Thursday, March 1, 2012
The Lasting Effect of Camps
I love camps. I used to go to summer camp every summer and everyone would be so on fire for God, but about a week after the camp it seemed like everyone was back at the same place as they were before they left. I have talked to plenty of other people who have this same experience as well. What can leaders do to get the focus of the kids not on having a "camp high" but instead a changed life?
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One, a lot of prayer beforehand. Secondly, I think there needs to be some accountability. Whether that be from a friend that went to camp with you or you emailing each other back and forth. For a lot of people they go back into an environment where there aren't other "on fire" Christians. So there has to be some form of accountability and encouragement. These are just ideas off the top of my head, so who knows how effective they could be (except for prayer, prayer is always effective).
ReplyDeleteI agree that prayer is essential... but something I've been learning more and more these last few years is the art of discipleship and how much we have lost that within the church. Not only should we as leader be getting our kids ready for camp, but it is also our job to disciple them once they get back from this "camp high". And, it doesn't necessarily mean we disciple them... it could just mean hooking them up with someone in the church who can continue to help them on this journey. I know I have had many mentors along the way, and if it weren't for them sometimes "reminding" me of that high... I'm sure I would have lost a portion of my faith along the way.
ReplyDeleteI have loved camp every time I have gone and they were great experiences. But thinking back on them they were just events. Instead of just having or going to camps for a fun event and awesome experience, we should be intentional about them. We can frame our curriculum around the camps or retreats. A few week before the event we can start preparing the teens or children for the event and what topic will be discussed. Then after the event discuss the event, break it down, ask them what it was like for them, and what they what to change in their lives because of what was discussed. Then be sure they each have someone, like and accountability partner, that will keep asking them if they are working at changing, how that is going, and other tough questions. Doing these things makes the camp more than just another event, but it makes it part of their process in growing closer to God.
ReplyDeleteChurch camp was something that actually changed my life and the lives of my friends one year. Many years though, I experienced a spiritual "high." My youth pastor at the time prepared us for camp through prayer and talking about the spiritual high camp experience. While we were at camp, amazing things happened that brought us all really close. I think something important for youth pastors is to encourage kids to bring back physical reminders of what God did, like people in the Old Testament used to do when God moved among them. I have have pictures, journals, and other things i keep to remind me of what God did. We can also have something in our youth room at the church that can remind us of what God did when we see it. Also, after camp the kids got together every week to do Bible study, pray, and keep each other accountable for the decisions we made at camp. These things really helped my youth group resist the camp high and it actually changed many lives.
ReplyDeleteI have also personally experienced the "camp high." Something to take into consideration is the genuine presence of the spirit of God. While this presence does make a heavy impact on young students, it is the leaders' responsibility to help the students focus their emotions so that genuine direction and teaching from the Spirit can take place. This focus can be established in the form of journaling, small group prayer, and direct, one on one mentoring with an adult (at camp, immediately following the "tidal wave of emotions"). Discipleship following the camp experience is vital but follow-up immediately after or during the spiritual "high" is an effective way of helping students make sense of their current feelings and to seek more of God's direction and guidance.
ReplyDeleteI've dealt with this many times. The spiritual high always seems like it will last forever, but when we are at our strongest is when we are most vulnerable to attack. So the week after a church camp is often rough. I agree with tony accountability is required. Whether it is a friend at the camp with you or a family member or friend back home, someone should check on you daily to make sure you are doing okay. Prayer is also important. Read your bible and stay in prayer, don't drift further from God just because you are home from a camp but strive to be closer to Him daily!
ReplyDeleteI have always thought about my "camp high" experiences and they always did seem to get forgotten after a week or two. At the same time I believe that even though sometimes we only had a "camp high", that we must remember from the leader's perspective, that camp our meant to speak to those who will openly accept the invitation from Christ. We cannot get discouraged when everyone that attended the camp did not leave a changed person. It is ultimately up to that person to be responsible for their relationship with Christ, we are here for them setting up camps and other things to love them and bring them a week or however long of Christ to their lives.
DeleteI agree that we need someone to help hold us accountable. I also think that even just sharing your experiences with people helps keep that "high." Tell other people in your youth group, and even people that aren't in your youth group, about your camp experience and how you life changed. Also, encourage others to go to camp the next year or take some ideas and activities from camp and bring them into your group to show a little bit of what it was like and share the "high."
ReplyDeleteI think one thing that we could do is try to avoid making our camps into some huge theatrical event. I've been involved in some teen camps that make one's Christian walk look like its all highs and no lows. They incorporate lights and fog machines and big worship. Teens get used to having one week out of the year where they feel like they are "Christian All-Stars" because of these camps. Then when they leave, all of the glamour fades away and they realize that it isn't all mountaintop experiences. I think we need to do a better job of showing teens that being a Christian takes commitment and hard work.
ReplyDeleteLeaders need make known that those "camp highs" can be experienced everyday, when spending time with God and doing his will. The feelings of a spiritual high do not have to be felt only during a camp experience. Also leaders need to encourage the spiritual highs of the student by encouraging them and giving them ways to stay connected with God. We need to also demonstrate that spiritual high that God gives us in our daily walks. God wants us to be close to Him, not just at camp but every single day of our lives. So we as leaders need to stress the pursuing of Christ every single day in order to keep that camp or spiritual high.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely agree with the comments that have already been said, it is important that we tell those involved what to expect after the week is done. People often have expectations that life will be changed without them actually having to do something. Instead of leaving them with these misconceptions we should do our best to tell them that they will still have to deal with life and try and help them to figure out how exactly to do that.
ReplyDeleteAs stated by others, praying for the teens is a good place to start. Perhaps having a time for any the teen that wants to to share with the whole congregation about their life changing experience at the camp. This would provide a different type of accountability. Also, just encouraging the teens to stay connected with other teens from the camp.
ReplyDeleteSummer Camps are great! They are perfect for a revival or even a revealing of God to someone. I agree that there is always that occurrence of the "camp high" and we need to make sure we make it clear that there is more to be done after a camp is over. As leaders we need to focus on how we as Christ-seekers need to maintain that "high". We need to teach daily holy experiences and how to relentlessly seek God everyday and not just rely on a "roller coaster ride" of spiritual highs and lows.
ReplyDeleteIn agreeing with a majority of everyone above, there is one thing I definitely feel should be added to the list. It has been hinted at, but I do not think it was listed; making an intentional plan to follow the "high". Don't let camp just be camp, plan your teaching schedule out on the teaching and events that lead into camp and those that come after. Keeping an intentional plan is needed, in my opinion, for making connections with everything going on in the year of teachings and events.
ReplyDeleteI have worked at christian camps and I agree, the kid's come for a week and we pump them up on a spiritual high and send them on their way. Just so that they can crash and burn in a week or so. I think it is vitally important to get the kid's in touch with a youth group close to where they live and encourage them to make some christian friends and get involved with them, that way they have people in their life helping them keep up with their walk.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a very good point that you bring up. I believe that one way you can address this issue is talk about the camp before you leave for camp. This can be a way to prepare the teens for the camp before they fo there. As you prepare them for camp you can let them about "camp high." As you do this I believe that it would be a good idea to communicate to them that what is important is to seek transformation and not to just make a decision based off of emotion because many times teens will make a decision to follow Christ because that is what everyone else is doing. I think that by doing these things we will be able to help solve the problem of the "camp high."
ReplyDeleteI think that camp is a very important thing for all kids to do at least once. I see your point with the fact that kids seem to lose there spiritual high a little after leaving camp. Its hard in todays world to keep kids on the right track all the time with media and people the way they are today. This in my opinion makes keeping a spiritual high in tacked. The only thing we can do is to try to keep them remembering what it was like to have the spiritual high with God and how great it felt having him close to them. I think thats all we can do as youth pastors is to remind people how it feels and to try to help them get it back in whatever way we can.
ReplyDeleteWhile I feel like prayer is a useful way for leaders to impact kids I feel like there also needs to be action and steps taken by the leaders before and after camp retreats. Preparing teens before through lessons and creating in depth lessons or having small group leaders do studies pertaining to what teens will be learning at the camp they will be going to may help prepare them to change their life rather than have just another camp high.
ReplyDeleteI have spent my entire life going to summer camps. I haven't went one summer without going to either my district church camp or a young life camp. I feel like they are an amazing evangelistic tool and always produced a spiritual high for me. I feel like I usually took home a new thing to work on or a change that I wanted to make and I would work on it for a month and it would fizzle out. I think the only way to keep this from happening is to have follow up ministry for months after the camp. This could even be as simple as an accountability group.
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