More Info on Scouting and the Church
In case it hasn't been clear, I am including these posts regarding Scouting and the LDS Church because I see this as a potential sign that more perilous and trying times are coming for members of the Church. I think it is very likely that the Church may have completely withdrawn from Scouting before a great gathering invitation might happen. In any case, a full withdrawal will increase persecution towards the Church, as many will see it as a move against the LGBTQ+ community.
Here is a link to the response from the BSA regarding the LDS Church no longer using the Varsity and Venturing programs
http://voiceofscouting.org/bsa-response-lds-varsity-venturing
While the response is very understanding, it is interesting to look at the numbers.
The BSA serves 2.3 million youth each year. In the Church, there are apparently about 330,000 youth in the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. About 180,000 are currently in the Varsity and Venturing programs. 180,000 is 7.8% of the membership, and the 330,000 is 14.3%, so together the youth in the Church comprise just over 22% of the BSA's national membership.
In local councils among the intermountain west, particularly in Utah and Idaho, the percentage of scouts who are LDS is much higher. I don't know what the numbers are. But if we add 330,000 and 180,000 we get 510,000, so we can safely assume that the Varsity and Venture scouts are about 35% of the total number of LDS boys registered in scouting units.
The 2015 Salt Lake Tribune article reports some lower registration numbers, but the effects are still the same. It reports that 96-99% of the scouts in the Utah councils are LDS. Just as a side note, the Salt Lake Tribune tends to have a more liberal slant to their articles, and I've read some which were almost antagonistic towards the Church.
This first article was from 2015 when the announcement came out that the BSA would officially permit gay leaders, and it wasn't sure if the Church would decide to remain with Scouting.
http://www.sltrib.com/home/2778130-155/if-mormons-leave-scouting-bsa-will?fullpage=1
From this article:
"The national BSA normally charges a $24 registration fee for each Scout and adult leader per year. The fee just for Mormon youths would cost $10.5 million a year. However, a statement from the Utah councils says those fees "are negotiated between the national BSA and the LDS Church. All registration fees are retained at the national BSA level."
"In Utah, the Orem-based Utah National Parks Council says 99 percent of its Scouts are in LDS units. The Salt Lake City-based Great Salt Lake Council says 98 percent of its Scouts are. And the Ogden-based Trapper Trails Council says 96 percent of its youths are in Mormon-sponsored units."
"The Utah National Parks Council says the Friends of Scouting push provides 43 percent of its budget; the Trapper Trails Council says it generates 36 percent; and the Great Salt Lake Council receives 34 percent of its money from the effort."
This article is after the recent announcement from the Church.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/5278985-155/mormon-church-takes-steps-away-from
"The church's Thursday statement indicated it is seeking to ease the financial effect its partial withdrawal may have on national Scouting."
"The church will continue to make the same payment to the BSA for registration of its young men through 2018,so there should be a minimal impact to Scouting."
The Church will apparently continue to pay membership through 2018, so the financial effects won't be immediate. But, what happens to an organization when it loses more than a 25% (potentially up to 35% or more) of its membership?
In the more recent Tribune article (linked above) it cites a higher percentage of LDS youth involved with varsity and venture units.
"Since about 40 percent of Mormon youths now in Scout units are ages 14 to 18 and participate, to some degree, in Varsity or Venturing, it would appear that national Scouting organizations stand to lose about 40 percent of registration fees the LDS Church has provided."
Of the total national membership, the Tribune article states "The national BSA could lose nearly 6 percent of its total Scouts through the change — 130,000 of its total 2.3 million, or one of every 18." As mentioned, the numbers are a little different than other sources cite.
In any case, that is a big financial loss in terms of membership fees, but it is also a loss of revenue from those who might attend summer camps and other activities which generate funds for the councils. Additionally, there is concern that Friends of Scouting donations may decrease. It's not uncommon for people to donate to an organization when they are, or someone they know is, involved with the organization, but when the affiliation ends the donations may also stop or significantly decrease.
We might see some council restructuring and reorganization in the next few years if things continue as they are. However, if the Church ends up fully withdrawing from Scouting, then it will most likely result in massive restructuring of the local councils. I'm sure the Church is wanting to lessen that blow, and help provide the councils a bit of a buffer time to rearrange things. A complete withdrawal may see the Church providing a similar extension of membership fees, and a definite restructuring of councils in areas 2 and 6 (Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico) the western region would follow, and it may affect adjoining areas as well.
Here is a link to the response from the BSA regarding the LDS Church no longer using the Varsity and Venturing programs
http://voiceofscouting.org/bsa-response-lds-varsity-venturing
While the response is very understanding, it is interesting to look at the numbers.
The BSA serves 2.3 million youth each year. In the Church, there are apparently about 330,000 youth in the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. About 180,000 are currently in the Varsity and Venturing programs. 180,000 is 7.8% of the membership, and the 330,000 is 14.3%, so together the youth in the Church comprise just over 22% of the BSA's national membership.
In local councils among the intermountain west, particularly in Utah and Idaho, the percentage of scouts who are LDS is much higher. I don't know what the numbers are. But if we add 330,000 and 180,000 we get 510,000, so we can safely assume that the Varsity and Venture scouts are about 35% of the total number of LDS boys registered in scouting units.
The 2015 Salt Lake Tribune article reports some lower registration numbers, but the effects are still the same. It reports that 96-99% of the scouts in the Utah councils are LDS. Just as a side note, the Salt Lake Tribune tends to have a more liberal slant to their articles, and I've read some which were almost antagonistic towards the Church.
This first article was from 2015 when the announcement came out that the BSA would officially permit gay leaders, and it wasn't sure if the Church would decide to remain with Scouting.
http://www.sltrib.com/home/2778130-155/if-mormons-leave-scouting-bsa-will?fullpage=1
From this article:
"The national BSA normally charges a $24 registration fee for each Scout and adult leader per year. The fee just for Mormon youths would cost $10.5 million a year. However, a statement from the Utah councils says those fees "are negotiated between the national BSA and the LDS Church. All registration fees are retained at the national BSA level."
"In Utah, the Orem-based Utah National Parks Council says 99 percent of its Scouts are in LDS units. The Salt Lake City-based Great Salt Lake Council says 98 percent of its Scouts are. And the Ogden-based Trapper Trails Council says 96 percent of its youths are in Mormon-sponsored units."
"The Utah National Parks Council says the Friends of Scouting push provides 43 percent of its budget; the Trapper Trails Council says it generates 36 percent; and the Great Salt Lake Council receives 34 percent of its money from the effort."
This article is after the recent announcement from the Church.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/5278985-155/mormon-church-takes-steps-away-from
"The church's Thursday statement indicated it is seeking to ease the financial effect its partial withdrawal may have on national Scouting."
"The church will continue to make the same payment to the BSA for registration of its young men through 2018,so there should be a minimal impact to Scouting."
The Church will apparently continue to pay membership through 2018, so the financial effects won't be immediate. But, what happens to an organization when it loses more than a 25% (potentially up to 35% or more) of its membership?
In the more recent Tribune article (linked above) it cites a higher percentage of LDS youth involved with varsity and venture units.
"Since about 40 percent of Mormon youths now in Scout units are ages 14 to 18 and participate, to some degree, in Varsity or Venturing, it would appear that national Scouting organizations stand to lose about 40 percent of registration fees the LDS Church has provided."
Of the total national membership, the Tribune article states "The national BSA could lose nearly 6 percent of its total Scouts through the change — 130,000 of its total 2.3 million, or one of every 18." As mentioned, the numbers are a little different than other sources cite.
In any case, that is a big financial loss in terms of membership fees, but it is also a loss of revenue from those who might attend summer camps and other activities which generate funds for the councils. Additionally, there is concern that Friends of Scouting donations may decrease. It's not uncommon for people to donate to an organization when they are, or someone they know is, involved with the organization, but when the affiliation ends the donations may also stop or significantly decrease.
We might see some council restructuring and reorganization in the next few years if things continue as they are. However, if the Church ends up fully withdrawing from Scouting, then it will most likely result in massive restructuring of the local councils. I'm sure the Church is wanting to lessen that blow, and help provide the councils a bit of a buffer time to rearrange things. A complete withdrawal may see the Church providing a similar extension of membership fees, and a definite restructuring of councils in areas 2 and 6 (Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico) the western region would follow, and it may affect adjoining areas as well.
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