Royal Rangers is an activity-based, small-group church ministry for boys in grades K-12. It is a ministry of the General Council of the Assemblies of God, administered through the national Royal Rangers department, under the direction of the National Director. The Royal Rangers name, emblem, and all related group and component program names and logos, are registered or implied trademarks of the General Council through its publisher, Gospel Publishing House, within the United States and internationally, with all rights reserved. Use of these items in any way by any church or individual is restricted and subject to the following terms and conditions. Royal Rangers reserves the right to deny program use privileges and/or revoke the charter of any church or individual who fails to comply with these standards.
Eligibility Requirements
The Royal Rangers program is a church ministry conducted under the direction and leadership of an approved church. Churches must meet the eligibility requirements as stated on our chartering page to qualify to conduct a Royal Rangers program.
Terms of Use
The following represents standards to which the church & outpost must agree in order to conduct a Royal Rangers program.
- The church must affirm the divinity of Christ; that Jesus is God, and that he is the only way for mankind to restore relationship with God. Jesus is savior, healer, baptizer, and soon coming king.
- The church must be Pentecostal, Pentecostal-friendly, or aware and comfortable affiliating with a Pentecostal ministry. As a ministry of the Assemblies of God, Royal Rangers is decidedly Pentecostal. But as a matter of practice, Royal Rangers does not govern how autonomous local churches teach its curriculum. Provided the local church does not depart from salvation through Jesus Christ alone (see #1 above), the church is free to emphasize the doctrinal themes offered in the Royal Rangers curricula to the degree they wish. However, at organizational events, churches and individuals can expect a Pentecostal emphasis: the message that Jesus freely offers salvation for our soul, healing for our body and mind, empowerment with his Holy Spirit subsequent to salvation for a life of service, and hope of eternity with Him after His second coming. Any church choosing to associate with Royal Rangers accepts this and agrees to work cooperatively and harmoniously with the Assemblies of God and other like-minded fellowships who share a vision to mentor future men.
- The church and its leadership agree to support and model the national Royal Rangers leadership standard as defined by our qualifications for leaders.
- The church agrees to work in alignment with the policies and procedures of the Royal Rangers ministry and use copyright materials and trademarks according to our acceptable use policy.
- The church agrees to serve in harmony with other fellowships using Royal Rangers and endeavor in word and deed.
- The church agrees to purchase original/official ministry resources and materials from the national Royal Rangers office via its authorized outlets at My Healthy Church.
- Every church sponsoring Royal Rangers must implement our recommended process for screening and supervision of adult leaders who work with minors. The local church is responsible for selecting, training, and supervising all adult leaders who work with minors. (Recommendations can be found on the Leader Qualifications page and Chapter 27 of the Royal Rangers Leader Manual.)
- The church affirms that all its Royal Rangers leaders are current on their Ranger Safety online training, which is required to be updated every three years.Royal Rangers provides quality training for outpost leaders approved by their local church.
- All churches sponsoring Royal Rangers will encourage each leader to complete his or her Outpost Leader Advancement Levels training within 1-3 years of joining Royal Rangers leadership.
- Churches agree to renew their charter annually. A minimum of (2) adult leaders and (3) boys (ages 5-17) are required to charter a group. The primary adult leader must be at least 21 years of age.
The national Royal Rangers office reserves the right to modify these terms at any time and/or deny chartering privileges to any church that is determined not to be in compliance with these standards or the ideals of the program.
Minimum Program Requirements
The Royal Rangers program allows for a significant degree of flexibility, enabling churches to design their program to most effectively fit the objectives, image, culture and "brand" of their church. However, the Royal Rangers program likewise maintains a "brand image" that represents a comprehensive approach to mentoring boys into Christlike manhood. It is therefore essential that any church operating a Royal Rangers program provide a number of specified core program elements as central features of their program, regardless of the degree of customization made. This both protects the RR brand and promotes confidence among parents and boys when seeking out a Royal Rangers group in their area.
The following list represents the minimum features that must be present in a church’s boys program to be considered “Royal Rangers” and utilize the Royal Rangers name, logo, and any related group or program names or insignia. A diagram of the ways in which these principles are applied in the program can be found in the Royal Rangers Discipleship Model.
- Boy Membership - The program must be conducted exclusively as a boy's ministry. (Information on our partner program to girls can be found at National Girls Ministries)
- Male Leadership – The program must utilize men as the primary mentors of boys.
- Regular Meetings - Meetings must take place on a regular basis to build relationships and foster as sense of community. Meetings must include a combination of discipleship, skills development, and fun activities.
- Discipleship Process - Discipleship must be a regular component of each meeting through Bible studies and/or devotions.
- Skills Development – Boys must be given the opportunity to learn new skills and develop competencies and confidence that promotes success in life. This is a distinctive element of the Royal Rangers program that distinguishes it from many other boy’s programs or church ministries.
- Activities - A variety of activities must be provided on a regular basis to provide mentoring opportunities for men and boys of various interests, such as outdoors, sports, trade skills, technology, and arts.
Any church program that does not meet these minimum standards is asked to refrain from representing itself as a Royal Rangers program or using the Royal Rangers name or logos in any way.