chaplin who will be the spiritual Sherpa throughout the camp and will be the instructor for the Bible merit.
2. Organizational structure. I think the operative word here is structure.  This is not about “who’s the boss”.  This is about putting everyone in the right seat of the bus, and having a smooth flow of information throughout the staff.  The organizational structure helps everyone deal with all aspects of camp.  From meals to bunks, and from discipline to closing ceremonies.
3. What makes SMC exciting for a division or district is that it offers some of the most challenging merits. Every Outpost has many things to accomplish during weekly meetings.  Time, talent and money can often be spread so thin that you must choose merits that fit within your constraints.
4. With a district size reach SMC has the ability to attract the most talented Commanders which keeps the professionalism at the highest level. SMC directors work hard to bring in Commanders that are especially suited for each merit, have keen mentor skills and above all else are living lives in accordance with God’s word.
5. Something SMC doesn’t leave to what’s left in the budget is meals. Yes, boys typically don’t have a very refined pallet, but that does not mean that good food and good nutrition are not imperative to a successful SMC.  SMC campers will be challenged physically, mental, spiritually and socially and need to be refueled each day.
6. Any Ranger event is competing with family’s calendars and monies.  That is just the reality of our culture.  Creating a value proposition that is professional, exciting, and life changing requires resources and a budget that is able to support the vision.  A camp that is always requiring Outposts, commanders, and churches to subsidize campers and merit implementation will be short lived.  A rising tide lifts all boats.  Approach SMC knowing who you are in Christ and the limitless Father we serve.