Mission Statement

The purpose of the Candlelight Christian Fellowship Trail Life USA ministry is to establish a Christ centered program for young men and families of Candlelight and the surrounding community. This program reinforces traditional Christian values, proclaims the supremacy of God and the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and uses the Trail Life USA program as the primary vehicle to develop boys into good citizens, honorable Christian men, and skilled leaders. In accordance with the Trail Life USA program we embody the Vision, Mission, Motto and Oath in our everyday lives.  Statement of Faith
Trail Life USA Troop 4:12 is blessed to be chartered by Candlelight Christian Fellowship in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.   We are an outreach youth ministry of the church, utilizing the tools and rich history of scouting to teach boys practical outdoor skills, and to mold them into thoughtful and considerate community members, strong leaders, and Godly young men.   Respect for each other, our country, and our God are emphasized.   Discipline in conduct, language, uniform, and self are reinforced.
Our Troop has an amazing group of Trailmen and dedicated adult leadership, as well as the prayerful backing of a loyal body of believers at Candlelight. Our adult leaders have received training ranging from basic outdoor leader skills, to high adventure, to the coveted BSA Wood Badge program. Many of the leaders were either scouts in the BSA program as youth, were dedicated volunteer leaders in BSA, or both. Most have dedicated themselves to deveolping productive, Godly young men and leaders.
Our objective is to be a truly boy-led troop, and, as you may have read on the home page, this is one of the main character development methods of the program. Trail Life USA isn't just a fun outdoor program. We are Christ-centered and our goal, along with the fun and adventure, is to guide our young men into becoming men of God, capable of being Godly husbands, fathers and leaders of tomorrow. Our foundation is the Scriptures, and we strive to include Godly principles in all we do.
The boy-led concept of the troop is different from the way most youth activities are run, where the adults decide what to do and the youth do it.   Because our troop is different, it is sometimes difficult for adults to realize that we have a different role and a different goal.   Our role is to make sure that the activities happen, that the achievements take place.   All with the highest degree of safety in mind.   In our troop, the role of the boys is to participate in fun activities and generate achievements.   The role of the adults is to provide guidance and be Godly mentors. It is about the journey, not the destination.   That is, our adult leaders promote the “process”.
What is important for us is...
  • Not the taste of the food on the campout, but that the boys cooked it.
  • Not a sharp-looking flag ceremony, but that the boys put it together.
  • Not who would make the best patrol leader, but that the boys elect one.
  • Not that a Trailman learns his knots, but that another Trailman teaches him.
  • Not that we cover everything on the meeting agenda, but that the senior patrol leader is in charge.
Our goal is not to get things done, but to create a safe and healthy environment with the training and resources that the Trailmen need, and then let them do it. It can be a very messy business, and painful to watch. Meetings where the boy leaders are in charge can be very chaotic. Outdoor activities may not run as smoothly as we’d like. It can be very tempting for adults to jump in and sort things out, because that is what adults do. But we have to remember that this is the process of developing compitent and capable leaders. That is how they learn — yes, even from disorganization and failure. We just have to remember that our business as adults is not the same as the business of the boys. It is up to them to get things done. It is up to us to make sure they have what they need, but (within the bounds of health and safety) not what they do with it.
Thank you again for visiting our website.
“Train Scouts to do a job, then let them do it.”
—Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of The Boy Scouts of America

Parent Support and Involvement

“So what is my role?”
In Troop 412 parents play a critical role, especially in the Woodland Trails program. In the Navigators and Adventurers programs, parents are asked to become much less involved with their own child and more within the structure of the troop. Don’t worry, few parents come in to the program with a good understanding of the program itself. Trail Life USA and the Troop provide the training to get all the parents on the same page and working toward the goals of Trail Life USA. And believe me, it is truly a blessing to be part of such a life changing program and to watch as your son makes the transformation from a boy into a young man.