Royal Rangers: Reaching, Teaching and Keeping Boys for Christ

I first became involved in my church's Royal Rangers ministry in May 2005. I was newly married, and my stepson Nathan asked me if I would be interested in helping with the Rangers program. I spoke with the senior commander at our church's outpost, and he placed me with Nathan's Discovery Rangers group assisting their commander.

Royal Rangers is an Assemblies of God ministry to boys of all ages. The program is aimed at helping the boys develop physically, mentally, spiritually and socially. Royal Rangers bears many similarities to the Boy Scouts of America from the khaki uniforms to the earning of merit badges, to activities like pinewood derbies and campouts. The main difference between the two is that while the Boy Scouts does have roots in Judaeo-Christian values, Royal Rangers is an actual church-based ministry.

Royal Rangers was developed by the Reverend John Henry "Johnnie" Barnes, a youth pastor from Texas. Barnes moved to Springfield, Missouri in early 1962 to help plan a new boys' ministry program. The name "Royal Rangers" was suggested by the Reverend Charles Scott. Johnnie Barnes then became the first Royal Rangers National Commander.

The growth of the Royal Rangers ministry has seen the program expand from the Assemblies of God to other denominations. It has also become a worldwide ministry, reaching out to boys in over sixty-five countries. The largest Royal Rangers group outside the United States is in Australia. The first Australian Royal Rangers outposts were formed in 1966, and now there are groups in all areas in except the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Royal Rangers are grouped at one outpost per church. Within each outpost, the boys are divided into four age groups: Ranger Kids (Kindergarten-second grade); Discovery Rangers (Third-fifth grade); Adventure Rangers (Sixth-eighth grade) and Expedition Rangers (Ninth-twelfth grade). Placing the boys in these groups allows them to advance with their peers at an appropriate pace.

Ranger Kids utilizes an advancement system that challenges the boys and allows them to have fun, encouraging through indoor and outdoor activities and games. The lessons and objectives presented each week help the commanders to reinforce godly principles that the boys can apply to their lives daily. They will have opportunities each week to earn advancement awards that can be placed on an awards vest, which the boys can wear as part of their uniform.

Upon advancing into Discovery Rangers, the boys enter a merit-based curriculum, allowing them to learn at their own pace. The program for this age group features an exciting premier advancement system in which the boys learn through both camping and non-camping activities.

The activities and merits become more challenging as the boys move to the next level in Adventure Rangers. These young men will now participate in outdoor activities placing emphasis on skill development, advanced camping, Junior Leadership Training and FCF (Frontier Camping Fellowship) as well as Bronze, Silver and Gold medals with national recognition.

As the boys enter high school, they move up to Expedition Rangers. Boys in this age group begin to become more self-reliant while increasing their confidence and their appreciation of God through activities including advanced camping, honing camping skills and opportunities for ministry. The boys can also participate in many advancement programs, which include Air Rangers, Sea Rangers, Trail Rangers, Junior Chaplaincy, High Action Rangers and Junior Leadership Academy, among others.

The Royal Rangers logo is a stylized compass rose containing four red points, four gold points and eight blue points. The red points represent the Four Cardinal Doctrines of the Assembly of God church: Salvation; Baptism of the Holy Spirit; Divine Healing; and the Rapture of the Church. The gold points represent the four ways in which a person grows as described by Jesus in Luke 2:52: mentally, physically, spiritually and socially. The blue points represent the eight points of the Ranger Code, which states that a Royal Ranger is alert, clean, honest, courageous, loyal, courteous, obedient and spiritual.

Like the Boys Scouts, the Royal Rangers have a motto: "Ready!" The meaning here is "ready for anything:" ready to work, play, serve, worship, live and obey God's Word. There is also a Royal Ranger pledge: With God's help, I will do my best to serve God, my church, and my fellowman; to live by the Ranger Code; to make the Golden Rule my daily rule. The pledge is regarded as the basis for the Royal Ranger ministry, as it directs a boy to show the love of God in everything he does on a daily basis.

The central ministry of Royal Rangers is reaching, teaching and keeping boys for Christ, but that is often only the beginning. As the boys continue to participate in Royal Rangers, many of them will bring their fathers and get them involved, helping out at the meetings and going along on campouts. This presents opportunities for the leaders, and the outpost as a whole, to provide a witness to these boys' fathers. From there, it can open up opportunities to minister to a boy's entire family.

I have had an amazing experience with Royal Rangers over the last three years as I have been involved with the outpost at our church. My stepson has advanced to Adventure Rangers, but I still enjoy working with my Discovery Rangers group, helping them earn their merits and getting them involved in Bible study. When my work schedule allows or I'm able to take the time off, I go along on some of the campouts with our outpost. My son Noah is only six months old now, but I look forward to seeing him get involved in Royal Rangers in about five years from now.

Royal Rangers is a worthwhile ministry, reaching out to boys around the world. It has been a rewarding experience for me. I have really enjoyed working with these boys and with the other leaders in our outpost. I look forward to continuing to work with Royal Rangers for many years to come.