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A Christian alternative to the Boy Scouts of America recently reported a considerable uptick in interest in the wake of the COVID panic.
Trail Life, which is headquartered in Greenville, S.C., told The Christian Post it had chartered 65 new troops in the first five months of 2021 and is in the process of chartering 100 more. The group already boasts of 30,000 members.
By comparison, the Boy Scouts claims 1.2 million members in the United States, ranging from the introductory Cub Scout program and including Scouts, Explorers and Venturing participants.
“Just this year, we have seen over 65 new troops started as men across the nation have stepped up to lead and make a difference in the lives of boys in their churches, their families, and their communities,” said Mark Hancock, CEO of Trail Life USA.
He claimed the organization increased membership by 70% over the same period in 2020 on top of a 30% increase over 2019.
Trail Life was formed in 2013 and has posted consistent growth primarily in response to decisions by the Boy Scouts program to admit openly gay males as well as allow them to serve in leadership positions. In 2019, the program was changed to Scouts and girls were admitted for the first time.
The core of the Trail Life program is to engage men while connecting fathers and sons, the Christian Post noted.
“Trail Life USA is not just a program that meets at the Church. We are a ministry of the Church,” said Hancock. “We are not an outdoor program that incorporates a Christian experience. We are, at our core, a Christ-centered program that utilizes the outdoors to draw boys and their families into a closer relationship with their Creator.”
The full story is available at The Christian Post.
