Scouting

Scouting in the United Methodist Church

Background

• In the United States, the United Methodist Church is the largest mainline denomination, the second largest Protestant church, and third largest Christian denomination.
• According to the United Methodist Church, there are over 40,000 churches across the United States,Africa, Asia, and Europe with approximately 11.2 million members.
• According to the 2010 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches, there are 7.9 million U.S. members in 34,136 churches.
• The United Methodist Church is responsible for 10 pre-collegiate schools, 92 four-year and eight two-year colleges and universities, One professional school,13 theological seminaries
• The mission of the United Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. This is a four-fold task where the United Methodist Church:
  1. Reaches out to people and welcomes them into the church
  2. Relates people to God and helps them deepen their relationship with God
  3. Nurtures people in Christian living
  4. Supports people in their ministry
• The United Methodist Church has no central headquarters, but many of the church’s biggest administrative offices are located in Nashville, Tennessee.
• The United Methodist Church is a decentralized church with the following branches:
  1. General Conference, the church’s highest legislative branch, is the official governing body that convenes every four years to make all decisions on doctrine and policy. The voting membership consists of an equal number of clergy and lay delegates elected by the annual conferences.
  2. Council of Bishops, the executive branch of the church, represents the top leadership of the church. All active and retired bishops are members of the Council of Bishops.
  3. Judicial Council, the church’s judicial branch, rules on questions of constitutionality in church law and practice.
• At the end of 2010, the United Methodist Church’s involvement with Scouting included:
  • 235,672 Cub Scouts from 5,136 packs
  • 127,419 Boy Scouts from 5,005 troops
  • 8,408 Venturers from 1,146 crews