The Mormon Church announced it will cut ties with the Boy Scouts of America, ending a partnership that spanned more than a century.
In its joint statement released with the Boy Scouts of America on Tuesday, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said it has “increasingly felt the need to create and implement a uniform youth leadership and development program that serves its members globally.”
To fulfill that need, the church said it felt it necessary to end its role as a chartered partner with Boy Scouts of America, effective Dec. 31, 2019. Chartered organizations such as churches and schools typically host Cub Scout packs and Boy Scout troops.
“While the Church will no longer be a chartered partner of BSA or sponsor Scouting units after December 31, 2019, it continues to support the goals and values reflected in the Scout Oath and Scout Law and expresses its profound desire for Scouting’s continuing and growing success in the years ahead,” the church said.
The two organizations “jointly determined” the church will end its relationship as a chartered organization with all scouting programs worldwide, they said.
With 30,500 congregations around the world, Mormon boys are automatically enrolled in the Cub Scouts when they turn 8. Roughly 18.5 percent of the Boy Scouts’ 2.3 million youth members are members of the Mormon church.
Though the church did not cite specific reasons for severing ties with the Boy Scouts of America, the Mormon church expressed concerns in the past with the organization’s decision in 2015 to lift a ban on openly gay members.
At the time of the policy shift, the Mormon church said it was “deeply troubled” by the decision and considered ending ties with the group. But the church ultimately decided to keep its relationship with the Boy Scouts after the organization said the church can pick their own troop leaders.
The announcement from the church comes one week after the Boy Scouts of America announced it would be changing the name of its older youth program from Boy Scouts to “Scouts BSA.”
The name change followed BSA’s decision to begin allowing girls to join the Cub Scouts program and develop a new program for older girls to earn the rank of Eagle Scout.
The church said it has been conducting an “extensive review of all existing children and youth activities and personal development programs” over the last few years and felt a need to “address diverse needs and fortify all children and youth with gospel-centered growth and learning experiences now more than ever.”
A new initiative will begin January 2020, the Mormon church said.
“This new approach is intended to help all girls and boys, young women and young men discover their eternal identity, build character and resilience, develop life skills and fulfill their divine roles as daughters and sons of God,” the church said.
