History and Future of Chartering

July 17, 2019

In 1962, a new ministry was launched. The leadership of the Assemblies of God realized the need for a ministry that would reach, teach, and keep our young men. Johnnie Barnes, founder and first national director, was tasked with this mission. Through research, taking the best ideas from several programs, and divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Royal Rangers was created, and a critical need was met for developing and discipling the young men of our fellowship and community. However, a business model was needed to fund the new ministry.

Chartering became the model to help fund the development and operations of Royal Rangers. Each boy and leader who participated in Rangers was asked to pay a small annual fee to assist with these costs. This model allowed the expenses to spread equally and fairly to all who participated, making it very inexpensive and affordable for all. For fifty-six (56) years, this model has supported the creation and growth of Royal Rangers to over ninety-four (94) countries worldwide.

Today, chartering is still the model, and it’s only $11/boy and $13/leader. This allows Royal Rangers to offer curriculum at extremely discounted prices of $19 or $32/year per age group, to offset operational costs for salaries and administration, and to help underwrite each district’s Royal Rangers ministry and Camp Eagle Rock through rebates. There’s a lot that the $11 and $13 does.

The chartering concept is prevalent throughout our culture. Boys Scouts, school and community sports leagues, bowling leagues, Sam’s and Costco, and even charter and private schools use the annual fee concept to fund and operate their programs. While updates and changes to the program have brought an increase of churches using Rangers, both new and returning churches, the number of churches that charter their outposts continue to decline. Reasons for this vary. Some don’t charter to save money in their budgets; some don’t charter because they don’t understand the purpose of chartering. For whatever reason they have, the cumulative effect of this decline is impacting the national program.

As we move into the future, we are actively looking at the business model of chartering and considering if there is another way to fund Royal Rangers so that ministry is not hindered but can grow and continue impacting boys’ lives. Be watching as we continue to communicate what is happening. In the meantime, as you charter your outpost, know that you are helping to keep Royal Rangers strong and moving forward.