Because the commander is looked up to as an example by the commanders and boys in Royal Rangers, the Outpost Council should consider the qualifications of a good commander, as suggested by the following guidelines:

• Is the candidate a born-again Christian, well-grounded in the Word of God?
• Is the candidate loyal to the church?
• Are the candidate's habits and ideals above reproach?
• Does the candidate have a heart for ministering to boys and enjoy working with them?
• Does the candidate have a consistent testimony in daily Christian living?
• Is the candidate able to lead and delegate authority?
• Does the candidate possess good judgment?
• Is the candidate willing to accept responsibility?
• Does the candidate command the respect of other men?
• Does the candidate cooperate with the program of the church?
• Will the candidate take leadership training?
• Is the candidate 21 years of age or older? (Lieutenant commanders must be 18 or older.)

The following suggested outline for the first meeting follows the reular meeting plan for the groups.

Before the Meeting:
Arrive early to prepare the room and be ready to greet the boys and their parents and guardians.

While the Boys and Parents Arrive
The commander and his assistant should welcome each boy and his parents or guardians. Keep the boys busy with games, puzzles or crafts before the meeting begins. At the starting time, play games for about 5 minutes.

Suggested Game
Materials: 8 1/2 x 11-inch paper
Play: Place a box or small garbage can (or make an X with masking tape) on the floor at least 10-feet from the standing line. Instruct the boys and parents to make paper airplanes and fly them into the container or marked area. See how many times they can hit the mark.

Opening Ceremony
Have leaders present the colors with the United States flag in the center surrounded by the Royal Rangers flag and the Christian flag. Lead in the Pledge of Allegiance. Open in prayer.

The pastor or senior commander should greet the audience and introduce and introduce each commander. Ask the families to introduce themselves. Distribute any pertinent information related to the church.

Explain the ideals and purposes of Royal Rangers using the information from the kit. Demonstrate how Royal Rangers will open doors to adventure, friendship and fun. Explain how commanders will work with them to make activities and programs a success.

Distribute the Royal Rangers catalogs. Let the boys and parents look at the uniforms, awards and accessories. Discuss how the boys can obtain their uniforms. Explain how they can earn and wear everything.

Speaker: If possible, invite a speaker who is familiar with the program such as a section or district Royal Rangers commander.

Question-and-Answer Time
Give opportunity for people to ask questions.

Closing Ceremony
The pastor or guest speaker should end the meeting with some closing thoughts and prayer.

After the Meeting
Serve refreshments. Be available for further questions.

Make sure you have plenty of handbooks, workbooks, Leaders' Guides and flags for each group. Give the proper materials to group commanders and instruct them to study the introduction and the first lesson for next week. Each commander should be ready for his separate group meeting next week.

Between Meetings
Before the second meeting, call all parents and thank them for attending the first meeting. call those unable to attend and encourage them to send their boys to the second meeting.

Begin your second meeting with an Opening Ceremony. This can be done all together as an outpost or in your individual groups.

Make sure commanders are prepared to lead theri meetings. Instruct them to used the program with the aid of the Leaders Guide, Royal Rangers Leaders Manual, workbooks and handbooks.

During the Business/Patrol Corners collect the chartering dues.

Your outpost should meet once a week for at least one and one-half hour. It is important that you and the boys have an enjoyable time together. Every meeting should provide both fun and accomplishment for the boys. Plan a well-rounded program in every meeting so the boys will always be anxious to return. A meeting that has only fun with no accomplishment causes the boys to soon lose interest.

Begin and end each meeting on time. This is good training for the boys in managing their own affairs. It also helps inspire confidence in the boys' parents.

For additional outpost meeting ideas, refer to the High Adventure Leader and the Outpost Activities Book.