Boys' Brigade in NI to vote on split from UK and Ireland

The Boys' Brigade in Northern Ireland will meet on Monday to decide whether to split from the organisation in the rest of the UK and Ireland.

Leaders will vote on a motion to become a "separate autonomous body" at the annual general meeting in Lisburn.

The move is due to differences over finance, governance and some "cultural differences" on faith matters.

The Boys' Brigade (BB) is one of Northern Ireland's largest youth organisations.

It has more than 11,000 boys and about 2,500 leaders in about 260 churches across Northern Ireland.

In a joint statement when BBC News NI revealed the potential split in August, the Boys' Brigade in UK and the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland said they remained "united" in "Christian mission".

However, delegates to the annual general meeting will be asked to approve two resolutions which will lead to the BB in Northern Ireland becoming separate from the BB in the UK and Ireland.

According to the agenda, BB leaders will be asked to approve the formation of a new organisation called BBNI.

The objectives of the organisation in Northern Ireland "would be better served and more effectively achieved through a new company incorporated in Northern Ireland and registered as a charity in Northern Ireland", the agenda said.

In a second resolution, BB leaders will be asked to approve the split from the organisation in the UK and Ireland.

They will vote on a move to "take such steps necessary to establish a new relationship with BB UK & RoI, in which the Boys' Brigade in Northern Ireland will be a separate autonomous body".

If the resolution is approved on Monday, negotiations will then begin with the BB in the UK and Ireland on the terms of separation with a final vote on that due to take place in 2023.

Many BB companies in Northern Ireland are connected to Presbyterian churches, though a significant number are part of churches in other Protestant denominations.

The first Northern Irish company was founded in 1888 in Donegall Pass in Belfast and there are now about 80 companies in the city.

In a policy document ahead of the annual general meeting - which was postponed from 12 September after the death of the Queen - the BB in Northern Ireland outlined a number of reasons why it wanted to separate.

In that document, there is apparent criticism of the way the Christian "mission" of the organisation is being fulfilled elsewhere in the UK and Ireland.

"The environment in Great Britain is culturally different to that in NI, especially regarding the relationship with the Church," it said.

"The Boys' Brigade in Northern Ireland does not hold doctrinal positions but respects those held by every denomination with which we partner.

"If BB UK and RoI does not respect those positions, the very existence of the Boys' Brigade in Northern Ireland is at risk."

However, the document does not give details of which "doctrinal positions" are the subject of dispute.

The policy document also raised concerns over the governance of the organisation and said the brigade in Northern Ireland sent substantially more money in fees to the organisation in the UK than it received back in return.

The Boys' Brigade, which was founded in Glasgow in 1883, now has about 750,000 members in countries across the world.