Battalion is the ideal program for the church to build its future leaders.  If today's teens are to become tomorrow's leaders, they must be given the opportunity to observe examples of leadership and to test their own leadership abilities.

How does Battalion achieve this?
    - Christian men!  Participation of men in a program geared for Christian growth, and the friendship and involvement of these men helping shape the lives of individual boys and encouraging them to follow Christ.
    - Battalion provides leadership opportunities by the adult leaders sharing the leadership responsibility of the weekly meetings, with the young men they have carefully trained.
    - Offering a well-rounded achievement experience for boys, that guides their growth into Christian manhood.

The Leadership Team of Battalion:
    - Captain.  Key man in Battalion, he guides the weekly meetings and delegates tasks to the senior and junior (teen) leaders.  Oversees the planning of all Battalion activities, and has a strong desire to reach boys for Christ.
    - Lieutenants.  Assist Captain in many ways.  Small group leaders, of a group of 8-10 boys called a Squad.
    - Junior Leaders:
        - Sergeant.  Assist the Captain as needed.  Teen leader with the most maturity and experience.  Directs the formation of the Battalion.
        - Corporal.  Leads the majority of the Squad meeting devotions, assists the Lieutenant as needed.  Corporal and Lance Corporal (Assistant Squad leader) also keep Squad records and helping boys with their individual achievements.

#3698 teen leaders are trained through achievement manuals, beginning with Leadership Trails.  These achievements also guide teens into God's Word and experiences that will help them progress to be strong leaders.  They also participate in the bi-annual Leadership Advance - a weekend training camp at Camp Hickory Hill, or as teen leaders at Summer Camp either on Service Crew or as a junior counselor.

Typical Weekly Meeting

Weekly Battalion meeting, held on Monday nights at The Hub, is where a teen boy regularly joins with his friends and where he finds adults who want to establish a caring friendship.  It provides many opportunities for men and boys to do things together and disciplining to occur.

    - Pre-meeting Activities
    - Battalion Formation
    - Squad Meetings
    - Battalion Action
    - Games
    - Council Ring
    - Leaders Huddle

Pre-meeting Activities

Battalion #3698 has the finest meeting place in all of Western New York!  When the boys arrive they can play ping pong, pool, air hockey, bubble hockey, informal games, or tests of strength.

Battalion Formation

Meetings begin with a military style formation, with each Squad together in a line.  Each Corporal stands in front of his Squad, and the Sergeant centered in front of all Corporals.  The Captain and Lieutenants are in front of the Sergeant.  Captain opens in prayer at this time, and also gives announcements.

Squad Meetings

Corporals lead the Squad meetings, which includes a devotional, attendance check, review of achievements, and a special activity or discussion.  Each Squad meets on its own.

Battalion Action

Special feature of the night, either through a demonstration, discussion, or hands-on project.  Many times a series of meetings (usually 3-4 weeks, called a block) are related on the same topic - and an Activity Patch can be earned.  Past blocks in #3698 have been Orienteering, Skit Production, Power Point Presentations, and AirSoft.  Future planned blocks are;  Backpacking, Auto Repair (hands-on), and Canoe Building.  Some times a special guest speaker is brought in.

Games

Action packed time, many times the highlight of the night.  Gives the boys a time of physical action to develop skills, alertness, friendship, and sportsmanship.  Games allow boys and men "to be themselves", and may reveal more of their character and needs - allowing the leaders an opportunity to disciple the boy.  Games also help break down personal barriers, enabling the boys to gain confidence in their leaders and themselves.

Council Ring

The Bible is the foundation of every Council Ring, usually in the form of a story, talk, or discussion.  The Gospel is presented as the boys are challenged to Christian growth and service.  The meeting is then closed in prayer , and the the Council Ring closes by repeating together the Battalion Watchword...
          Now we trust in God to keep us
          Bright and keen for Christ
            Because we love Him
            Because we want to serve Him
          Until we see Him face to face.

Leaders Huddle

Brief get together after the meeting with the Captain, senior and junior leaders.  Program is discussed, future plans are made and checked, and fellowship prayer for the Battalion Unit.

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