I’m amazed…
Amazed I’m in the family of God, redeemed, forgiven, justified…
Amazed I get to spend time bragging on Jesus to teens…over four years of my life have been spent speaking at youth camps over the last four decades…
Camp is an amazing thing. Monday I’ll begin the first of 7 weeks of camp preaching for 2019 (5 teen, two family).
The crucial ingredient of an effective Christian camp is good, committed counselors. The best speaker with apathetic counselors makes for a horrendous camp; an okay speaker with great counselors will work well.
Good food, good discipline, and good acoustics are key ingredients. If a worship band is used…they should be quality and interested in facilitating worship; not putting on a show.
Notice I’ve not listed “programming” yet?
Doesn’t matter what programming you have…if you don’t have a good (meaning Bible-based) speaker, good counselors, and the other things listed it doesn’t matter what kind of programming you have…
I also think camp can be a dangerous thing; if everyone is pushing for “decisions” rather than asking the Spirit of God to work in His way and His timing. I am not against altar calls; I am against “easy” altar calls. Why?
I read the Bible. And I notice that Jesus always made it easier to say “no” than “yes.”
Again…I am not diametrically opposed to “invitations,” as long as the invitee is the Spirit and not someone doing “business as usual”.
I also am leery of the “heads bowed, eyes closed” approach. I “get” it…I just can’t imagine Paul, or Peter…or Jesus…doing such a thing.
I want and I believe the Lord wants young (and old) people to stand out and stand up for Jesus and the Gospel…so why “start” them in secret??? “No one is looking around, just raise your hand if…” Please understand – I am not hammering the motives of anyone who gives invitations like this; I just question the methodology.
All too often, especially in camp situations, students are exhausted, emotionally drained, and a well-meaning but careless speaker can provoke “decisions” born of peer pressure, tiredness, and emotion rather than birthed by conviction and drawing of the Spirit of God.
So I ask prayer that I’d be bold in preaching, clear in communication, discerning in one-on-one counsel…and that the Wind of the Spirit would be pleased to change us.
Do you agree, disagree, or not understand my observations of camp ministry? I ask you to make the time to “comment” so we can, together, learn from each other.