Church asks Boy Scouts to leave after organization allows gay leaders

“The North Boulevard Church of Christ after a great deal of thought and a great deal of discussion among their elders chose to drop their charter with the Boy Scouts of America and the Middle Tennessee Council”, Boy Scout executive Larry Brown told DNJ.

A Boy Scout troop in Tennessee will have to find a new meeting place after a church says its ending its support over concerns about the organization’s “sexual purity”.

“North Boulevard Church of Christ has been an outstanding partner with Boy Scouts Middle Tennessee Council for over 50 years, producing hundreds of great citizens and community leaders, and we welcome them to come back and partner with the Middle Tennessee Council at any time”, Brown said.

“I think political correctness a lot of times leads us to saying nothing or being afraid to say anything and I decided that I need to take a stand and believe God’s word, take a stand on God’s word regardless of what people think and what the society says”, church member Joe Elliott told WKRN.

Brown said the church made that decision following a national Boy Scouts policy change. “They believe in scouting”.

Brown also told News 2 it’s still the policy of the partnering agencies, like churches and civil clubs, to make their own decision as to who they want for their Boy Scouts leadership.

“We don’t tell them how to worship”, Brown said. Our decision was a sad one and was made after two years of discussions with local, state and national scouting leaders.

Young went on to say the church is proud of their alumni scouts and the church’s long history with the Boy Scouts organization.

In July, the Boy Scouts of America voted to end the ban on openly LGBT people.

The Boy Scouts of America decided in May 2013 to end a longstanding policy of prohibiting openly gay youths from participating in its activities.

“The chartering organizations have always had the final say who their leaders will and will not be”, she said. “They had a lot of conversation amongst the elders of the church, and it was their decision to do that”.