Big Change: A New Church Without The Boy Scouts of America

After more than a year of planning and anticipation, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints finally brought its formal relationship with the Boy Scouts of America to a close on December 31st, 2019.

With more than half of the youth in the church outside of the US the decision to move away from scouting toward a Church designed program that can be implemented universally worldwide meant a 20% decrease in the number of young men in the Boy Scouts nationwide.

On Dec 31st, The Denver Post published a wonderful article which can be found in its entirety by clicking here.

While the two organizations will no longer be formally intertwined, Colorado’s church members made clear that the relationship will remain strong. On Dec. 19, [Elder Thomas] Priday penned a letter to the Scout executive of the Denver-area council, John Cabeza, expressing his appreciation of a century of close ties.

Priday has been involved in the Scouts for more than half that time. His three brothers were Scouts. His son was a Scout. Some of his best friends and mentors to this day he met in the Scouts. On that December day, he watched with pride as his grandson, Ashton, walked across that bridge.

What’s on the other side, however, remains to be seen.

“It’s been hard, it truly has,” Priday said. “It’s the bittersweet end of a really positive relationship. I can’t say enough about what Scouting has meant to me.”

DenverPost.com – December 31st 2019 – Sam Tabachnik – “They’ve been intertwined for more than 100 years. Now the Boy Scouts and Latter-day Saints prepare for life apart.”

You can click here to read the letter mentioned above sent from Elder Priday to John Cabeza.

The future is uncertain but what is clear is that it is the hope of all of us that The Boy Scouts of America can continue to prosper in spreading the ideas and values articulated in the Scout Law and Scout Oath throughout Colorado!