30 Jul 07 Back in Blog

My absence from blogging was completely unintended.  As you know, I’ve been away from the office for three weeks and I spent a lot of time this week catching up.   Thursday rolled around and I realized I had not blogged.  I resume my regular blogging with a rant about church camp.

As part of the camp reunion time last night we watched a video reflection of the week.  I was struck (AGAIN!) with the freedom and attitude of practice and expression that is expected and allowed when teens are away from the sacred building.

Good, no, great things happen in this type of environment that are allowed at camp and dis-allowed at church.

That stupid saying "the church is the people and not the building" didn’t take no matter how long we repeated the mantra because there is certainly a set of unwritten creeds as to what can and CAN NOT occur in the sacred building.

I am so tired of hearing the phrase "camp songs," the designation given to songs not "sacred" enough to be in some lousy hymnal.  This particular reference is insulting, prejudicial and born out of pharisaic arrogance.  Not even a year ago I wrote similar thoughts in my reflections on Faith Quest.

A song that praises God, honors Jesus Christ, and invites the work of the Holy Spirit deserves a rightful place in our musical liturgy.  Let’s at least have the courage or decency to refer to these songs as spiritual songs.

Ephesians 5:19 (NCV) Speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord. 

Colossians 3:16 (NCV) Let the teaching of Christ live in you richly. Use all wisdom to teach and instruct each other by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Just because a song is new doesn’t make it a bad (or good song).  Just because a song is old doesn’t make it a good (or bad) song.   We forget that the songs of old, in fact our entire movement began at a church camp.

I have no scientific evidence to back this next statement up, no official research to support my claims, just years of experience in church ministry.

A major reason our teens leave our churches is because of our compartmentalization of "camp" worship and "true" worship.   They experience the power and presence of God through refreshing worship experiences at camp, at youth retreats and other venues while they experience the doldrum and delirium of the desert in the pew Sunday after Sunday.

I’m not looking to be right on this issue and not meaning to come across as angry.  I just wish our mis-guided tradition would focus more on reaching this generation and less upon hysterically worrying about the comforts of others who’ve had their day in the sun. 

I dream of a church were the mature generations in that community of faith pursue, with passion and reckless abandon, reaching this generation for Christ.