NEW YORK — For Scouting America, the 115-year-old program once known as the Boy Scouts of America has endured a long, difficult arc over the past decade. A wave of changes—from welcoming gay youth and girls to confronting a bankruptcy that triggered years of legal and financial wrangling—collided with a broader shift in American youth organizations. Yet the organization appears to be stabilizing, aided by durable support from faith-based units that remain a key pillar of its operations and identity.
Faith-based sponsorship remains a defining feature of Scouting America. Current data show that religious groups oversee about 42% of the nearly 40,000 chartered units. The Catholic Church and its affiliates are the largest sponsor, operating 3,514 units that serve more than 87,100 of the roughly 1 million boys and girls active in scouting. Other major sponsors include the United Methodists, the Episcopal Church and various Lutheran and Presbyterian denominations. In addition, Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist organizations sponsor more than 250 units serving more than 6,500 scouts.
Roger Krone, who became Scouting America’s president and CEO in 2023 as the organization emerged from bankruptcy, says the religious diversity of sponsors reflects a shared commitment to core values. “It really speaks to the alignment of the mission, vision and values that our organization has and what those organizations have,” he told The Associated Press. “It’s character development, it’s spiritual growth, it’s community service.” He emphasizes that while the organization welcomes a broad range of families, the religious credo remains central. The Scout Oath begins, “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God,” and the Scout Law ends with a call to be reverent toward God and to respect others’ beliefs. “There are some places today where you’re not encouraged to talk about spiritual growth and what may be going on outside your little bubble,” Krone said. “In our organization, it’s been core to our principles for years and years and will continue to be core.”
Krone acknowledges that some nonreligious families may be uncomfortable with the explicit “Duty to God” pledge, but he invites them to explore how reverence and prayer shape the youth experience. “You are all welcome in our organization,” he said. “But I want people to know when you come to scouting, there’s this concept of reverence and spiritual growth and saying prayers and being thoughtful.” He told prospective families to visit a unit, observe campouts and meetings, and then decide for themselves. Christine Tezai, an adult leader in Troop 228, which is chartered by St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Church in Santa Clarita, California, describes a similarly inclusive approach. Although she estimates fewer than half of the troop’s 40-plus scouts are Catholic, all participate in religion-themed events, including an annual Mass that features religious awards. “It doesn’t matter if you’re Catholic,” Tezai said. “A scout is reverent — it doesn’t matter how you’re reverent. You don’t have to say prayers. … You know what we do by showing kindness and being helpful.”
Mykhail Tezai, 17, who joined Cub Scouts in first grade and is now a high school senior, is on track to become an Eagle Scout. He notes that several peers in the troop don’t identify with a single faith but feel at home in a church-chartered unit. He said, “They’re very curious about my religion and being Catholic. They want to know how it works.”
The faith-based model has also helped Scouting America weather shifts in its constituency. After the 2013 decision to admit openly gay youth, some conservatives formed Trail Life USA, which now reports about 65,000 youth in church-run units aligned with biblical Christian principles. In early 2020, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, previously the largest faith-based partner, withdrew more than 400,000 scouts to pursue its own programs. Krone says many former Mormon families remain fond of scout activities and may place their children in units unaffiliated with the church, while acknowledging the possibility of greater emphasis on other programs outside the Scouting America umbrella.
The affiliation shifts in the faith sector contributed to a broader decline in membership that began long before the bankruptcy. The organization, which once served more than 4 million boys in the 1970s, faced a pandemic-era downturn and years of legal entanglements tied to abuse allegations. In total, more than 82,000 people filed claims alleging abuse as scouts. The $2.4 billion reorganization plan that took effect in 2023 allowed Scouting America to continue operating while providing compensation to survivors. The plan’s framework benefited leading faith-based sponsors, including Catholic dioceses and Methodist churches, in exchange for their continued support.
Leaders view reforms as integral to a safer, stronger community. The Rev. Mark Carr, national chaplain for Catholic scouting, said that concerns about liability and insurance prompted some dioceses to reconsider their continued involvement. Steven Scheid, who directs the United Methodists’ Center for Scouting Ministries, believes the era offers lessons that can strengthen the program. He cited strengthened child-protection policies as a model that could influence future safeguards.
Historically, Christian churches have supplied the vast majority of Scouting America’s faith-based units, but there is notable participation from other faith communities. Rashid Abdullah, executive director of the National Association of Muslim Americans on Scouting, notes that Muslims in America are seeking identity through a platform that aligns with their values. “Muslims in America are searching for their identity, and there’s nothing more American than scouting,” Abdullah said. He helps oversee units chartered to the Islamic Center of Northern Virginia Trust and is a father to three sons who, like himself, earned Eagle Scout.
For some in the Jewish community, Scouting America remains a vehicle for sustaining connections with broader American society. Ricky Mason, an attorney who helped negotiate the reorganization plan and is poised to become the next Jewish chair of the Scouts’ National Executive Committee, cites long-standing involvement in a synagogue-sponsored troop in Richmond, Virginia. His mother’s early guidance suggested that he would reach Eagle Scout through that pathway, and he views scouting as essential for leadership development as the community faces concerns about antisemitism. “In addition to the having fun part, scouting is really about character and leadership development,” Mason said. “This organization is needed now more than ever.”
As Scouting America continues to adapt to a changing landscape, its leaders emphasize that the core mission—character development, spiritual growth and service to the community—remains central. They acknowledge that some families may join for different reasons, but they stress that the organization’s welcoming ethos and commitment to reverence will continue to guide its evolution. The AP’s reporting on this topic was supported by The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc., and includes collaborative context from reporters across outlets. AP's coverage continues to document how faith-based sponsorships shape the trajectory of Scouting America as it navigates legal, cultural and demographic shifts.