Who we are, and why it matters.
Troop 9871 is a chartered Trail Life USA troop and a ministry of The North Church in Mounds View, Minnesota — raising boys into godly men through the outdoors.
More than ever, boys need a uniquely masculine program where their assertive, audacious, and adventurous nature is celebrated, not sequestered.
Let boys be boys
Too many boys are turning to virtual worlds of television, video games, and the internet to find realms they can conquer. The result is often apathy, rebellion, or resistance to real-world challenge.
Trail Life USA is an environment where boys thrive. Adults are equipped to lead a structured outdoor program where boys are engaged in real-world challenge — camping, hiking, fishing, riflery, archery, and canoeing — and learn character and leadership in a practical, hands-on, naturally engaging way.
In the outdoors, the experience of adults is never obsolete. Boys find mentors. Fathers and sons connect. Important relationships are fostered. And boys find the opportunity to achieve significant accomplishment.
Christ-centered, boy-focused
We are a church-based, Christ-centered, boy-focused mentoring and discipleship journey that speaks to the heart of a boy. Established on timeless values derived from the Bible and set in the context of outdoor adventure, boys from kindergarten through 12th grade are challenged to grow in character, understand their purpose, serve their community, and develop practical leadership.
"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men."
Colossians 3:23What we stand for
Worship
We point boys to Christ in everything — the trail is a place to know God.
Service
Strength is for serving. Boys learn to give themselves away for others.
Stewardship
Care for creation, for gear, for one another, and for the generations to come.
"On my honor, I will do my best to serve God and my country, to respect authority, to be a good steward of creation, and to treat others as I want to be treated."