Thank God for Church Camps!
Church camps are, in my opinion, one of the treasures of the church, a treasure that is simultaneously highly valued and grossly undervalued. It’s valued by those thousands of persons who had their faith nurtured at camp, had their leadership skills strengthened at camp, and had their identity stretched and enriched at camp.
At the same time, I don’t think outdoor ministries receive nearly the support they deserve from congregations or adjudicatories (synods, presbyteries, conferences, etc.) that they deserve. I understand, of course, that there are numerous demands on the dwindling resources of church bodies, but I’d argue that we underfund camps at our peril.
Why? Not only because of the positive impact church camps have on those who attend them, but also because I think that camps offer a model of more effective and faithful congregational ministry in today’s world. The counselors and camp pastors, you see, not only have as their goal to help campers – whether kids, young adults, or adults at family camp – grow in their faith, but they’ve also figured out that in order to help people grow in their faith, they – the counselors and pastors – often have to get out of the way. That is, one of the huge reasons camp is so formative is that participants are invited to pray out loud and for each other, not just to listen to someone else pray. Campers of all ages are invited to retell the biblical story through songs, stories, skits, and more, not simply listen as someone else teaches about the story. Campers share their gifts in worship leadership rather than just watch as someone else “does it right,” which means each and every service both follows a recognizable pattern yet also is distinctly and wonderfully different because of the contributed gifts of those in attendance.
Camp staff, in short, know that faith is caught, not taught, and that you learn best by doing. Which is why I think they provide an interesting model for those who are interested in nurturing a different kind of faith community in and through our congregations. Because if we want to create congregations where the people in attendance aren’t simply gratefully receiving the performance of the pastor but instead are learning the key skills of living as a Christian themselves, then we have a lot to learn from our church camps.
So on this Tuesday, two days after spending some time this weekend with the great folks at Camp Calumet, an ELCA camp in Freedom, New Hampshire, I want to give thanks to God publically and loudly for the fantastic, formative ministry of church camps and pray that we’re both supporting them as we can and paying attention to what they’re doing.
Note: if you want to learn more about the outdoor ministry of the ELCA (the one I’m most familiar with), you can do so by clicking this link.
Thanks David for this post. Outdoor Ministries along with the rest of the church is figuring out how to live into the future. I think a fully experiential, engaging community of faith is our call. I have thought for some time that camps have an important for the church. Thanks for your words about a ministry I am passionate about. If we in Lutheran Outdoor Ministries (www.lomnetwork.org) can be of any assistance to you please let us know. Great that you think so fondly of Calumet! God’s peace!
I agree 100% with this, particularly as I witnessed these things as a camp chaplain at Camp Mount Luther in Mifflinburg, Pa, last week. One thing that CML and their board is striving for, which I think is a faithful witness to the gospel and the camp’s ability to share it, is that they aim to be a self-sustaining ministry. I believe this is in part due to the wider church’s decreasing “capability,” or perhaps priority choice, that the camp could no longer sustain itself. They have begun some very successful annual fundraisers, which have the added benefit of bringing the wider church together for a variety of events. Some of these events are: Bishop’s Open golf tournament, participating in the local Raise the Region, 5Ks, selling whoopie pies at one town’s annual street festival, special free-will-offering dinners at the camp, and more. These are also excellent ways to be a public face, not only going through churches for promotion. They continue to shine the gospel light beautifully!
Last Sunday, I helped to deliver 6 children who are refugees from Nepal to Camp Nawakwa, a Lutheran camp near Gettysburg, PA. These children who are not Christian, along with their family members and friends, actively participate in worship in our (formerly?) mostly Anglo, older congregation. They are catching the faith, and it’s a joy to hear their voices praising the triune God they are coming to know, and Who already knows them. As one who literally grew up and grew in faith in a Lutheran camp that no longer exists, I am excited about the opportunity they are having to live an entire week, 6-24 hour days, in Christian community. Except for living in a Christian family day after day, where else can anyone spend a continuous week or more living in Christian community! Thanks David.
Fabulous blog post!! I love “faith is caught, not taught”. Thank you for everything you all do!
Church camp (mainly Camp Calumet) was very influential in my spiritual development as well as a part of my discernment for ordained ministry. I feel fortunate that my son was able to attend two different church camps this summer and has been going to camp every summer since he was six years old. Thank you for your support.
David, When I was a campus pastor (26 years) and was making a presentation on campus ministry at a synod assembly. I used to ask all the rostered leaders to raise their hand and keep it up. Then I’d ask all those who sensed their call to rostered ministry at camps to keep their hand up, and 60% or so would still have their hand up. Finally, I’d ask, “If you sensed your call to rostered leadership at camp or a campus ministry, keep your hand raised,” and still 50% or so would still have their hand raised!