NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 For the Boy Scouts of America 鈥 recently renamed Scouting America 鈥 the past 12 years have been arduous. Opening its programs to gay people and later to girls sparked dismay in some quarters. Its 2020 bankruptcy declaration led to prolonged wrangling over compensation for thousands of men claiming they were sexually abused as scouts.
Yet the 115-year-old organization 鈥 though serving far fewer youths than at its peak decades ago 鈥 seems to be stabilizing, with a in membership last year. A key factor is that still view scouting鈥檚 mission as uniquely in tune with their own.
鈥淚 tell parents this is the best time to be involved with Scouting America, and the best time to be involved through a Catholic unit,鈥 said Bill Guglielmi, who chairs the National Catholic Committee on Scouting. 鈥淭here is a hunger out there now for finding a values-based organization.鈥
Guglielmi and others who are engaged in faith-based scouting praise the manner in which time-honored scouting programs 鈥 such as camping and expeditions 鈥 have been blended with newfangled activities such as indoor skydiving and an artificial-intelligence merit badge. But foremost, they value the organization鈥檚 continued commitment to communal prayer.
鈥淲orship is a big deal here,鈥 said Bill McCalister, who served more than 40 years as scoutmaster of Troop 285 in San Antonio under sponsorship of a United Methodist church.
鈥淓very campout, we have a formal worship service. Sometimes we serve Communion,鈥 he said. 鈥淢any scouts come to me and say, 鈥楳r. Mac, this is my church.鈥欌
A diversity of faiths in scouting
According to Scouting America’s latest data, faith-based organizations account for 42% of the nearly 40,000 units operated by chartered organizations. The Catholic Church and its affiliates are No. 1 鈥 overseeing 3,514 units serving more than 87,100 of the roughly 1 million boys and girls now active in scouting.
Other major sponsors include the United Methodists, the Episcopal Church and various Lutheran and Presbyterian denominations. Nearly 250 units, serving more than 6,500 scouts, are sponsored by Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist organizations.
Roger Krone, Scouting America鈥檚 president and CEO, took the post in 2023 as the organization emerged from bankruptcy proceedings. He appreciates scouting’s religious diversity.
鈥淚t really speaks to the alignment of the mission, vision and values that our organization has and what those organizations have,鈥 he told The Associated Press. 鈥淚t鈥檚 character development, it鈥檚 spiritual growth, it鈥檚 community service.鈥
The Boy Scouts lifted a ban on openly and began 鈥 steps Krone depicted as a message of welcome to any family considering scouting.
One step the organization will not take, Krone said, is abandoning the religious credo at the core of its mission. The famed Scout Oath begins, 鈥淥n my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God,鈥 while the Scout Law鈥檚 concluding message is: 鈥淏e reverent toward God. Be faithful in your religious duties. Respect the belief of others.鈥
鈥淭here are some places today where you鈥檙e not encouraged to talk about spiritual growth and what may be going on outside your little bubble,鈥 Krone said. 鈥淚n our organization, it鈥檚 been core to our principles for years and years and will continue to be core.鈥
Krone acknowledges that some nonreligious families, while admiring aspects of scouting, might be uncomfortable with the 鈥淒uty to God鈥 pledge. He encourages them to try scouting nonetheless.
鈥淵ou are all welcome in our organization,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut I want people to know when you come to scouting, there鈥檚 this concept of reverence and spiritual growth and saying prayers and being thoughtful.鈥
鈥淭he parent can come and be a volunteer and go through a couple meetings and a couple of campouts and watch what we do, see what effect the way we deal with duty to God and reverence has on the youth of your child鈥檚 age, and then make a decision,鈥 Krone said. 鈥淒on鈥檛 dismiss us out of hand.鈥
How it’s done by Troop 228
That welcoming approach is fully practiced by Troop 228, chartered by St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Church in the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Clarita, according to one of its adult leaders, Christine Tezai.
She estimates that less than half the troop’s 40-plus scouts are Catholic, yet all participate in occasional religion-themed events, including an annual Mass at which religious awards are presented.
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter if you鈥檙e Catholic,鈥 Tezai said. 鈥淎 scout is reverent 鈥 it doesn鈥檛 matter how you鈥檙e reverent. You don鈥檛 have to say prayers. 鈥 You know what we do by showing kindness and being helpful.鈥
Her 17-year-old son, Mykhail Tezai, entered Cub Scouts in the first grade. Now, as a high school senior, he’s on track to become an Eagle Scout.
He said several fellow scouts don鈥檛 identify with a specific faith but feel comfortable in a church-chartered troop.
鈥淭hey’re very curious about my religion and being Catholic,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hey want to know how it works.鈥
Some faith groups broke away
After the 2013 decision to admit gay youth, some disgruntled conservatives formed a new group, , which created its own ranks, badges and uniforms. It now claims 65,000 youth members, participating in church-run units aligned with 鈥渂iblical Christian principles.鈥
The biggest blow came at the start of 2020, when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 鈥 then the Boy Scouts鈥 largest faith-based partner 鈥 in favor of new programs of its own.
Krone said many Latter-day Saints families remain fond of Boy Scout programming and now place their children in units unaffiliated with their church.
鈥淲e would love to have more Mormon youth in our program,鈥 Krone said. 鈥淭hey can have their own program 鈥 but also maybe embrace Scouting America more than they have the last couple of years to gain the benefits of the program we鈥檝e developed.鈥
As for Trail Life, Krone acknowledged that its conservative Christian outlook has strong appeal for some families.
鈥淏ut our program will prepare you better for life,鈥 he said. 鈥淥nce you get out of high school 鈥 you need to learn to get along with others in the world as it is today, outside of the environment that you grew up in.鈥
The loss of many units affiliated with the Latter-day Saints and conservative Christian churches was part of a broader shrinkage experienced by the Boy Scouts, which served more than 4 million boys in the 1970s. The COVID-19 pandemic and the bankruptcy process were major factors as membership dwindled.
In all, more than 82,000 people filed claims alleging they were sexually abused as scouts. Leading faith-based sponsors of scout units, including Catholic dioceses and Methodist churches, contributed to a $2.4 billion that took effect in 2023, allowing the Boy Scouts to keep operating while compensating abuse survivors.
The Rev. Mark Carr, a Jesuit priest who serves as national chaplain for Catholic scouting, said concerns about liability and insurance were key factors in dissuading some dioceses from continuing with scouting.
For those who stayed, a deep commitment
Steven Scheid, director of the United Methodists鈥 Center for Scouting Ministries, sees some upsides for scouting after its previous difficulties. He cited rigorous child-protection policies that he views as effective in curtailing sex abuse.
鈥淭he lessons we can gain out of the mistakes of the past can make a better, stronger community, a safer one,鈥 he said.
Back in 2013, the United Methodists accounted for almost 350,000 youth members in the Boy Scouts. The figure now is 52,600.
But Scheid, an assistant scoutmaster of a troop founded in 1916 in Springfield, Tennessee, says adults still loyal to scouting 鈥渁re deeply committed. 鈥 They see this as a calling.鈥
While Christian churches account for the vast majority of Scouting America鈥檚 faith-based units, there are more than 3,500 scouts in Muslim-sponsored units and about 1,560 in Jewish-affiliated units.
鈥淢uslims in America are searching for their identity, and there鈥檚 nothing more American than scouting,鈥 said Rashid Abdullah, executive director of the executive director of the National Association of Muslim Americans on Scouting. 鈥淚t鈥檚 aligning perfectly with the values of our faith.鈥
Abdullah is also a lead organizer of scout units chartered to the Islamic Center of Northern Virginia Trust and the father of three sons who 鈥 like himself 鈥 made Eagle Scout.
Another Eagle Scout of long standing is Ricky Mason, a bankruptcy attorney who helped negotiate the reorganization plan and who next year will become the second Jewish chair of the Scouts鈥 National Executive Committee. His mother foresightedly told Mason when he was 7 that he would become an Eagle Scout through their synagogue-sponsored troop in Richmond, Virginia.
Amid concerns that antisemitism is increasing, Mason depicts scouting as a way for the U.S. Jewish community to remain connected with American society.
鈥淚n addition to the having fun part, scouting is really about character and leadership development,鈥 Mason said. 鈥淭his organization is needed now more than ever.鈥
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AP journalist Krysta Fauria in Los Angeles contributed.
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP鈥檚 with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
