The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been one of the largest sponsors of the Boy Scouts of America for decades but is making its split official January 1.
The Utah-based faith will deal another blow to the struggling organization when it pulls out more than 400,000 young people and moves them into a new global program of its own.
It will mark the first time since the World War II era that Boy Scout youth membership will fall below 2 million.
Observers say the split may push the Boy Scouts closer to the brink of bankruptcy as it faces a new wave of sex abuse lawsuits.
