Teen Camp is vital to the spiritual growth of Christian Teenagers. Life-changing decisions are made each summer that shape lives for good and God.
How I praise the Lord for the privilege that has been mine to be involved to some extent in camp ministries each summer for these twenty plus years that I have been in the ministry. Since it has been that long, I have been blessed to hear the stories of how God worked in hearts and changed lives to prepare young people to be great servants for the Lord through camp ministry each year.
Of course, only when we get to Heaven will we hear the great stories of how the local church and her ministries impacted people for the glory of God!
I do not want to be overly presumptuous respecting the crowd that will read this article, but I do think it is important to say we are not talking about the impact or benefit of just “any teen camp.” Simply stated, we are talking about a teen camp that is Bible based, Baptist, and supports the importance of the local church. And, we cannot drop the standards (music, dress, philosophy, etc.) simply because “it’s hard” and “times have changed.”
I believe it behooves us to be reminded as parents, pastors, and spiritual leaders that we are not just trying to get our young people “to get by.” Psalm 144:12 says, “That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:”
There is an excellent study that can be done of this verse. I believe that one truth taught in this verse is that as spiritual servant leaders we are striving for our young people to become great servants of Christ. There must be a passion in our hearts to do the best we can to provide atmospheres for our young people to grow in the will of God.
Please allow me to share with you five benefits that teen camp can have in the lives of teenagers as they pursue the will of God.
1. Teen Camp starts the summer with a spiritual meeting to transition a teenager from the school year to the summer schedule.
There is a great danger of a let down when school gets out. If you can find a Baptist camp ministry that meets soon after the school year ends, you are giving them an opportunity to make spiritual decisions preparing them for the summer and the rest of their lives.
2. Teen Camp gets them away from their devices for a week to provide for an open heart and mind to make healthy decisions through the work of the Holy Spirit.
For many of our young people, they spend lots of time engaged in electronic devices. From television to video games, to tablets and iPads, and cell phones, many young people spend a great deal of time on these devices. Not necessarily all of it is wicked or sinful, but to get teenagers in an environment where they are not permitted to utilize their devices frees them from the consummation of them to be open to more important matters of the heart and life.
Yes, for most of the young people, they will go back to that environment. But hopefully and prayerfully they will have made some good decisions about life choices and their future involvement with such devices.
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“…you are giving them an opportunity to make spiritual decisions preparing them for the summer and the rest of their lives.”
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3. Teen Camp provides an atmosphere to make significant decisions for the Lord.
It has been a joy over the years to see young people trust Christ as Saviour, and some go home and follow the Lord in believers Baptism. Many teenagers make incredible life-changing decisions in all areas of their lives. And the benefit of being at teen camp is young people seeing other young people making decisions, which encourages them!
4. Teen Camp is an opportunity for teenagers to establish and develop life-long friendships.
Pastors all over the Northeast have commented to me over the years how teen camp has helped their young people to develop friendships and how they have been able to cultivate those friendships through teen rallies and meetings all through the year. Many churches in New England do not have more than 10-12 teenagers in their youth groups. Coming to teen camp gives the teens an opportunity to develop more friendships with teenagers from churches of like faith.
5. Teen Camp reinforces the connection between teenagers and their lo- cal church and the spiritual leaders of their church.
I look back with great appreciation to opportunities I had as a teenager to go to extended meetings away from home with our pastor, assistant pastor, and church young people. As parents, we need to utilize every opportunity we possibly can to get our teenagers connected to our lo- cal church. Again, this is with the understanding that our church and family are part of a camp ministry that accepts registrations for teen camp from local churches, not from individuals all over the area. It emphasizes the importance of the local church.
There is certainly much more that can be said about the impact of teen camp on the life of a young person. Let me close with sharing a few excerpts from the testimony of a young person that emailed me about a year ago, who was simply praising the Lord for His goodness in her life–
“Dear Brother Barnes,
I wanted to personally thank you for New England Baptist Teen Camp and all it has meant to me. It truly has changed my life. Five years ago I gave up on life…I was extremely discouraged, and I was an emotional wreck from all my family was going through, and I really didn’t have any positive female influences to turn to… That summer NEBTC became our teen camp, I told God I would go and surrender everything to Him, if He would allow me just one friend my age and in my grade. I am so glad I went, and God gave me the best friends I could ever want that year…I can’t wait to be a counselor this year at teen camp. God is so merciful, and I am so blessed. For His Glory,Thankful Camper”
Surveys have shown that many people who are in the ministry today look back to decisions they made as a young person during a teen camp or teen conference during the summertime. What God can do in the life of your young person if you will do whatever you possibly can to get them to teen camp this summer.