History

History of Scouting in the Lutheran Church

The National Lutheran Association on Scouting (NLAS) has a long and rich history of promoting scouting for Lutheran youth.

Timeline

1900s: Early Beginnings

  • Troop 2: One of the 15 oldest BSA troops in the U.S., chartered to St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in College Point, NY.

1943: Key Foundations

  • Lutheran Committee of Scouting established by representatives of 8 U.S. Lutheran church bodies.
  • Produced the manual: “Scouting in the Lutheran Church.”
  • Created the Pro Deo et Patria recognition, the first Lutheran religious emblem for youth.

1978: National Forum

  • Lutheran Scouter Associations (LSAs) convened in Chicago to discuss forming a national support organization.

1980: National Lutheran Association of Scouters (NLAS)

  • NLAS established with Ronald L. Adolphi, PhD as president.
  • DNYAR and NLAS collaborated on the Lutheran Living Faith recognition, which later became the God and Life religious emblem (for high schoolers).

Late 1980s: Changes & Mergers

  • DNYAR phased out due to the merger of three of the four member bodies into Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
  • Lutheran Committee on Civic Youth Agency Relationships (LCCYAR) formed to liaise with BSA.

1994: Membership Shift

  • NLAS transitioned to an individual membership organization, rather than being a collection of local LSAs.

2005: Merged Organization

  • LCCYAR and NLAS merged, forming the National Lutheran Association on Scouting (NLAS).
  • Today, NLAS works with organizations such as BSA, Girl Scouts of the USA, American Heritage Girls, Campfire, and 4-H.

NLAS History

Scouting has a long history in the Lutheran church.  According to the BSA National Office, one of the 15 oldest troops in the United States is Troop 2, chartered to St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, College Point, NY.

Scouting began to flourish in Lutheran congregations in 1943, when representatives of eight (8) US Lutheran church bodies organized the Lutheran Committee of Scouting and produced a manual entitled “Scouting in the Lutheran Church”.  The Lutheran Committee of Scouting established one of the first religious emblems for Lutheran youth, the Pro Deo et Patria recognition (1943).

Over the years, the work of facilitating relationships between participating Lutheran church bodies and Scouting was conducted by joint committees of various names, representing the youth ministry of the participating Lutheran churches.  In November 1966, this responsibility passed to the Department of National Youth Agency Relationships (DNYAR) of the Lutheran Council in the USA (supported by the American Lutheran Church, the Lutheran Church in America, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and later, the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches).

A forum of Lutheran Scouter Associations (LSAs) met in Chicago in 1978 to consider establishing an association to serve as a support arm of the DNYAR. This resulted in formation of the National Lutheran Association of Scouters in 1980, with Ronald L. Adolphi, PhD as president.  The DNYAR and NLAS worked cooperatively to develop and implement the Lutheran Living Faith recognition, which has now been replaced by the high school level God and Life religious emblem (developed and approved by the participating Lutheran churches and administered by P.R.A.Y.).

DNYAR phased out in the late 1980s due to the merger of three-of-the-four member-bodies in the formation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Official liaison with BSA continued through the Lutheran Committee on Civic Youth Agency Relationships (LCCYAR), jointly responsible to the youth ministry departments of ELCA and LCMS. NLAS became an individual membership organization (rather than an association of local LSAs) in 1994. In 2005, LCCYAR and NLAS merged to form the National Lutheran Association on Scouting.  Today, the NLAS Board includes members from both ELCA and LCMS and relates to civic youth serving agencies including BSA, the Girl Scouts of the USA, American Heritage Girls, Campfire, and 4-H.

Source: “Historical Outline of Scouting in Lutheran Congregations”, edited by Ronald L. Adolphi, Ph.D. (08-04-2012)

Lutheran Worship History

The Lutheran Worship for the Third National Scout Jamboree 19 July 1953