The Royal Rangers Discipleship Model

October 30, 2019

For over 50 years, the Royal Rangers program has provided churches with an effective process for reaching boys and discipling them into Christlike manhood. During this time, many aspects of our churches have changed, and the Royal Rangers program has likewise adapted in order to provide churches with a boys’ ministry option that meets the changing needs and interests of their boys. Through all the adaptions and changes, the two aspects of the Royal Rangers program that have never changed is our mentoring mission and the ministry model we employ to achieve it.

According to the Royal Rangers Leader Manual, the mission of Royal Rangers is “to provide churches with a platform to EVANGELIZE boys for Christ, EQUIP them to become the next generation of Christlike men, and EMPOWER them for service as lifelong servant leaders.” Originally, this mission statement was to “reach, teach, and keep boys for Christ.” Whether the original wording or the new, the mission itself remains unchanged—to reach and evangelize boys, to teach and disciple them into Christlike manhood, and to keep them connected to Christ and the Church by empowering them to serve their fellow man in meaningful ways.

The Royal Rangers discipleship model is a table diagram that represents the relationships between our mission and the other aspects of the program and can be found in chapter 4 of the Royal Rangers Leader Manual or by downloading here. The diagram shows how our mission to evangelize, equip, and empower provides the structure upon which everything we do in Royal Rangers is built. Every meeting or activity we conduct, every award we present, and every merit or devotion we teach in some way moves us forward toward the fulfillment of that mission.

The diagram also provides information on the role leaders and boys play in pursuing that mission and how that mission relates to our seven methods and seven experiences. The seven methods represent the seven “tools” every leader uses when conducting the program to inspire boys to live the adventure we call Royal Rangers. The seven experiences represent the ways our boys receive and respond to those tools as they experience the adventure of the Christlike life.

It’s important to remember that the mission of Royal Rangers is just one part of the larger mission of the Church as described by Christ in the Great Commission and the Great Commandment and modeled by the Early Church in Acts 2. The Assemblies of God has developed The Acts 2 Journey ministry to help pastors and church leaders achieve church health by effectively applying these principles within the unique context of their church and community.

The Royal Rangers discipleship model provides every Royal Rangers leader with a road map for mentoring boys into Christlike manhood. Refer to it often when planning your meetings and activities to ensure your program provides every boy with an effective process for growing into Christlike manhood that fulfills our ultimate mission to love God, love people, and make disciples of all the nations.