Families have switched to faith-based alternatives to Boy Scouts of America amid the organization’s efforts to be more “inclusive.”
CEO of the faith-based organization Awana, Matt Markins, told Fox & Friends Weekend, “Anytime organizations lose their rootedness, and especially if we chase these progressive visions, we end up waking up in a world that’s really hard to recognize and very difficult to navigate, and I think that’s what’s happening to some of these organizations.”
He described that the organization emphasizes the discipleship of children.
“We have a saying in our organization that Awana is rooted in Scripture, centered on the gospel,” Markins said. “We’re never going to move one inch off of that.”
According to the Associated Press, Boy Scouts programs dropped from 1.97 million in 2019 to 1.12 million in 2020.
Since 2020, the organization’s numbers have fallen to 762,000.
Boy Scouts of America recently announced that it will be changing its name to “Scouting America.”
Roger A. Krone, president and chief executive officer of Scouting America, said in a press release, “Though our name will be new, our mission remains unchanged: we are committed to teaching young people to be Prepared. For Life. This will be a simple but very important evolution as we seek to ensure that everyone feels welcome in Scouting.”
The name change also comes as girls have been welcomed into scouting programs for the last five years.
“Scouting America currently serves more than 176,000 girls and young women across all programs, including over 6,000 who have earned the rank of Eagle Scout,” the statement adds.
