The United Methodist Church has long been a key sponsor of Boy Scout troops, and a settlement negotiated by church leaders commits the denomination to compensating and in other ways supporting victims of Scouting-related sexual abuse.
A United Methodist legal team is still negotiating but says the current Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy plan doesn’t adequately protect churches that sponsored Scouting troops and could be liable in sex-abuse claims.
The United Methodist Church continues to be part of negotiations in the Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy, but another religious group has agreed to pay $250 million to a fund for victims of Scouting-related sex abuse.
Boy Scouts of America’s legal struggle, triggered by Scouting-related sex-abuse allegations, has implications for United Methodist local churches and entire denomination.