Outdoor Ministries: Present Challenges and Future Outlook

Christian camps across the country are facing tremendous challenges. I continue talking with camps that face serious financial problems, have cut back staff to save money, and are even selling property or considering closing altogether. For the majority of camps that I talk with (most of them Lutheran), summer camper numbers have been in steady decline for the past 5-10 years. While some challenges are uniquely Lutheran, the general decline in summer camp attendance among Christian camps seems to be ubiquitous. The traditional ways of dealing with a decline in numbers are no longer functioning because of tremendous cultural shifts that are changing the role of outdoor ministries in the Church. Consequently, an innovative new program is not enough to curb the decline. Sending the director out to preach at all the area churches is not going to “fix” the problem. These and other strategies may help to slow the decline, but now is the time for a radical reimagining rather than traditional strategies. Here’s why:

Financial Collapse:

The financial collapse of 2008-2009 came at an incredibly inopportune time. Through the ’90s and early ‘00s, camps were steadily increasing in camper numbers and capacity. Full-time executive directors began hiring full-time program directors, and camps recognized the importance of offering year-round ministries. Many mainline camps saw their summer camp numbers peak somewhere around 2000-2002. Building projects, land acquisitions, and staffing expansions during those boom years resulted in debt loads that became unsustainable through an economic collapse. While camps across the country saw dramatic decline in numbers during the economic downturn, most saw a rebound in 2010-2011. Many mainline camps have not seen the same rebound.

Religious Decline:

Mainline Protestant denominations have been in steady decline for the last two decades. My own denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) exhibited a slow decline through the ‘90s and then the loss increased through the ‘00s, culminating in a mass-exodus in 2009-2010, following a change in church policy. The ELCA has lost more than 20% of its baptized membership in the past 10 years. Other denominations are suffering similar declines. The Pew Research General Social Surveys marked a milestone in 2012 as those classified as “Protestant” in the USA fell below 50% for the first time in history. Unfortunately, dramatic declines in mainline denominations have hampered the camper number recovery seen in non-Christian camps around the country during the economic recovery. Evangelical Protestants, who have long derided the mainline’s decline as divine judgment, are now also declining steadily. Their conservative stances may have helped them pick up some disaffected mainliners and slowed the inevitable, but their numbers are now shrinking rapidly. Rather than switching denominations, many people (predominantly younger people) are leaving the church altogether. The so-called “nones” (those professing no religious affiliation) now represent 1 in 5 Americans.

From Congregational Outpost to Hub of Evangelism

With less Christians in the churches, camps that are so dependent on congregational ministry will decline along with their denominations. For years, mainline camps have been “support sites”  or “outposts” for congregations. In fact, this is how many of them were founded, and they continue to operate with “member” congregations and expectations that the camp is there to support the ministry of specific churches. Putting camp announcements in church bulletins and singing camp songs at Sunday school worked great when there were people in the pews. As Outdoor Ministry has evolved, camps have expanded their ministries and now face critical decisions of whether to remain primarily “outposts” for declining congregations (which can only lead to financial ruin) or re-envision their role in the Church, which has the potential to alienate some of their strongest congregational supporters (leading to financial ruin). Evangelical camps that are not as dependent on congregations will fare much better and are in a position to serve as hubs of evangelism (especially to the “nones”), leading young people and adults from camp into lives of discipleship that include participation in worship communities. Tragically, the close ties of mainline camps to their denominations, which for so many years have been mutually beneficial, may lead to the closure of some of the most exemplary outdoor ministry sites in the country.

Changing Demographics:

While camps are providing more and more programming for adults and families, the primary constituency is still children. According to US census data, the child population grew 3% from 2000-2010. Initially, this sounds encouraging. However, this growth is down from 13% in the ‘90s, and growth in child population is exclusively in minority populations. In fact, the number of non-Hispanic white children decreased 10% in 2000-2010. This is where camp needs to face up to a difficult and tragic reality: camp is largely a middle class, white phenomenon. Data from the National Study of Youth and Religion (1) reveal that white children are almost twice as likely to attend a religious camp than non-white children. Middle class kids are 1.7 times more likely to attend than low income kids and 1.2 times more likely than higher income kids. After the economic collapse, the wealth gap has increased dramatically. With less middle class children and less white children, Christian camping as we know it will continue to decline. As much as camps pride themselves on diversity, we need to do much better!
Crisis of Identity:

With so many changes in the economy, national religious climate, demographics, and parent denominations, many camps are struggling to survive under a model that no longer exists. Amidst all of the changes, there are tremendous opportunities. The number of non-profits has exploded (up 25% from 2001-2011, according to Urban Institute), meaning increased opportunities for partnerships. People give $316 billion to charitable organizations (2% of GDP)! Young people are passionate about service and social justice. The larger society and the Church in particular need camp now more than ever. In an age of faceless encounters, we need places of genuine encounter with the other. In an age of increasing suspicion of institutionalized religion and professional clergy, we need ecumenical enclaves of theological dialogue and play focused on lay ministry. In an age of “nature-deficit disorder,” we need places for people to experience and reflect on the importance of God’s creation. The Church needs camp. The problem is that churches do not necessarily see the need. One of the most interesting things about the so-called “nones” is that only 12% of them are atheists (Pew Research). In fact, 68% say that they believe in God! They simply have no use for organized religion, indicating that congregations and denominations are no longer entry points for people into lives of faith. Outdoor ministry sites may offer an alternative. Interestingly, 58% of "nones" say they feel a deep spiritual connection with nature. Christian Outdoor Ministry sites are fertile fields for faith formation and openness to the Holy Spirit moving in new and unexpected ways. Camps need to get over their crisis of identity and follow the movement of the Spirit to their roles as leaders of a new Christian awakening. This will not look like the old model of doing camp. In fact, I’m not sure what it will look like. That is why following the movement of the Spirit is both exciting and scary.

(1) The National Study of Youth and Religion, www.youthandreligion.org, whose data were used by permission here, was generously funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., under the direction of Christian Smith and Lisa Pearce. Data were downloaded from the Association of Religion Data Archives, www.TheARDA.com.

Living in God's Time: Advent at Camp

The Lutheran Outdoor Ministries summer camp curriculum for 2014 is titled “Living in God’s Time.” Camps will be guiding the campers and staff through the Bible study by way of the liturgical church calendar, focusing the daily themes on Advent, Christmas/Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. In many ways, camp is the ideal place to reconceptualize liturgical practices because of its role as theological playground. The liturgy is meant to be participatory and experiential, creating space for the movement of the Holy Spirit. It is unfortunate that liturgy has become associated with stale, unemotional, institutionalized religion. As a place of imagining new possibilities, camp provides fertile ground to reconsider the richness of liturgical practices. Faith formation at camp includes smells, sounds, experiences, and ritualistic practices. Focusing the Bible study on the liturgical church calendar connects these formative experiences of camp explicitly with the historical practices of Christianity and has the potential to infuse new meaning into these practices for young people who may view church as dull and devoid of meaning.

Advent is probably the most misunderstood season of the church year. Most often, people use Advent as preparation for Christmas, and this has the effect of subsuming the significance of the season into the joy of Christmas. I think this view of Advent is unhelpful. Focusing on Advent allows us to regain Christian hope. Through hope, we recognize that the world is not yet what it was created to be, and we long for the wrong to be made right. The season of Advent is about recognizing the injustice and imperfection of this world and living in hope of something better.

Oftentimes, when Christians talk about hoping for something better, they are referring to heaven. Advent is not about heaven. Advent is about the coming of God into the world. Jesus’ opening proclamation in the gospel of Mark is that “the Kingdom of God has come near” (1:15). In Matthew, this is also the opening message of John the Baptist (Matt. 3:2). It is not that we are looking forward to some future appearance of the Kingdom of God or glorification in heaven. The Kingdom of God is breaking into the present world. As disciples of Christ, we are called to participate in this inbreaking, to be workers for the Kingdom. Camp is an ideal time and place to participate in “Kingdom living.”

Advent is about expectant (that is, active) waiting. The Kingdom of God coming near means that we live in a time of “already, but not yet.” The time is at hand and is even now breaking into the present, but it is not yet complete. “Living in God’s Time” is about Advent living. Prepare the way of the Lord. As disciples of Christ, make the Kingdom a reality here on earth. This is not our work alone but rather Christ’s work through us, Christ’s body.

A classic Advent text begins, “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down!” (Isaiah 64:1). The prophecy proclaimed by Elijah and the rest of the prophets, including John the Baptist, is that God will intervene amidst the injustice of the world. The vision is one of peace and justice coming here on earth. The blind will see, the deaf will hear, and the lame will “leap like a deer!” (Isaiah 35:5-6). Swords and spears will be beaten into plows and pruning hooks, and people will “study war no more” (Isaiah 2:4). Then will be the time of Immanuel, God with us (Isaiah 7:14). Advent is the expectant hope that God does not sit exalted in some heaven lightyears away but is even now intervening in this imperfect world.

Imagine beginning your summer camp week with this theme and then participating in “Kingdom living” throughout the week. Imagine gathering with campers around a rotting stump with a green branch growing from the roots and proclaiming the hope of new life or reading the Advent text, “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse” (Isaiah 11:1). Imagine sitting with the campers on a dark night and lighting a single candle as you say, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it!” (John 1:5). Our role as camp ministers is the role of John the Baptist: to proclaim in the wilderness the coming of God in the world and to “testify to the light” (John 1:8). As we light their candles at camp, we prepare them for lives of discipleship when they go home, as they bring the light of Christ to a world in darkness.

For more on the opening theme of the curriculum, check out my presentation at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCv_6e0PBj8.

A Different Type of Camp

This past week, I took part in a different type of camp, one that played an even greater role in my childhood than Christian summer camp. I am referring to deer hunting camp. Each year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, the gun deer hunting season opens in Wisconsin, and I have been participating in deer camp since 1992. Though one hunting buddy is fond of saying, “What happens at deer camp stays at deer camp,” I will take the risk of sharing a few reflections.

People are sometimes taken aback when they discover that I am a hunter. When I explore their discomfort, I usually find that they have a negative idea of what a hunter is and does. Maybe they see hunting in terms of killing and violence to creation. Whatever their specific concerns, these somehow conflict with their impressions of me. When I think of hunting, I think of camp.

Grown men, many of whom are seldom in church, gather at the deer camp. We drink and joke around a great deal, and an outsider might overlook the depth of compassion each has for the others. Through the years, we have helped each other through the hunt: finding deer, cleaning deer, dragging deer, butchering deer. We have also been with each other through very difficult times: heart attacks, injuries, and the loss of loved ones. We share concerns and burdens with one another. We also talk about family and faith. These days, there are very few deer in our section of northern Wisconsin. Each of us has other places we can hunt, but we always come back. Among seven guys this season, we did not get a single deer up north, and we hardly saw any. The truth is that we did not really come up to shoot a deer. We came for deer camp.

Hunting is a primordial skill that has allowed humans to survive and thrive for millennia. For me, deer camp is about family, friends, and the passing on of knowledge from generation to generation. My father is passing this knowledge to me, and I have already begun passing it on to my children. One of the best things about hunting season for me is spending lots of quality time with my dad. I cherish this time. I also cherish the time spent with our hunting friends. This year, I hunted with four different generations! There are few places in our society where knowledge is passed on in this way and the generations mix so intentionally. As we remembered those who have gone before us, we also talked excitedly about the next generation (including my two boys!) that is just now coming of age and will soon join us in the sacred place of deer camp.

At deer camp, we enjoy the wonders of God’s creation together and alone. This year, I saw every sunrise and sunset for seven consecutive days from a secluded spot as the forest came alive around me. I saw deer, turkeys, squirrels, birds, and possums. Through those hours in the tree stands, I prayed for loved ones, remembered times gone by, looked ahead to the future, and enjoyed the present of God’s beautiful creation. It is truly a spiritual time for me, and each year I come back refreshed.

Hunting has given me incredible knowledge and experience about my place in creation. As a whole, our society is too disconnected from our food. Meat comes from a grocery store, and it is difficult to make the connection that I have participated in the killing of an animal when I eat a chicken nugget. Life necessarily includes death. Plants and animals die in order to sustain my life, and one day I will die so that my remains may support new life. Perhaps paradoxically, taking the life of an animal with my own hand has given me a tremendous appreciation for life. I am no longer several stages removed from the animal that travels from farmer to butcher to processor to grocer to me. I can no longer ignore my part in the cycle of life because I am the one who pulled the trigger or released the arrow, and I can never take it back. I witnessed in awe the beauty of the creature that died so that I might live. It is far from barbaric. It is honest. It is life.

This hunting season, it was cold. I spent hours in the woods cold to the bone. My toes and fingers went numb. In the end, I did not shoot a deer. After all, getting a deer is not the real purpose of deer camp. Some people ask me why I would sit for hours in the freezing woods not seeing anything when I could just go buy some meat in the grocery store. I hope this post gives some indication. Happy hunting!