In this Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019 photo, a Boy Scouts troop salutes during their meeting, in Kaysville, Utah. For decades, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was one of Boy Scouts of America’s greatest allies and the largest sponsor of troops. But on Jan. 1, the Utah-based faith will deliver the latest body blow to the struggling BSA when it implements its plan to pull out more than 400,000 youths and move them into a new global program of its own. This Latter-day Saint-based Boy Scouts troop in Kaysville, though, formed outside the church structure and plans to stick with the Boy Scouts after the church ends its longtime alliance at the end of 2019. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been one of the largest sponsors of the Boy Scouts of America for decades but is making its split official Jan. 1.
The Utah-based faith will deal another blow to the struggling organization when it pulls out more than 400,000 young people and moves them into a new global program of its own.
It will mark the first time since the World War II era that Boy Scout youth membership will fall below 2 million. The split may push the Boy Scouts closer to the brink of bankruptcy as it faces a new wave of sex abuse lawsuits.
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