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Venturing and Varsity Scouting are the programs of greatest opportunity in the Church's work with its youth! HERE IS WHY.
Research by the Church has illuminated the need and opportunity in the activity
programs for older Aaronic Priesthood youth. The findings:
• There is a significant "fall-off" from church activity and commitment for young men during the latter teen years.
• In a study of predictors of missionary service for young men, the
following were significant:
• Shared values with parents
• Personal religious activity, such as prayer, scripture study, etc.
• For youths over 14, a relationship with an adult church leader
was increasingly important (Participation in church activities,
per se, was not significant.)
• Good relationships between youths and their leaders are most readily formed in the field, as opposed to a Church office or class-room.
Conclusions that may be drawn from these studies are:
• Young men ages 14-18 are quite vulnerable to temptation, loss of faith, and inactivity in the Church.
• This is also the age-group of greatest opportunity, where the church as an organization has the most potential to be a positive influence.
• The ability for the church to have influence on these older youths comes primarily through individually-formed personal relationships with good leaders.
• These relationships of influence are
largely formed in the field through activity programs such as Venturing and Varsity Scouting. For this reason alone, good Scouting programs for older LDS youth should be indispensable tools to adult
leaders for achieving Aaronic Priesthood Quorum objectives in the lives of young men.
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