BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The pastors of First Baptist Church of Pelham and First Baptist Church of Helena said that their churches will no longer host Boy Scout troops in response to a decision by the national Boy Scouts of America to officially welcome openly gay scouts.

The Rev. Mike Shaw, pastor of First Baptist Church of Pelham and former president of the state's largest denomination, the Alabama Baptist Convention, that the church will no longer be able to sponsor Troop 404 as of Jan. 1 when the new policy takes effect.

"We don’t hate anybody," Shaw said. "We’re not doing it out of hatred. The teachings of the scripture are very clear on this. We’re doing it because it violates the clear teaching of scripture."

He's hoping that Boy Scouts on the verge of earning their Eagle Scout badges can do so by the end of the year.

Shaw said the church will find a way to continue sponsoring youth programs that teach youth moral character.

"We’ve talked about it," he said. "We’re looking for options. We want to have a positive avenue for boys and girls. We’re trying to get our boys that are close to Eagles to go ahead and finish their badges."

Shaw said he was surprised by the Boy Scouts of America policy change, since it won a U.S. Supreme Court decision a decade ago to turn away openly gay scouts because it violated their charter. Now they've voted to change the charter.

"We expressed our concern and told them if that happened, we’d have to do this," Shaw said. "They did what they had to do, and so we'll do what we have to do. We don’t wish the Boy Scouts any harm."

The scouting program at First Baptist of Pelham started without a vote years ago, and it will end without a vote, Shaw said.

"We don’t vote on whether something violates scripture," he said.

The Rev. Greg Walker, pastor of First Baptist of Helena, which hosts Troop 2, said the scouts would be allowed time to find another meeting place.

"Christ will save every gay person that comes to Him in repentance and faith, the same as any hetrosexual person," Walker wrote to AL.com in an email. "The Boy Scout Leadership has handed down a decision that none of the children in Helena or elsewhere associate with why they are Boy Scouts. This is a decision that was made by adults that may or may not reflect the opinions of any Boy Scout in the troop that we host. I hold the Helena Boy Scout troop with no fault whatsoever."

The Rev. Harry Reeder III, pastor of Briarwood Presbyterian Church, said elders at his church would have to make the decision, but he expects that the church, which sponsors Troop 254, will decide to no longer host Boy Scouts. He said he expects most evangelical churches that host troops to reconsider in light of the decision.

A Trussville attorney who earned his Eagle Scout badge in the 1960s at Huffman United Methodist Church said he's returning his badge in protest of the decision to allow openly gay scouts.

AL.com staff writer Jeremy Gray contributed to this report.