ST. LOUIS, Mo. –– The F.B.I. (Faith-Based Initiative) of the Program of Religious Activities with Youth (PRAY) reports that Scout units that are chartered by churches and other faith-based organizations last longer and participants advance further in the ranks.

The F.B.I. also reports that 70 percent of the troops and packs meeting in churches have only one member whose family belongs to the church. “The opportunity for sizeable growth is real,” says the F.B.I.

The F.B.I. found that 21.27 percent of units meeting in faith-based institutions were dropped while 30.26 percent of units meeting in other facilities were dropped, and 87.9 percent of Boy Scouts in churches and other religious institutions advanced in the ranks, compared to only 66.6 percent chartered by secular organizations.