Royal Ambassadors is a Bible-centered, church-based, Southern Baptist, mission education organization for boys in grades 1-6.

A Royal Ambassador is a boy in grades 1-6 committed to living out the RA Pledge. This pledge is part of personal and chapter (group of RAs) accountability.

The Name "Royal Ambassadors"
Where did we get the name "Royal Ambassadors"? 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 describes the purpose of Royal Ambassadors. While the RA motto is found in verse 20, the other verses sum up Paul's declaration of why we need to be ambassadors for Christ.

2 Corinthians 5
¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! ¹⁸All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

The RA Motto, "We are Ambassadors for Christ," not only gives the organization its name, but also gives the boys and leaders a lifestyle goal.

A note to Parents...

ARE YOU RAISING YOUR CHILD TO BE "ON MISSION"?

If we want children to become on-mission adults, we must guide them in that direction now. Proverbs 22:6 tells us to begin training children in right behavior and this training will be reflected in their adult lives.

Children can learn to be on mission with God. They can experience many of the same spiritual-growth processes as adults, but in age-appropriate ways

Becoming an on-mission child is an upward, inward, outward, and forward process, a continuing process that is limited only by the child's willingness to grow.

Have you ever picked up someone at the airport without knowing what the person looked like? The task was either simple or difficult, depending on the accuracy of the description you'd been given. How will children recognize Christ when presented with the gospel? One way is by the description you provide. Young children can't see God's face, so they look at yours. You say you love God, so they watch to see if God's love makes you different from others. Through a loving relationship with you, children begin to see and understand Christlike characteristics that will make it easier for them to someday recognize the Source of these characteristics.

A child's first excitement about serving may come from an excitement about pleasing you. A child's first effort at encouraging others to be on mission may occur because the child knows you are watching. But often during childhood, boys and girls make spiritual decisions that are no longer an emulation of others. At unique and appropriate times, they recognize the Christ they have watched you serve and the One they have practiced serving. Partially through the example and training you have provided, they are able to make personal commitments to Christ.

Children who have not yet become Christians can learn what is involved in moving forward. When a child makes a personal decision to follow Christ, this involvement will take on a new depth. However, that new and fulfilling commitment does not diminish the training and awareness that preceded it. The example and the training provided to the child who is not yet a Christian will make his or her Christian experience clearer and more rewarding.

ARE YOU AN ON MISSION FAMILY?

Being an on-mission family isn’t difficult. It’s a matter of seeing a need and meeting the need in whatever way the Holy Spirit leads you as a family, and sharing Christ's love in the process. Here are some suggestions for family mission projects:

· Collect warm socks for a ministry to homeless people.

· Collect canned food for a local or church food pantry.

· Write a missionary and thank him or her for serving.

· Record children’s stories on cassette for a blind child.

· Write a thank-you note to someone in the news who has taken a stand for what is morally right.

· Plan a visit and take a small plant to a homebound person.