Archive for the ‘Youth Ministry Large Events’ Category

The highlight of the week? The chair.

That’s right. They had just finished their week of Extreme Camps, and my group couldn’t stop talking about their folding chair.

This wasn’t just any ordinary folding chair. No, this was the chair they put in front of their goal during a game of extreme soccer when nobody wanted to play goalie. This was the chair that, out of sheer luck, stopped the ball every time and didn’t give up a single point.

This was the chair that won the game.

Shared experiences are one of the greatest things that can happen to your group during a summer camp experience. They bond the group together and create stronger friends, both between leaders and students, and students and students.

Through those stronger relationships, shared experiences create exciting new opportunities for ministry.

I was a camp counselor the summer my group fell in love with the chair, and that soccer game was the turning point for our team and for the spiritual growth that happened that week.

I’ve been involved with Extreme Camps in East Texas for a number of years and in a variety of roles, but by far, my favorite job at camps is camp counselor. I love spending time with students 24/7 and watching for those incredible moments of ministry.

If you’re looking for a camp this summer, I encourage you to check out Extreme Camps. They have a great variety of activities ranging from headliner bands to paintball and a huge ropes course. But the emphasis throughout is spiritual growth in your students.

If you can’t bring enough leaders, they can even provide excellent camp counselors from their ministry internship so that each of your students can be part of a tight-knit small group throughout the week. These interns are passionate about the Lord and committed to ministering to students, and they are careful to work with each youth pastor to make your priorities that week their priorities.

The staff is great too and I’m friends with many of them. So if you have any questions, give Russ Underwood a call. He’s the Director of Extreme Camps and can be reached at 903-324-8530. You can also visit their website, www.extremecamps.com.

I had the opportunity to spend some time at the Dare 2 Share event in Chicago this weekend, and I had an incredible time. It was so encouraging to see teens get trained and even practice evangelism right there at the event, and to rub shoulders with some amazing youth pastors.

Props to Dare 2 Share and Greg Stier. Overall it was an amazing event. But I believe D2S missed a big opportunity to help youth pastors be even more effective.

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I love large youth events and the impact they can have on students. My own life was radically change as a teenager at an Acquire the Fire, even when I was already trying my best to live for God. I remember sitting on the floor not far from stage and for the first time hearing the clear voice of God. It was a pivitol moment in my life that prepared me to make several very hard decisions to trust in the Lord. If I hadn’t made those choices, my life would be completely different today.

Since then I have seen the monumental impact these events have had on students at all points in their faith journey. I’ve seen athiests touched by the power of God and turned into on-fire believers, and luke-warm teens rocked by the reality of Christ that make a commitment to dive deeper into their faith.

But with any large events, people always ask, “Is the change long-term? Does it really last?” The answer is simple. If youth pastors and adult leaders give teens loving and personal support to follow-through on what happened, Acquire the Fire and other events like it can be a huge catalyst for lasting change and growth in any youth group. If a church throws money at an event, expecting it to do the work of discipleship, it will quickly fail.

I just got back from the ATF in Houston and several long-time fans there told me that it was one of their best events yet. I’m a huge fan of what Acquire the Fire and Ron Luce are doing for youth ministry and this generation. If you haven’t yet, check it out and bring your students to the event closest to you: www.acquirethefire.com