SALT LAKE CITY — The LDS Church is ending its relationship with the Boy Scouts of America.

The expiration date for the remarkably robust, 105-year alliance is Dec. 31, 2019, according to a joint statement released Tuesday night by BSA and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The decision by LDS leaders is part of a broader restructuring of the church's programs for all Mormon children ages 8 to 18.

"In this century of shared experience, the church has grown from a U.S.-centered institution to a worldwide organization, with a majority of its membership living outside the United States," the joint statement said. "That trend is accelerating. The church has increasingly felt the need to create and implement a uniform youth leadership and development program that serves its members globally. In so doing it will be necessary for the church to discontinue its role as a chartered partner with BSA."


A new worldwide initiative for all Mormon boys and girls will debut in January 2020, replacing all existing activity and achievement programs, including the Personal Progress program for Young Women and the Activity Days, Faith in God and Duty to God programs for younger girls and boys, according to an email sent to church members.

The statement called the new program a "new children and youth development initiative" and said more details will be shared in the future on the website childrenandyouth.lds.org.

The moves come during the early months of new church President Russell M. Nelson's administration, but like the announcement at the faith's April general conference that a new ministering initiative would replace home teaching and visiting teaching, this decision was years in the making and was made jointly by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Their decision will have a vast impact on all 30,500 congregations around the globe. Millions of young men and women will see changes to both their Sunday meetings and activities they attend one night a week. The church's Young Men program no longer will focus on supporting boys on a journey to becoming Eagle Scouts. The Young Women program no longer will emphasize personal progress for girls with its eight values — faith, divine nature, individual worth, knowledge, choice and accountability, good works, integrity, virtue — and earning the Young Womanhood medallion.
https://www.deseretnews.com/article/...nitiative.html


The Mormon Church says they have always accepted homosexual scouts, but the article says they had issues when 5 years ago, the BSA began accepting homosexual Scout leaders. Uh, ya think?