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Assembly of God youth organizations

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Royal Rangers is a worldwide ministry of the Assemblies of God designed to provide young people with exciting activities while teaching them a deep-rooted belief in God and his son Jesus Christ in accordance with the beliefs of the founders' religious denomination. A camping theme is at the heart of most activities, along with a merit award system whereby Royal Rangers must demonstrate specific knowledge and abilities. Since 1962, this program, developed originally by North Texas Youth Director Rev. Johnnie Barnes, has since spread from the Assemblies of God to many other denominations and from the United States itself to over 65 countries. Most of the sponsoring churches sponsor Royal Rangers as an alternative to more secular youth movements such as Scouting.

Age Groups

In the United States, the boys in Royal Rangers are divided into the following groups

  • Ranger Kids (Kindergarten-2nd Grade)
  • Discovery Rangers (3rd Grade-5th Grade)
  • Adventure Rangers (6th Grade-8th Grade)
  • Expedition Rangers (9th Grade-12th Grade)

In Australia, the age groups are roughly analogous, but with different names:

  • Wallabies (Prep - 1st Grade)
  • Stockhands (2nd Grade-3rd Grade)
  • Pioneers (4th-6th Grade)
  • Trailblazers (7th Grade-10th Grade)
  • Trailblazers (11th Grade-12th Grade)

The Royal Ranger Emblem

File:Emblem.jpeg
The Royal Ranger Emblem. As worn by every royal ranger in the world.

The Royal Rangers Emblem is a stylized compass rose containing points in three different colours: Red, Blue, and Gold. Each colour has a different meaning

The Points of the Royal Rangers Emblem

  • The Four Red Points represent the Four Main Teachings of the Church, which are:
    • Salvation
    • Baptism of the Holy Spirit
    • Divine Healing
    • Blessed Hope or the Rapture of the Church.
  • The Four Gold Points represent the four ways a child grows, as Jesus grew up as described in Luke 2:52 (And Jesus matured, growing up in both body and spirit, blessed by both God and people., The Message Translation)
    • Mentally
    • Physically
    • Spiritually
    • Socially
  • The Eight Blue Points represent the eight points of the Royal Ranger Code
    • Alert
      • "A Ranger is mentally, physically, and spiritually alert."
    • Clean
      • "A Ranger is clean in body, mind, and speech."
    • Honest
      • "A Ranger does not lie, cheat, or steal."
    • Courageous
      • "A Ranger is brave in spite of danger, criticism, or threats."
    • Loyal
      • "A Ranger is faithful to his/her church, family, outpost, and friends."
    • Courteous
      • "A Ranger is polite, kind, and thoughtful."
    • Obedient
      • "A Ranger obeys his/her parents, leaders, and those in authority."
    • Spiritual
      • "A Ranger prays, reads the Bible, and witnesses."

Royal Rangers Pledge and Motto

Royal Rangers have their own pledge for the Royal Rangers flag, which is the Royal Rangers emblem centred on a white field.

With God’s help, I will do my best to: serve God, my Church, and my fellow man; to live by the Ranger Code, and to make the Golden Rule my daily rule.

Royal Rangers also have a motto, which is:

Ready!

The meaning of the motto is:

Ready for anything! Ready to work, play, serve, worship, live and obey God's Word!

The Royal Ranger Uniform

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Royal Ranger Commanders (Leaders) in Class B uniform
File:PIC00020.JPG
Royal Ranger in Class A uniform

Like the Boy Scouts, Royal Rangers have their own distinctive uniform. Other nations have variations of the uniform, but in the United States, the Royal Ranger uniform consists of a khaki shirt and khaki slacks with black or brown shoes. The Class "A" Uniform is used for formal functions and is worn with a tie in the colour of the age group (Leaders wear Navy Blue) as well as drape medals. The Class "B" Uniform is worn for other functions and is worn with a bolo tie. Each age group has a specific color bolo tie to wear; However, many choose to wear one that they have custom made. Rather than drape medals, ribbons(called merits) are worn on the Class "B" uniform. On the shirt is the following items

  • Left Sleeve (Top to Bottom)
    • Staff Patch or Designation (If applicable)
    • District Name Strip
    • Outpost Number


  • Left Shirt Pocket (Top to Bottom)
    • Frontiersmen Camping Fellowship Membership Pin (If applicable)
    • Group Name Strip (Age Group for boys, generic "Royal Rangers" name strip for leaders)
    • Name Tag (For leaders only, though if a boy has won Ranger of the year his Ranger of the year Name Tag goes here)
    • Event Patch


  • Right Shirt Pocket (Top to Bottom)
    • Bronze/Silver/Gold Wings (For those involved in aviation)
    • Leaders' Award Ribbons (Class B Uniform only)
    • Merit Ribbons (Boys wear ribbons for merits they earn, leaders wear ribbons for merits they teach)
    • Medals (Medals are only worn on their Class A uniforms.)
    • Training patch


  • Right Sleeve (Top to Bottom)
    • Royal Ranger Emblem patch
    • American Flag (For most nations, the national flag is not displayed on the uniform)


  • Shirt Collar
    • Title or Leadership Insignia (ex: Jr. Leader bars or Sr. Commander bars)


Different types of headgear are worn on the uniform, depending on the level of training of the boy/leader. For the Class A uniform, a beret is worn with the default beret being a royal blue beret with the Royal Rangers emblem on it. Other berets can be worn based on the training event attended, such as the navy blue beret worn by leaders for attending the National Training Camp (NTC) or the silver beret of the Elite Academy for boys. Individual Districts who have independent merit camps/academies usually issue berets for their own camps. A few of these, because of their longevity have been given official status by the national office, such as the black Pathfinder beret issued to boys completing the Pathfinder Advanced Search and Resuce School in Louisiana.

Class "B" uniforms can also include the beret, but a Royal Rangers ball cap can be worn, or for leaders competing Phase I of the National Academy can wear the black campaign hat with different coloured cords signifying the level completed.

Class "C" uniforms are worn in more relaxed settings, such as field day events or campouts. A Class "C" uniform consists of blue jeans or slacks and a Royal Ranger T-shirt. Additionally, an awards vest can be worn on the Class "B" or "C" uniform. The following items can be placed on the awards vest:

  • Left Front (Top to Bottom)
    • For Discovery or Adventure Rangers:
      • Group Emblem
      • Frontiersmen Camping Fellowship Membership Pin (If applicable)
      • Ranger of the Year Name Tag
      • Class A Medals (maximum of 6)
      • Advancement Patches (maximum of 2 rows)
    • For Expedition Rangers:
      • Group Emblem
      • Frontiersmen Camping Fellowship Membership Pin (If applicable)
      • Ranger of the Year Name Tag
      • Achievement Medal Level Insignia
      • Class A Medals (maximum of 9)


  • Right Front (Top to Bottom)
    • For Discovery or Adventure Rangers:
      • Royal Rangers Emblem
      • Title or Leadership Insignia (ex: Jr. Leader bars or Sr. Commander bars)
      • Training Patches (maximum of 2 rows)
      • Advancement Patches (maximum of 3 rows)
    • For Expedition Rangers:
      • Royal Rangers Emblem
      • Title or Leadership Insignia (ex: Jr. Leader bars or Sr. Commander bars)
      • Training Patches (maximum of 2 rows)
      • Spirit Challenge Patches (maximum of 2 rows)


  • Back of Vest (Top to Bottom)
    • Merit Patches (centered at top of vest)
    • Activity Patches (centered at bottom of vest)
    • Trail patches for 25, 50, or 100 mile hikes (centered above activity patches)

Ranger of the Year

Ranger of the Year is a competition held annually in which each Ranger is tested on his knowledge and skills. Your ability to qualify is based on the number of points you have earned from completing things such as merits or medals, attending camps, or wearing your uniform. This competition is held in every level (Outpost, Division, District, and Region) and at the lower three levels, every person who gets more than 85% of their testing right gets a medal. At the Regional level, the person who gets the highest score becomes the National Royal Ranger of the Year for that Region.

Royal Rangers Worldwide

Royal Rangers ministers to young people in the United States and in over 65 countries. The largest organisation outside the United States is in Australia, with groups in all of the states, except that there is no presence either in the Northern Territory or in Western Australia. The other countries that have a Royal Rangers program are:

The Americas (22 countries)

Europe (24 countries)

Eurasia (4 countries)

Africa (4 countries)

Asia/Pacific (13 countries)

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