Elevate your local knowledge

Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!

Select Region

Diverging values lead to Mormon retreat from Boy Scouts

CP602718690
FILE - In this July 22, 2013, file photo, Andrew Garrison, 11, of Salt Lake City, looks over the Rockwell exhibition at the Mormon Church History Museum, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Twenty-three original, Boy Scout-themed Norman Rockwell paintings were on display in Salt Lake City to celebrate the 100-year relationship between Scouting and the Mormon church. An announcement Tuesday night, May 8, 2018, by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Boy Scouts will mark an end to close relationship that lasted more than a century built on their shared values. The religion will move its remaining boys into its own scouting-type program. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
Original Publication Date: May 9, 2018 7:15AM
Publication Updated: April 23, 2025 10:52AM

SALT LAKE CITY – The Mormon church is ending its centurylong alliance with the Boy Scouts of America, sending two organizations whose values had diverged in recent years on separate and uncertain paths.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will bank on nurturing its youth in a still-to-be developed program set to launch in 2020. It will likely include outdoor activities and character building similar to Boy Scouts but be tailored for the church’s doctrine and designed to roll out around the globe.

The Boy Scouts will try to make up for the loss of its largest sponsor through the addition of girls and a welcoming message that all are invited.

The 425,000 Mormon boys who will be leaving in 2020 represent about 18.5 per cent of 2.3 million youth in the Boy Scouts.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

Abbey Westbury

Related Articles