What if your church acted more like . . . 

This week we’re looking at some other parts of the community of Christ and asked what if your church was more like them! Join the conversation . . . I’d love you to leave some comments below.

Every summer over 6,500,000 kids and teens attend Christian Camps in North America. [1]  This is a thriving part of the Christian community in our country.  From my experience Christian Camps reach a segment of people that typically churches don’t have a chance at reaching . . . with anywhere between 40% – 80% of the people attending who don’t normally attend church.

What if your church acted more like a Christian Camp?

Camping has had a significant personal impact on myself.  [Props to Mini-Yo-We!]  As a young leader, I was trusted with more responsibility as a 17 year old than I’ve seen leaders twice that age trusted with.  As a parent, I’ve seen the impact Camping has had on my kids . . . unmatched by anything else in their life.  But beyond my personal experience . . . the impact is far and wide. Here are a few unique features of Christian Camping that I wonder if our churches need to emulate:

• Fun as a Strategy // Camp leaders think through how to make everyday fun for kids.  This creates a fantastic bridge to build relationships.  Across that bridge the message of Jesus easily flows.  [Watch this 2 minute video and watch how fun is intertwined with discipleship.]
• Fueled by Young People // The majority of the “on the ground leadership” of Christian Camps are in their late teens or early twenties.  They trust young people to have significant leadership within their community.  [Check out this role description for a typical job at a Camp . . . are you asking hundreds of 17 year olds to do that?]
• Really Good at Communication // Because Camps have to attract the people they minister to . . . and those people have to pay to be ministered to . . .   (Think about that mind bending reality . . . would people literally pay to come to your church?) . . . Christian Camps get really good at communicating why people should attend.  [When was the last time you saw a church communicates it’s features and benefits like this?]
• Leadership Development Engines // Every year a significant portion of the “workforce” of these Camps gets “too old” to serve anymore.  Therefore . . .they have to get really good at training new leaders every year.  [How many churches have leader training that looks anything as robust as this orientation?]

Have you been involved in a Christian Camp before?  [I’d love to hear what you think churches can learn from Camps!]