On Wednesday, October 11th, 2017, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) announced a change to its membership policy to allow girls to enroll in the Cub Scouting program beginning in 2018, and to enroll in the Scouting program in 2019. The Cub Scouting program serves families with youth in grades 1-5, and the Scouting program serves families with youth in grades 6-12. This decision was made by unanimous vote of the Boy Scouts of America's Executive Board.
The BSA's action to admit girls very much resonates with the mission of the United Church of Christ (UCC), "United in Spirit and inspired by God's grace, we welcome all, love all, and seek justice for all." The UCC Scouting Working Group applauds this action and offers its support, solidarity and partnership for the implementation of the change to create more inclusive Scouting programs.
"Reverent. A Scout is reverent toward God.
[They are] faithful in [their] religious duties.
The BSA's founders engaged diverse faith traditions and community organizations to charter units to serve the needs of the families in their communities, understood that respect for others' beliefs must be a core guiding principle, and so this definition is repeated in BSA's Charter and Bylaws as a condition of membership.
We urge our congregations to encourage and support thoughtful, prayerful dialog and accompaniment as the BSA implements this significant policy change to welcome girls, and we call on our churches to encourage and support inclusive scouting programs that welcome girls. We also call on all BSA membership and staff to ensure that all settings of BSA programs, whether unit, district, council, or national, are safe, welcoming, and affirming spaces for girls, and indeed, for all youth and adult members, participants, and staff.