My own take is that I never rely on a cell phone for emergencies. At least out here in the west, you're generally out of reach of most towers. Even in places like the Columbia River Gorge where there are plenty of towers, you won't have reception while down in a canyon--and most of the trails are down in side canyons! I generally take the phone because I don't want to risk leaving it in the car, but it's turned off the whole time. I don't want to receive any phone calls out there anyway!

The other thing is the "overdue" situation. Except for short dayhikes on frequented trails, I always email an itinerary to my DIL in Seattle before I leave. I always tell her to wait 24-36 hours (depending on destination) after my "due out" time before calling, because I'm always prepared to stay out an extra night or two if necessary--and have sometimes been known to stay out an extra day on purpose. I also allow plenty of time to get back into cell phone range, which may be an hour's drive or more from the trailhead. I know that I can trust her not to panic and call SAR ahead of the time I've given. Anyway, I always have my PLB with me, so if I'm overdue and haven't pushed the button, I'm either delayed due to something other than an emergency or I'm already dead!

Of course if I have one or more of the grandkids with me, I'm a lot more careful to get them home (or more likely to the nearest pizza place, for them a mandatory stop) on time!

Unfortunately, many church groups don't have strict safety standards as the scouting groups do. They may also not have experienced leaders, or enough adults to keep track of the youngsters. Any of those can be a recipe for disaster.