UPDATE ON THE STATUS OF NEW RELATIONSHIP AGREEMENTS
WITH SCOUTS BSA
Since the formal update to BWC churches on Oct. 30, 2022, many BWC churches have completed all of the necessary steps to establish new relationship agreements with their Scouting units under one of the two recommended paths. These paths involve the transition of the Scouting unit to a “council-chartered” unit or a new traditional charter organization.
1. Signed Affiliation Agreement
There are two versions of the Affiliation Agreements that provide different options for how the scouting equipment and materials are insured and managed.
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Affiliation Agreement-Version 1: A fillable PDF of Version 1 is available here.
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Affiliation Agreement-Version 2: A fillable PDF of Version 2 is available here.
2. Signed Facility Use Agreement
With only a few weeks before the Dec. 31, 2022 deadline that was set for renewing the Scouting relationship agreements, it is essential that local churches with Scouting units be in direct conversation with their Scouting Area Council leadership and Scouting unit leaders to decide on the best path forward.
Baltimore Area Council Letter Response
As stated in the Oct. 31, 2022 update, the Baltimore Area Council (BAC) continues to be the only local council operating within BWC’s geographic territory that remains unwilling to use either of the approved Affiliation Agreements. This results in the recommendation that BWC churches in the BAC move forward under only a signed Facility Use Agreement, a recommendation that many churches in the BAC have already implemented.
We are aware that the BAC issued its own update on Nov. 30, 2022, which addressed “Additional Recharter Options for UMC Scouting Programs within the Baltimore Area Council.” If you are a church in the BAC that has received this letter, please know that the consistent and strong legal advice provided by the Conference and the denominational leaders who have been directly involved with the discussions before the BSA Bankruptcy Court has not changed from the Oct. 31 update. Indeed, the BAC's update correctly acknowledges that “the Baltimore-Washington Conference and the national UMC organizations continue to strongly urge all churches to use the Affiliation Agreement as previously published, or the revised Facilities Use Agreement (FUA).”
The leadership of the Baltimore-Washington Conference stands by that advice and continues to urge all of its local churches against continuing as a charter organization for a Boy Scout unit.
That said, the conference leadership recognizes that some local churches might conceivably reject the consistent and strong legal advice provided by the Conference and denomination by continuing as a BSA charter organization and executing a traditional charter agreement form offered by its local council. Solely to guard against that risk, our Chancellor reviewed and obtained BSA’s and BAC’s agreement to revise their traditional charter agreement template to include provisions that are at least somewhat more protective of the local church.
Having reviewed the charter referenced in BAC’s Nov. 30 letter, we can assure you that the charter agreement form you were provided includes the modifications that our chancellor requested.
That said, please realize that the position of the bishop, the chancellor, the General Commission on United Methodist Men, and the balance of the denominational and conference leadership on Scouting issues remain convinced that United Methodist local churches should not continue as charter organizations, not even pursuant to a charter agreement like the one just mentioned, because that revised BAC charter agreement, while an improvement over prior versions, still omits important protections for the local church, the conference, and the denomination that can only be found in the Affiliation Agreements or the Facility Use Agreement that are the byproduct of extended negotiations between BSA national and UMC leadership.
CONCLUSION
Our conversations with local church leaders over the past couple of months have demonstrated to us the strong devotion and heartfelt challenges that are involved with some of these very difficult decisions that are allowing the Scouting ministries within our communities to remain in place. Our entire Conference needs to hold up in prayer those individuals who are leading the direct discussions between our local churches and the Area Councils and their Scouting Units. They are serving very well in the midst of great strain and personal sacrifice. We thank each of them for their continued perseverance.
As we all look for the best path that will enable Scouting to continue to thrive in our communities, we ask that any questions or needs for additional information be directed to:
Paul Eichelberger
Treasurer & Director of Administrative Services
Phone: 410-309-3424
peichelberger@bwcumc.org
Rev. Dr. Ken Lyons
Scouting Coordinator
Phone: 410-674-6579
kedolyons@comcast.net
