Boy Scouts of America to change its name

In a pop-up message on its website Tuesday, the organization said it would be changing its name to “Scouting America,” effective Feb. 8, 2025. This is the first time the 114-year-old organization has changed its name.

Why is it doing this? The new name would better reflect the organization’s commitment to including all youths in its activities, the organization said. The organization first began allowing boys who openly practice homosexuality to participate in Boy Scout activities in 2013 and began allowing girls to participate in the organization in 2019.

Are there any alternatives to the Boy Scouts? Trail Life, a publicly Christian alternative to Boy Scouts, currently boasts 55,000 members in roughly 1,100 troops nationwide. The organization has published an easily accessible statement of faith and says God reserves sex solely for heterosexual marriage. The organization’s youth memberships are open only to boys between the ages of five and 18, but the group does allow women of age 18 or older to participate in adult memberships.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, listen to Paul Butler’s report about how many Christians turned to Trail Life as an alternative to the Boy Scouts.