Christian alternative to Boy Scouts gets 1,000th Troop: 'Campaign to rescue America’s boys’
A scouting organization founded in 2014 to be a conservative Christian alternative to the Boy Scouts of America recently celebrated its 1,000th Troop.
Trail Life USA announced via emailed press release on Monday that the Greenville, South Carolina-based scouting organization had officially chartered its 1,000th local chapter.
Trail Life Chief Executive Officer Mark Hancock told The Christian Post that he was “humbled by the response of churches and families across the country who are communicating their excitement for the vision and mission of Trail Life USA by starting and joining Troops.”
Get Our Latest News for FREE
“Every new Troop means boys are being impacted by our Christ-centered, boy-focused approach to building Godly men,” said Hancock. He noted that, at present, 150 new Troops were currently in the process of being chartered.
Hancock attributed the growth of the organization to its “Campaign to Rescue America's Boys,” which he said “speaks to the challenges boys face in our culture today. This gives churches and families hope.”
Hancock also explained to CP that due to “our dynamic and automated charter process, which frequently has a number of Troops in the process at the same time, we prefer not to point to a specific Troop.”
“Boys join Trail Life USA for adventure, and parents love the character and leadership objectives,” he added. “Our growth has been constant and every Troop has great value as having been a part of reaching this milestone.”
Trail Life was officially launched at the start of 2014, partly in response to the Boy Scouts of America’s decision to allow troops to accept openly gay members.
By September of that year, Trail Life was already boasting around 450 Troops and more than 14,000 members spread across 47 states, with more Troops being processed for approval.
As the Boy Scouts announced in 2017 that it was going to accept girls into its ranks, prompting legal action from the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, Trail Life reported increased interest in its organization.
By 2018, according to the group, it had grown to 805 Troops and more than 27,000 members, which was a sharp increase compared to the year before.
News of the 1,000th Troop milestone comes just after Trail Life USA held its fourth annual Nationwide Campout, which took place April 28-30.
