Christian camping is about ministry. Camps are places with intentional goals and desired
outcomes, but it is important to recognize that ministry itself is the primary
goal. Theologian and Christian martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously said, “Cheap
grace means grace as doctrine, as principle, as system. It means forgiveness of
sins as a general truth; it means God’s love as merely a Christian idea of
God.”[1] He
contrasts this with a beautiful and challenging vision of costly grace, which is marked by the call to follow Jesus. Camps
are more concerned about ministering to the person than about conveying
theological ideas. This important aspect of camp gets obscured from the view of
visitors who see the silly skits and ridiculous games without seeing the small
group discussions or the late-night cabin devotions. From a distance, camp
seems gimmicky and raucous. Close up, it is revealed to be intentional and
personal. Camping ministry leaders focus on meeting individuals where they are
and accompanying them in their faith journeys. They deemphasize theological
concepts and doctrines that are conveyed in didactic form.
The fall 2014 camp survey of 332 Mainline Protestant camps
sheds light on the ministry priorities of
It is interesting to note that theology itself is not
deemphasized as much as the “theological instruction.” Nearly 2/3 find it
important for staff and campers to understand specific theology and practices,
but it appears that this understanding is not conveyed in ways that the
respondents consider “instruction.”
It is not that the “faith formation” at camp is devoid of
theological content, though this is the dismissive argument that some church
officials level at camping ministry. 91% of camps use a set Bible study
curriculum for their small group Bible studies, which 90% of camps have at
least daily. Substantive theological and biblical content is present at camp.
But camping ministers are less concerned with theological ideas and more concerned with ministering to the individuals in
their care. This is why the survey questions about formal instruction get far
less agreement among camp professionals than an item like “Faith
formation/practices should be incorporated into all aspects of camp life,” with
which 92% of camps “moderately agree” or “strongly agree.” Faith is a way of
life at camp, not a set of precepts to be memorized.
This overarching philosophy of camping ministry is lived out
in the small group emphasis of camp. Camp is not a convention. Camp does not
operate on an assembly-line mentality. Camp is personal. Camp is participatory.
Camp does not focus on correcting faulty theology in order to memorize
universal truths. Camp takes doubts and questions seriously, allowing space for
individuals to wrestle with faith questions together.
When camp directors were asked about the importance of the
large group and small group components of their ministry, the numbers were not
even close. Only 16% “moderately agree” or “strongly agree” with, “The most
important part of our camp day is large group games/activities.” In contrast,
79% “moderately agree” or “strongly agree” with, “The most important part of
our camp day is the small group experience.”
The camp community centers on the unit group (or “cabin group”),
which is generally a single-gendered group of 6-10 youth campers with 1-2
college-age summer staff members. These small groups sleep together, eat
together, and do many (if not all) of their camp activities together. The unit
group is the center of “fellowship/community building” at camp, which 99% of
camp directors indicate is “very important” or “extremely important” (second in
importance only to “participant safety”). These groups develop a high level of
trust through shared activities and conversations over the course of a week or
more (94% of camps have group building or challenge course activities weekly or
more). This trust facilitates intimate conversations and honest faith
discussions. The ultimate goal of this small group community is not dramatic
conversion or indoctrination. The goal is fellowship. It is community for the
sake of community. The goal is that all are welcome and included, especially
those who have been excluded or devalued in other settings. In short, the goal
is ministry.
Andrew Root argues, “Youth ministry has no task of locking
young people down into some idea of faith. Rather, youth ministry seeks only to
open free spaces where young people are affirmed and loved as persons, and
through person-to-person encounter are asked to listen for the call of the living Christ.”[2]
Root then goes on to caution us that camp is too often held
up as an ideal community that does not deal with the messiness of life but
rather serves as a retreat from it. There are some important cautions in Root’s
argument, but there are also some very real encounters in camp communities that
defy casual dismissal. Camp as an ideal
must be rejected, just as faith as an idea
must be rejected.
The camp model is
easy to critique from a distance. But on the ground, in the cabins, real
ministry is happening. It is face-to-face. It is messy. And Christ is present
there.
No comments:
Post a Comment