Teens cry for lots of different reasons at church camp. I cried quite a few times at camp because I just felt God’s peace so strongly. It had nothing to do with guilt.
Same. Never felt guilt. And it was a little freeing to have somewhere safe to let all the pain out rather than holding it all in. We actually did have a lot going on in our lives. Never did a trauma dump though.
@@happycampers7889 Amen. Same here. My entire life changed when I fell on my knees before the Lord and one of my friends said, 'I don't know what your going through, but your not alone.' which was weird. I was moving churches, he knew exactly what I was going through, he was one of my best friends. I realize now that he was referring to my battle with porn and lust. It was a very freeing experience.
There was definitely a lot of overstimulation at church camp. But I don't remember any guilt messages. But maybe that's just me. We had our crying sessions too. It makes you realize that you're not alone in your suffering. The whole church camp experience was great for me. But I'm that there are others who didn't have such a good experience.
It's highly dependent on the speaker. Went to one camp where the morning speaker went 90 minutes over his time every morning all week and it was pure fire and brimstone. Not conducive but not Scripturally incorrect either.
We had all nighters at my church. The lessons and programs we went to, didn't focus on guilt or shame. It focused on God's Majesty and the importance of Christ's sacrifice. The biggest mistake a Christian can make is focusing more on shaming rather than preaching God's Love. I speak from experience.
I didn't go to a lot of church camps myself but the one's I did go to were pretty good. It also depended on who was hosting it. If the minister was a super critical "you'll NEVER be worthy" person, then the camp would be that way. But if the minister was much more balanced and positive, then the whole event was balanced.
I think any Chriatian experience can be diminished or enhanced based on how willing we are to engage in truth. Take prayer for example. How often do we tell people to pray as though that's the answer. Well, we know it isn't, at least not by itself. Its the beginning. Its where the plans are laid out. I might say, "Lord, I feel sad." Lord might say, "Do you believe in me?" "Sure, but I still feel sad." "Have you sought therapy? I've made known the value of good works and that desire has led to theraputic techniques. I want you to use them."
I "rededicated" my life to Jesus at church camp every summer for years. As an older, more mature Christian, I now know it would have been better for me to just not go to the altar call. It's all peer pressure and emotional blackmail. It wasn't until I lived in real life and realized my my need for God and Jesus that I formally repented and dedicated my life to Christ. I still falter but I know where my allegiance lies.
I was raised Roman Catholic, summer camps I went to did have service on Sunday but I've never heard of an "Alter Call". Sounds to pushy, no I'm not RC anymore.
I definitely had that same feeling of needing to re-dedicate my life to God. I think we need to do a better job of explaining that you don't 'lose' your salvation by faltering. I didn't understanding the magnitude of God's love for me as a young person. Rededication I think is good, rather than saying the sinner's prayer over and over.
Honestly, shouldn't we rededicate ourselves to Him daily? Not necessarily by answering the altar call, but by praying to set ourselves aside and pick up our cross to follow Jesus.
@@holdenstrausser While the term rededication definitely seems well-meant, I think the other commenter was talking about the guilt-laden form of “rededication”; “I’ve messed up so much that I need to start over” or “I need to be better for God so I need to try again”.
As a former young life leader, this resonates with me a lot. I started feeling convicted about how much emphasis was on being the “cool young life leaders” that made Christianity attractive… I felt like the gospel got lost in the “fluff” and that’s one of the reasons there wasn’t much fruit coming from our specific ministry and I made the decision to walk away from it. There’s no such thing as making Christianity “cool”. The gospel offends people, there’s no way around that unless you change the gospel
The Gospel makes people uncomfortable, but that’s because they’ve been deceived or love their sin too much and assume as being a part of their identity, it’s not; I believe it’s the lie Satan spreads is that you won’t be judged for whatever you do and it will be the best feeling forever when you sin, mostly lust and sexual immorality, but it’s all the other sins as well. We must all take into account that our hearts have a lot of darkness in them, but we need Jesus to clear that up completely! We truly do!
I feel this. I currently lead young lives, which is a but more mature since were dealing with teen parents, but I have found myself occassionally falling into wanting to be the "cool leader" more than wanting to see these girls come to know the Lord and that sucks.
I’m currently a youth group leader for 7th/8th grade girls at my church, and have been fighting that stereotype since the day I first joined the youth staff. One of my fellow leaders seemed to fit the “cool youth leader” stereotype really well and I would compare myself to her wondering, “am I not cool enough?” But I realize that the least important part of discipling and speaking into the lives of these girls is whether or not I seem cool. I could easily choose to dress up and only hang around the other leaders, or I could show up and surround myself with these young girls and show them the realities of living for the Lord, cool or not.
Dude y’all overthinking it. This was a fun escape from the world. No one thought youth leaders were cool. We were looking for role models. Nothing is wrong with kids looking up to young adults leading a lifestyle they want. Not all of us have a ton of great things going on for us in our homes. Going to these things surrounded by people who emphasize Christ in their lives were pivotal and loved moments for ys I would be be a Christian today had I not been invited to these events when I was younger by my Christian friends
Personally never felt guilty while at church camp. Lonely mainly cause I was the weird tomboy art kid no one hung out with until someone found a toad in the cabin bathroom and needed someone to remove it.
My youngest went to camp one year and she came back with the same story... I had the mailing address of the camp so I started writing letters to her 3 days before she left so she would get a letter from momma everyday and that got her through... God bless
I feel so blessed right now cause (I’m 15) I just got back from a church camp that is the perfect environment to be at. There’s no guilt tripping or altar calls or anything like that, just genuine worship every night and then a speaker comes up and does their thing, and there’s also cabin devotions. There’s no forcing anyone to give their heart to Jesus (obviously they’re going to encourage it but that’s way different than forcing) and all the staff is so awesome and actually connects with us campers and it honestly is the most fun and beneficial environment I’ve ever been in. I’ve learned so much there but also have those fun memories.
That's awesome if you don't mind me asking what camp is that?? I'm 15 and just got back from Camp Table Rock in shell knob Missouri! such a great camp!!
The biggest problem is kids coming of the high of camp and going back to being exactly how they were before they went. I've seen it dozens of times(I'm 18 and have gone to every youth camp until now) and people never got anywhere. I personally didn't even try because I was too afraid of slipping back until I had my last one a few weeks ago and I'm still changed luckily. But others... not so much. Would you say you are still affected by it or are you back to how you were before now?
As somebody who never ever had any sort of youth group or summer camp while growing up, I still felt guilty, sinful and inadequate to stand before God. The only difference was that when I felt those lows, i had nobody to turn to. So I listened to online influencers, normally non christians, who sold me the lie that fulfilment and joy was found in finding a partner, sexual pleasure and personal gain. I got addicted to pornography, became obsessed with self image and portraying myself as a "good guy" even though i hated myself. I wish I had church camp or a youth group to turn too.
I went through guilt too, but turned to depression until I started talking to Lord Jesus and reading the Bible. Really great way of emptying all the guilt, confess whatever is troubling you or making you feel guilty, tell stories, ask for forgiveness. I often receive comforting Bible verses when I’m sad and reprimanding verses when I did something pretty wrong. God loves you and seeks you to find Him. Hope you don’t give up.
@@Carmiccino_poetry Good advice - don't worry I'm all good. Thankfully when I became a young adult I've had a lot of support from the Christian people around me. So I'm very grateful for that. But that's great advice, because all that stuff piles up inside of us and we have to deal with it eventually, much better dealing with it sooner rather than later.
Thanks for sharing that. To have access to a youth camp and my parents let me go though likely just to get rid of me for a week...I'm really grateful. There was such a huge amount of pornography and very sick messages coming at me, from my own family...I was grateful a Christian family kind of took me under their wing. It's pretty amazing what even brief doses of Christian life can lead to. I definitely feel irritated at times at how cool our Millennial leaders try to make church, but overall I try to stay humble and centered in feeling grateful. Lots of people have nobody. Our cool millennial leaders and church camp is not the problem in the world.
@@desireegreen653 For sure, we don't need to try and make the gospel look cool, it does that work itself. That said, I don't think we should abandon making an effort to make Youth ministry more relatable for young people. I think the real issue is when leaders try to act cool for the sake of their own egos. It's very easy to judge when you aren't acquainted with the leaders, and everybody has a desire to be perceived well by others, to an extent. But from my experience, most young people are quite smart, if you are trying to act cool, they'll see through it. Staying humble & thankful is easily the biggest challenge of christian life I think. Humans have a tendency to complain about things, maybe it's even justifiable, but we should always try to find things to be thankful for. Even when its really damn hard.
I went to youth group camp every summer in high school, now as a teacher I've had to chaperone a few camps, and unfortunately most of what this video addresses still holds true. Kids are exhausted and over-hyped and the last night is always "cry night." Some kids even joke about it beforehand. But the crying (and all the messages through the week) is never based on repentance or sin, only on family situations and breakups and other difficult life circumstances. It's unfortunate and I wish these camps would be a place where the true gospel is shared and the kids can go have a good time and be blessed, not manipulated.
At my old church, when I was in High school, we had a "road trip". We went to the beach for the weekend, not camp. The second night was the cry night. We just knew it was probably going to be the most emotional worship/small group night. But all the girls I went with, always loved going, including me.
I honestly thought the girl in the video was pretty funny and hilarious, but it sadly seems very true, and even men's retreats from my old church were more about men's competitions pulling dump trucks that learning about God.
I am grateful for my Christian summer camp, that had places for quiet prayer, or just quiet places to go alone and watch the stream trickle across the rocks. There was also quiet time in the cabin to read the Bible. We, of course, had games, and convicting messages, but there were also uplifting messages. But I understand that some people weren't so lucky, in having a good Christian camp.
There were definitely good times there, but I do agree that there is often overstimulation. I think we would have like a good few hours to ourselves throughout the day.
I would send my kids to a camp like that. My camp did have lots of excessive emotionality which I don't like, but I can look back on the positives too.
We had two different camps at my youth group. One was Winter Camp, with a few other churches youth groups joining as well, because our churches were all pretty small. That one was much more of the kind of camp described in this video. But the other one was Fall Retreat, and I absolutely loved that one. It was clear to everyone that Fall Retreat was for a more serious time of diving deep into the Word and with God. We had fun and played games and stuff too, and also did some team building exercises, but it wasn't the place you go to just have a good time. The main focus was to deepen your relationship with Christ. It was a much smaller group, just an acoustic guitar unplugged for the music, no showy stuff. I think Fall Retreat is what we all should be aiming for.
As a teenager who just came back from church camp, I agree with everything you are saying. Thank you for sharing this with people, because I think that our youth leaders really need to hear this. Camp was a very difficult experience for me; we had to walk miles every day in the heat, back and forth between session and meals and activities, we had to get up at 6AM and we had to stay up until 12AM, there were literally thousands of teens in one single room, all in a mosh-pit, screaming worship music with blaring speakers and flashing, colorful lights, and we were always in some sort of social setting. I had only a few minutes to myself the entire week. I am an introverted individual, so I value alone-time. Having to constantly be with other people was overwhelming. As for the whole, "cry night" thing, we had that too, where everyone was on an emotional high, overstimulated, and oversharing. Hardly ever were there any sermons just about His Word, but it felt like the sermons were just self-help Ted-Talks. I pray that the Church will correct itself, and stop using manipulation to attract people. It is twisted of them to act as if God needs a "little extra flare" in order to attract people. All He needs to get our attention is His Truth, plain and simple.
@@liyahnadeau3005that strange pushy thing they did to you, idk if you know about it already, but it's a weird, showy form of manipulation called "slain in the spirit." Feel free to do your own research about it if you haven't already (Mike Winger has some points I agreed with, so you can check him out with wisdom and discernment if you'd like). Individuals who utilize this tactic tend to do so when "casting out demons" or "healing" but can just be used for prayer. Usually, slain in the spirit victims tend to feel pressured, uncertain, and/or concerned because they feel as if there should be something spectacular happening to them. Consequently, this leads them to more guilt and frustration because they feel as though they are still messing up. Coupled with overstimulation, flashing lights, loud music, and other emotional teens, it leads to more tears. I'm sorry you went through all that you did ❤
Church camp was always a blessing for me, even as a loner with no friends and even if it took several church camps to help me finally surrender myself to the Lord Jesus. I grew up in a Russian church and typically they are very strict and legalistic, so I can see that part of her argument. But even then, each camp planted seeds in me to where I eventually decided to seek God for myself. I did realize that they were not preaching the true gospel to us (while they did mention sin, it wasn’t ultimately to point towards Christ’s mercy). I do believe that the message of sin and hell is absolutely vital in our life, because our eternal life is way more serious than anything in this world. And it’s not to scare us, but to get us to live for what will last forever. I get the feeling that she’s probably an atheist so that’s likely why she’s hating so much on the “guilt” aspect and labeling it as just guilt-tripping. We can’t expect the world to understand it. As the Bible says, the gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing. But to Christians it’s LIFE.
it is important to understand that you have to confront that guilt and get right with God, not just live life ignoring it. Also hello fellow Russian/Slavic person!
@@Jesus_Christ_loves_you_alotWhile there is certainly a repentance after conversion (a continued, renewing pursuit of life in Christ), I do want to point out that we “get right” with God and our sin only through Jesus. Any attempts of our own would be self-righteousness. You may have meant that, but just wanted to clarify 👍
@christinad.511 Unfortunately, apart from the Holy Spirit’s work, I believe that those who are confronted by the Gospel will be either unconvicted *by* their sin or they will not see the Grace *for* their sin. A Gospel missing the Person of Jesus Christ is no gospel at all.
As a very introverted and analytical person, it is critical to acknowledge the environmental problems that she addressed. She is absolutely right. Having people play stupid games and get overstimulated and then worked into an emotional lather is actually manipulative. Even as a child, I found the intellectual quality and approach of such camps to be painfully tedious, and often times embarrassingly shallow. As a missionary, I saw many kids feel the same way. And far more still left more confused and upset than when they arrived. These people need to teach Christ as He is. Christ isn't "cool" and He isn't sensational. He is personal and thoughtful, and He should be presented as such.
amen, sometimes kids don’t need a bunch of games, especially games in which it would benefit to know the players, that doesn’t work if you’re a new and introverted kid who the Lord has just brought up in a different way
I felt the same way growing up, which is why I also never joined any of the local youth groups. Too much emphasis on being cool, the hype, and not enough related to the deeper questions I had.
@@sierrahultgren945 I think a lot of people like us are out there but they don't have a good catalyst to connect in a way that's enriching. It's a tough situation.
After watching this I feel so lucky I went to a good church camp. Not anything how she described. I never felt guilty. I did cry but that was because of my love for God, not much else.
I was blessed to go to some really great church camps and I thank the Lord for that. We still had “cry night” but it honestly didn’t feel like there was any intentional malice or manipulation, my youth group was just very good at presenting the gospel and it was moving. When I was 15 it was a church camp that totally wrecked me (in a good way) and turned my life around and I started a Bible study at my homeschool tutorial.
My church camp was nothing like this. there were no 'guilt messages' and my pastor(s) always talked about the gospel. Every time I went I made new friends that I kept. Maybe it's because I go to a smaller youth group (50-60 kids)
Same! We always get preachers from out of our organization and we have a pretty long lunch time to get time to ourselves. The themes are always well done and it's never all kumbaya or emotional manipulation, I love my church even if the youth is usually pretty unorganized 😅
I gave my life to Christ at a church camp, and I’m currently working at a different one right now. I’m extremely thankful that my camp exists, because although we do have high energy moments, we’ve built the camp to accommodate for different personalities and energy levels. For example, while we have things like sports tournaments and Gaga ball, we also have arts and crafts or kids can go back to their bunks. We’ve built time into the camp for kids to meet with their groups quietly and discuss the things they’re learning as well. I will say, cry nights are absolutely a thing, but God works so powerfully here that it’s not uncommon for kids to give their lives to Jesus on the first night they’re here (which is absolutely incredible 🥰). Our camp also does a really good job at balancing talking about hell, but also the grace of God. We even have follow ups with the kids to encourage them in their new walks, and we make sure that they have someone to disciple them. Obviously it’s not perfect, but I’m glad that my summer camp tries its best to mitigate these issues and really focus on showing the love of Christ 🥰
In my church camp, the preacher was not holding back.😭 His message was mainly about why we are struggling in our relationship with God. There are things we have to get rid of in order to get closer to God. Like the video games we play, an unhealthy relationship, the movies or shows we watch, and etc. I made sure to record his messages because I didn’t have my note book to take notes in.😅
It is interesting to think about how loud music etc. can actually be a deterrent or even a stumbling block to some people. But you don't even get to SLEEP alone at camps like these. Zero alone time. Overall this was a very balanced video I felt. Great job brother and congrats on the engagment!
There's three types of music for me: 1: Worship-What we sing every Sunday 2. Message-Songs that don't necessarily focus on worship but delivering the message 3. Loud Music-I consider this songs like Skillet, Toby Mac, etc. Music that isn't meant for Sunday Worship, but is something to enjoy listening to on your own time. The latter usually involves the people on stage showboating and that takes the recognition away from God which is why is shouldn't be part of Sunday Morning Worship.
I agree brother. You need to understand the wrath and the grace to fully understand the beauty of the gospel. Go too far one way or the other, and you push people from God. God Bless, keep doing your thing.
I went to Church camp last year and it was soo rad. The camp was hosted by Good Fight Ministries and I had an amazing time there. The teachings were awesome and I was also introduced to stargazing there as well. With a sweet cherry on top, most of the things that were on my bucket list were accomplished there through some of the games that were played and special things that we did. 🙏🙏🙌🙌😎⛪️✝️
I personaly never had this experience. The peaple at my church camp were realy nice and we got alot of personal time. If they could see somting was wrong they would talk to you. I personaly felt verry alone at camp cause i felt different and have issues with starting a conversation. They told my group and from that moment i felt more seen. It is sad that peaple have these expressionses with church or christian camp. I hope peaple in the future can have the same expressions i did. Feeling gods precens en not feeling alone. Thanks for reading god bless you 😊❤❤
It's so sad that there are Christians in the world who have such unpleasant camp experiences; church camp has always been something that brings me closer to God, so this video made me see how fortunate I am to have access to such good camps. Will be praying for church camps around the world !
I'm a member of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints, and I just got back from girls camp. It was my first year and It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. There was a lot of singing and yelling (nearly lost my voice) but It wasn't all the time. We also saved time for the spiritual things. We have our crying night too, but we call it testimony meeting. We all sit in a circle around a fire and (if we want to) we all take turns sharing our testimonies. It's never about guilt. It's always, always about love. Our love for the girls we met, our love for God and his son Jesus Christ, and how deeply our God and our Savior both treasure us all.
Not a sister, but the nearest thing I had to girls camp was Youth Conference. Up in Alaska youth came from all over the state. It was great, and I really looked forward to it every year.
Although I don’t deny the certainty that this is sadly some peoples experiences, my church camp was never this way. Yes, people were tired. And I, a huge extrovert who doesnt get overstimulated easily, was even crying on the first day. Not because I felt guilty. Because I knew I was surrounded by people filled with the spirit, which I had hardly experienced with my friends at home. I know this isnt everyone’s experience but I just wanted to say that for me, church camp WAS life changing. Was I tired by the end of it? Yes. Was I bawling because I was tired/guilty/overstimulated or because I felt Gods presence, I felt empathetic for the people who had shared their struggles, and happy for the people asking God into their heart. The second one!! Nobody in my tent was trauma dumping on each other. We were talking about the hot boys at camp, what boat driver we are wanting to go tubing with the next day, and asking each other if we can fart on command😂. We had small group talks after the sermon, but not everyone trauma dumped. I wouldnt even call it that to those who did. They were sharing their struggles in life and we would pray for them. Church camp was an amazing experience and I know it wasnt for everyone. But just know, to me and my friends, its one of the best weeks of the summer ❤️
That’s good that nobody was trauma dumping. Lol yes talk about hot boys you wanna hang out with and tubing and all those silly subjects. Love that you had such amazing camp friendships - I still am in touch with many of my camp friends & I am where I am today spiritually because of the amazing experiences I had at church camp.
I work at a Christian summer camp, and go to one every single year, and truly strongly believe Christian Camping is an incredibly powerful ministry. and I want to point out that a lot of camps have different types of camps that give different experiences. let me explain. every year my church Goes to a Camp Called Hume Lake. now Hume has 4 different Camps on its property. 2 of which are high school camps and then one middle school and one Elementary camp. the first of the two High School camps is your standard summer camp, high energy, loud music, which I usually go to. now I love this camp so much but the other camp is Called Wildwood. you stay in Cabin like tents and it is much more focused on discipleship and deepening your relationship with God, With Quiet time every day where you just sit and dive into the word/ pray. they have a whole afternoon dedicated to leaning how to break down passages of the bible. one of the days you get sent out for quite time for apparently like 6 hours. another thing about this camp is you have no way to tell the time. (in the main High school camp they let you keep your phone, you cant use it for any online stuff though because there is no service up there so people just use it as a clock or to take pictures with) they let you know when to move on to the next Activity by blowing a Conch shell. well I decided to go to that camp this year, and even though everyone else in my church was in main camp, I made some new friends and needless to say it was one of the most impactful weeks of my life. I strongly believe that camping ministry is incredibly powerful and important.
I love that. My youth camp is a lot more like your main camp it sounds like, though it still is super impactful for me, I’ll be going to our next month so I’m pretty excited for that, however I absolutely love the sound of the Wildwood camp. I think that could be far more impactful and important to Christians taking their walk with God serious and wanting to really grow closer to him, like myself. In fact just this year we started something a little like that but it’s an 8 week internship so you go to the church 2 days a week and really take time to dive into God’s word. I couldn’t make it because I had so much vacation going on this year but I’d love to try it out next year and see how it is. - Sorry for the rant haha, if you end up reading this, thanks. God Bless ✌️
I went to camp last year. There was games, there was a lot of fun. There was time to enjoy yourself and hang out with other teenagers. It was a safe place amongst the teenage cabin. But there was no guilt tripping, and only one altar call the ENTIRE week. I didn't go to bed thinking about what a bad kid I was. I was going to bed pondering on the pointers these preachers were giving on how to grow your relationship with God as a teenager, and being encouraged that it didn't matter my age, I could make a differance in my community. Yes, I did cry, but that was from the amazing music that brought me to tears when I realized just how great my God is. And as for a cry night, they substituted that for bringing in a former olympic star and american ninja warrior who had carried his testimony with him and his faith. And we had a fiery concert too, at the end. So yeah, camp was epic.
I’ve never felt guilty at church camp personally,having crying sessions and venting to friends helped me so much, they helped me leave my toxic frineds and im free now
I’m the type who cries in connection to multiple emotions, including joy. I’ve cried when reading the Bible and listening to worship music and it had nothing to do with guilt. I was just so overwhelmed by God and who He is. I loved my church camp as a kid. I hope to volunteer in connection to something like it one day.
I never remembered any guilt messages at summer camp. I do remember a lot of biblical games. that was on point. I guess the ones I went to had three daily sessions for worship and a lesson, but the rest of the time was spent swimming, doing crafts, playing sports, and eating snacks.
the overstimulation part is actually why I don't go on church camps despite wanting to. Not just lights and loud music but also the activities and lack of personal space. Good Video❤
I just wanted to say a massive thanks for making this video. Ive been planning a church camp for a while now and this video has helped me realised the issues we have in our current camp like over-emphasis on guilt. Thanks a lot! This video has rly blessed me
I grew up with a Christian mom, but I never went to church camp. The presence of God was very apparent in my house growing up. I loved that our home was always filled with beautiful gospel music and our road trips were too. My mom and I would do Bible studies and prayer together. God moved in my life from a very young age and all the glory goes to Him. I believe church camp can be a blessing to some, but maybe some will find that they are able to diligently seek God better just in their own home for that summer or every summer. (Not forsaking coming together to meet each week still.) Just allow the Lord to lead you. Ask Him about it and wait on Him quietly, with your mind on Christ, until you receive a response.
I went to church camp in my middle school years. Once where I got a terrible case of poison ivy and my super sweet counselor let me wear her wind breaker over it. ❤️ I hated it for the most part bc it was so overly stimulating and that didn't jive with who I am, personality-wise. There was only one borderline child endangerment activity and I sat that out, every year. My least favorite part was the absolute pressure to come forward, raise your hands the whole hour or more at the end of each night, to "let it all go" (cry), or get saved for the 4th time that week during "worship". I think Christian camp can be a wonderful, safe experience but these negatives need to be accounted for and addressed before it is.
It’s good for us to take time out of our busy lives to contemplate our behaviors and make commitments to change where needed. Camp and counselors help guide us during that process if we allow them to and if the camp and counselors are spiritually healthy and mature. A person is free to receive it or reject it. Prayers for that young lady.
I think my church camp was fairly intentional about not creating environments that were entirely emotion-led. We sang acapella, so no artificial volume/background music changes, no mood lighting, though we had the occasional bonfire singing. You were encouraged to talk to the adults/counselors if you had something on your heart. Baptisms/repentance weren’t done in large groups where you did it just because your friend was doing it, rather it was a private thing that you could share afterwards. I would like to think these things helped!
That sounds like you went to a church of Christ camp (as did I)! We did a campfire nightly except for midnight church on the middle weekend & when it was raining outside. Also we did have the baptisms but people studied individually & if you wanted to keep it a private thing that was fine. But I think people wanted to have the baptism with everybody there because it was only 50 people & we have some special traditions to celebrate the new brother or sister. There was some emphasis on the baptism being your own decision so often times even the person’s friends were surprised by the decision.
This was not my experience at church camp. I only went twice, and maybe I was too young to have experienced that side of it, but I don't recall ever having a message of guilt pushed upon us. I don't recall having a "cry night" or anything similar. In fact, the "church camp" that I went to was almost more secular, it felt more like just a really big fieldtrip with some friends and kids I kinda-sorta-almost knew. I belonged to a really big church when I was young and we collaborated with other churches in the area, so it was too big to feel particularly intimate. I do remember being tired and not wanting to leave the cabin most days, but that's mostly because I have never been the kind of person who could be constantly active - I still need a good day or two to recharge after social events, lol. For me, it was just a week of being out of my comfort zone for an exhausting amount of time with people I barely knew, because I was a very introverted child and my sister (who is a year and a half older than me) was always in another cabin. There were some fun experiences, though - I got to ride a horse, put on a dance number (very last-minute, but that's beside the point, lol), have a shaving cream fight, went swimming a lot and made some cool crafts. They had something called the "blob" which was a massive blow-up water floaty that you sit on and somebody else jumps and catapults you into the water...I did not do that, lol. It's very interesting to hear how different other people's church camp experiences were, some of them are very enlightening and I can understand why they might even be seen as traumatic. I guess it really just depends on the particular church and the person. Great review and word, Isaac.
I've been to different denominations. The camp she speaks of sounds very spirit filled...pentecostal. which I grew up with and loved actually. The kind u mention sounds very religious conservative like catholic or Baptist. Secular almost. I also went to camps like that. In those it was not God centered but they added a little teaching and maybe a song. I prefer the Holy Spirit filled kind :) but we have to remember no church is perfect bc it's ran by humans. On ly God is perfect. If we look for perfection in church we will church hop and forget about the main focus...God.
I just got back from church camp today. I have gone for many years but I used to always feel guilty for not receiving tongues. It was heavily encouraged and I felt pressured to receive the gift of tongues. I even ended up lying one year that I did receive it. I started feeling like I wasn’t worthy of tongues. After this was continually being pushed, I realized that tongues isn’t the only gift. I learned that there is a reason why God gave me certain talents and that they could be used for his ministry. I have come to terms that if God wants to give me tongues, that’s great, but if not, that’s completely fine. It’s all about God’s timing. I will continue to pray about what God has planned for me.
Honestly she is not describing my youth camp experience, she is describing the churches I was a part of in general growing up. A lot of Wednesday nights and youth events with the church through my school were like this. It got old real quick. And they preached the same handful of messages in different words. Honestly crazy!
I went on a Christian day trip once, and I remember how shocked I was when the trip leader told us it was prayer time, and we were instructed to spend an hour alone, completely silent, either praying or meditating or journaling, etc. Nowadays, I find time to pray like that so refreshing, and I'm a little surprised to hear of a church camp that didn't offer that.
I just got back from camp. I love it every time and would recommend people go. I also see where she is coming from. There, at least for me, isn't much alone time or places you can go to be alone. I would find myself just sitting in the bathroom stall for like 10 mins to just breathe as I find it hard to be social 24/7. We also had a "cry night" although I think that sounds so negative. we called it prayer night, and many people who went said it was their favorite night. We never did the trauma dumping so I can't relate to that. I also go a smaller camp so the music is very calm and not overstimulating (to me).
I just went to church camp recently and she is right about "cry night" but it wasn't a highlight of guilt but more of personal struggles. People come to church camp for the silly games and the sappy messages. It's a great way to form new resolutions with God and be vulnerable with people you might never see again.
I've only ever been to church camp once. I would say it was okay, just mainly games and Bible study. Although, I was that one kid whose mom would show up with tons of snacks so maybe my experience was a little too comfortable compared to others😂
i really appreciate how you went about listening to what the tiktoker had to say instead of just shutting it down completely because i think sometimes we as christians can get rapped up in the fact that we don't feel non-christains can call out things we are doing wrong when in reality we all still sinful whether we have God or not. really really good video
Woah, my church camp was nothing like that. Now it wasn’t perfect and I can certainly nit pick if I wanted to. But I felt we had real experiences with Jesus during our week. I mean some kids were so filled with the Holy Spirit that they couldn’t talk for the rest of the night. I still think about some of the experiences I had in His presence to this day. It was impactful.
I went to church camp for 4 summers throughout middle school and high school years. I remember lots of extreme sports and long days but the sermons talked a lot about the love and grace of Jesus. I don’t remember anyone talking about things that made me feel guilty. I definitely felt closer to the Holy Spirit and had a deep desire to keep that closeness after leaving. I developed a strong sense of right and wrong and lived with integrity. I cannot guess how my teen years would’ve been without church camp but I do know God used it to pull me closer to Him and develop a foundation and desire to seek Him. I also didn’t know much about worship music until I went to church camp. I think that also helped strengthen my Christian life. I found a new way to worship and started singing praises to Him everyday verse just on Sunday’s at church.
Never personally went to church camp but as an adult now and serving in my church and leaving off to the military, I’ve never been closer to Christ. It took about a year in but I’ve finally made Him my foundation in all areas of my life, not because the military but because He led me there and His plan for me involves it. Anyways for any younger folks reading this, fellowship is very important with other believers but a camp is not necessary, just have a real relationship with Christ, take up your cross and deny yourself, read your bible(preferably in the morning after prayer before you look at your phone, occasionally fast, serve others, and little bonus take notes at church!:) Great video Isaac and God bless
Love this, thank you for your testimony. Been wanting to take my walk with God more serious but my technology is the one thing that has been holding me back.
The cry session, trauma dump, leaving a “changed person” were spot on. Many churches try to get the youth to be more Christ like by invoking an emotional response through soft music and a soft-spoken preacher. The problem is, emotions are unsustainable. So you’ll come out of these camps feeling like a changed person…..but only for about a week.
I felt that at one of my church camps, but the second was amazing, and the counselors were amazing. They actually treated us like humans. Honestly the shamed part was more intense at my old church. We were pressured to be perfect. The majority of people there preached that yeah you aren't ever going to be perfect but that's where Jesus comes in, but treated people like one little mistake makes you a filthy person and you won't ever be enough for not just God(which I understand that part now), but also for everyone you're around.
Wow. Such a great perspective. As an extravert who gets recharged by being around people, when I was listening to her talk about never being alone at camp, I didn’t think about the people who get drained from being around people too much.
My experience at church FAMILY camp played an instrumental role in being able to turn back to Christ after years of addiction and isolation from my family. I never felt guilty or shamed at camp. It was the best time of year for us as a family from before my youngest sister was even born to when I was about 12; so about a decade. I fell into addiction because I deliberately turned from God to please the world around me, allowing darkness to slowly but surely to take over my life. Thank God He never turned His back on me ❤️🔥
Yes, at some church camps people at times get physically, mentally and even emotionally drained. However, personally, I left feeling spiritually fulfilled. There, you are surrounded by your people who have the same goal as you do: to get closer to God. In my experiences I learned so much about my faith and cultivated beautiful friendships. I never felt the bad guilt the girl in the video explained, but more of a good guilt. Something to push me to be a better person. I feel sorry for her since she didn’t have a good experience with it. Maybe she just went to the wrong one. God bless y’all ☦️♥️
I completely agree that the version of summer camp she described is terrible and unfortunately just like she described. I have been to a few. I "asked jesus into my heart" a few times during these. As a 38 year old believer who knows i was never saved then, I can say that the problem is that the camp didnt preach the gospel. I didnt understand it, but they sure convinced me i was saved that night.... boy am I glad God didnt leave me in that state. It is so sad that people experience this....
That is, if she is remembering the camp correctly (not trying to be mean). I think she had has a guilt complex and can't seem to heal from that from her church. The camp I went to, I was taught that sin was serious and we need Christ and the great news is that we are redeemed through His blood and have nothing to worry about. We had alter calls after the last service and there was no pressure to get saved and some went because they wanted to be saved. Are there some youth camps that is heavy guilty/hyped bs? Yes, and yet, there are plenty of camps that aren't culty.
@opticalraven1935 I agree that she has some issues. Pride and being angry about her situation are definitely two of them. I am glad to hear that your experience went well. Mine consisted of them trying to help me speak in tongues and trying to slay me in the spirit. All kinds of wild stuff. I can't say that an alter call is bad, or that God can't use that time, but in my experience, it breeds false converts, false security, and only helps the people running the event to be able to see what THEY did. There is nothing God can't do in the heart of a person from their seat that he can do at an altar. That is just not needed. Maybe a little tough on that idea since it gave me 20 years of false assurance and deception.
I worked four summers at Trout Creek Bible Camp. I was a camper there for 10 summers total. It is one of my favorite places on the planet. Going from camper to staff member you get to see behind the scenes. I cant speak for all camps, but what I saw was genuine care for the kids and a desire to serve the Lord. Guilt is not the main goal, nor should it be. Yes, some kids will end up feeling guilty and ashamed, but I think that satan wants them to feel that way. That's why its important for councelors to follow up with their campers-make sure their on the right track and give them the tools they need to further grow in their faith. The goal of a Bible camp should not be to convert as many kids as fast as possible, but to plant a seed that will hopefully produce fruit.
I only got to go to one church camp when I was in high school thanks to my mate who got me into youth group and it was wild, so fun. I am glad my church camp was not like this as much
I have been to church camp like 5-6 times and have never had an experience like this. Especially with the guilt thing but I’m sad that some have had that experience.
As a cabin leader i agree 100% that guilt tripping and manipulation is not the way to go. Im here not to show everyone they are a sinner but to help them see that despite their sin and despite what has been done to rhem or what they have done they are still worth sp much and God gives us grace and healing. And showing how we can give this up to the lord. And how we can put our identity in a solid unmovable truth. Are camps perfect? Heck no, we are human. We fail to. Overstimilation can def be a problem. For rest time i make it a prority to allow the campers that need space to get that quiet time to themselves. And we have alot of activitys that are calming and relaxing.
Excellent assessment, Isaac. I agree, the fire and brimstone approach is not quite right. On the flip side, not even talking about sin at all, is not the answer either. And, yes, keep it simple: do people really know the true Gospel of Jesus Christ? And by the way, congrats on your engagement! It sounds like you’ll be a lovely Biblical couple, and will become one flesh! God bless you and your future wife! In Jesus’s name, we pray, amen!
Her calling the bonding I had with my freind in my cabin "Trauma dumping " Is so demeaning, esspesially sinse they actually went through so much, and she sits there and belittles it.
I went to youth camp for many years. First as a student then as a counselor. I gotta say, a lot of what she's saying is true. There's too much focus on fun and entertainment and not enough on the spiritual stuff. A lot of emotion too. Sadly a lot of the crying is based on emotional stuff and not on repentance of sin or anything like that. I don't remember being guilt-tripped though. If anything I could've used some guilt lol.
I met God the first time at a church camp, and continued to go every year. It was always my favorite part of the year, and I wholeheartedly think it’s worth doing. It’s not perfect in every scenario, and often a good or bad experience lies on who your counselors and staff are. That being said, a lot of the pushback against church camp seems to be part of the greater deconstruction movement which can have many valid points, but my personal opinion is that generally it is unhelpful and over critical.
I never felt guilty at youth camp and i actually felt like i healed from a lot of hatred/sadness i had in my life. I made so many friends and will always look back on my experience with so much appreciation! But it’s not the same at every place!
What you said at the end wrapped it up so beautifully! "God's word will not return void - we don't need all the fluff to make it happen." Working in children's ministry I've seen this so many times; the hype happens and then comes the conviction, but as soon as the hype is gone the conviction is gone, and it makes me so sad to see such a big roadblock happening for the kids. Never knew exactly how to put my finger on it until you explained it so perfectly, so genuine thanks.
I’m not trying to boast it discourage what other people say but when I went to church camp it was such a wonderful experience and I got closer to God and met the best people
As the person who would be playing the piano fade out into Oceans, she was spot on. Even the part about all the girls trauma dumping at the end was super real. She described church camp to a tee. Like, the kids (even I too in high school) said we were changed people and then kinda would forget about camp altogether within a month or so and then rinse and repeat. I'm glad I'm not in that youth group anymore cuz even in high school I thought it was all a little weird but I showed up anyway cuz I need the services hours😅😂
I actively avoided church camp when I could. I was an anxious and introverted child and all that forced interaction with strangers and even overexposure to people I knew well, it burned me out quick. I could never focus on what I was actually there for because of the social dynamics
This resonated so much with me because I’m an introvert and I need a lot of time to myself. I went to a church camp for a day and I was so mentally exhausted by the end of the day that I immediately fell asleep when I got home. It was fun but I can’t do a week long church camp because I would be in so panicked and I would just want to go home. Thank you so much for mentioning that some people struggle with overstimulation and too much human interaction!!😭
This sort of manipulation happens when church leaders believe that they in any way are responsible for a person coming to Christ. In the Bible, the procedure was 1) proclaim the message that Christ came from the right hand of the Father to die a substitutionary death on the cross for sin, then 2) respond to people as they were called by God. No “altar call.” No offer of salvation (incredibly far above a man’s ability *or* authority). No emotional manipulation. None of these were needed. People usually came to the proclaimers to ask “What do I do?!”
Im going to the same church camp in two weeks, the first time i went was similar to how it was described by that girl, just missing the guilt aspect and replaced with a newfound reverence for God and a ton of new christian friends i still occasionally talk to and hang out with from other churches (mind you, after church camp i started to struggle with bisexuality, something i still unfortunately struggle with, and got my feelings hurt by a girl who played me. So there's that😅). But all in all it was a great experience. It definitely felt overstimulating to be around people constantly as an introvert, but for the most part things were fine. Im excited for the next time i go actually, ive been feeling a bit of a drift from God recently so having accountability partners 24/7 was something i prayed for (...not necessarily 24/7 but you get the point) so im hoping i get that this year😊
Bro I just got back from a DEEP church camp yesterday! (I love it as my 7th grade youth group always has important take aways.. and many good conversations!
This must be a generational issue, this was the same thing that most of my generation went through whether it was from the church, a Boy Scout weekend, or a simple getaway with the usual summer camp for many kids
I just got back from church camp yesterday and most of what she said was right. However there was no trauma dumping, only shared experiences like having an encounter with God or being prayed over. Previous years I always cried at camp, this year I only cried once while being prayed over. The only time they make you feel guilty is if you don't get your prayer language (tongues). I don't go to this church anymore but I still go to the church camp every year. They play the music so loud and the lights flash it triggers my panic attacks. I don't even have epilepsy and I feel like I'm gonna have a seizure or pass out. They were also very persistent in getting you to participate in the games. I am an introvert so I have fun doing nothing, the games are what make me bored or overstimulated. There is a handful of bad experiences that I've had but at the same time I have had encounters with God there. Overall it's nice to get out of the house especially because I never leave my house. I've been trying to get out more though so every year, it's a nice vacation.
Well, if she wants a "dump" of forgiveness, grace, yada dada da... there are a bunch of "churches" that will give that to her... I never went to church camp but I spent a lot of time in the world and what this young lady doesn't yet know is the "emotional manipulation" is part of life... I don't see her criticizing her parents for their use of emotion to teach and discipline... She's "throwing the baby out with the bathwater" I'll bet she has her own little "girl group" and they manipulate each other all the time...
@@Doom0728 - Upholding morality isn't emotional manipulation, we're all called to fight against our flesh. That guilt remains regardless of whether or not you're a Christian, however through Jesus, you can be forgiven. God bless
@@rockweirdo8147I’d much rather embrace reality than fantasy. I’m sure everyone here is just as moral as they were before learning God. I was in this global cult for 16 years, so I know better than that. You call it upholding morality, I call it manipulation when you trick people into believing that there’s an invisible magic sky wizard that’s judging them all the time and will burn forever if they don’t comply. Totally not manipulation…right?
@@Doom0728 - That only works if you have such a skewed view of God. We commit many sins in our lifetime, but God will look passed that, to love us, He'll forgive us. I don't know what experience you had with the church that made you feel this way, but I hope you'll come back to God.
@@rockweirdo8147 The only bad experience I had with the church was the artificially produced shame, guilt, and fear they put me because I believed I would go to hell if I didn’t please God. My view is not skewed. A real loving father God would not burn his children forever and I left the church because I realized I had no good reasons to justify believing in a God. I won’t “come back to God“, I believed for 16 years, I know better than that now. I’m too old to believe such stories.
I totally agree that some people put an over-emphasis on the condemnation for sins, and not enough the grace that God provided through Jesus Christ. One of those people being Ray Comfort. I was watching his videos, and overtime I was feeling like he was spreading fear of God instead of grace. We should fear Him, but this fear is more awe in the awesome power and love He has for us. How we should spread the Gospel is by talking about God's grace and forgiveness, not by scaring people into submission. Speak about our sins through love and truth, not fear. Thank you so much for the videos you make because you don't hide the truth and you say what sin is and why it is wrong, but you also talk about the wonderful grace and forgiveness that God provides. Please pray for Ray Comfort to stop trying to scare people into Christianity as we are supposed to follow Jesus out of love and not fear. Thanks you, stay safe and God bless!
This was my last year at church camp and we had a 5 hour worship session on "cry night" where many people cried, worshipped, praised God, prayed together, and talked amongst one another. I do think there was a rather guilt-tripish sermon before hand and the speaker seemed a bit angry even when no one responded. It wasnt until we all went to prayer on our own and were worshiping that suddenly there were tears everywhere. It felt very organic. Personally, I had cried every night at church camp and not because I was sad every night, but just cause I got so overwhelmed by the Lord's majesty and grace! Yes, church camp often overstimulates and tires out teenagers but for me its allowed me to be more honest with myself and express emotions I normally keep pent up. I used to hate church camp because I never felt like I belonged and thought everyone was fake. Yes. Some people probably were fake, and I still dont really feel like I fit in, but I am incredibly thankful for a place to openly praise the Father, learn about Him, and recognize that there is always room for growth!
I worked at church camp. A really good one that just changed my life in so many ways. I do understand some kids did not like it, but there were those who truly loved it and changed their lives. To me it worth it.
I’ve only been to message church camps, and the ones I’ve been to will have a devotional or speaker in the morning and church service every night. They have games in the middle of the day, they get the kids who like to sing to practice a song for the last day, they have some free time for getting ready for church or playing board games or hanging out. I’ve never been to a cry session. The leader in my dorms sometimes did a devotional and one lady gave us cool sun glassses and stickers. At night we would ask each other who we were interested in and if anyone got ‘heart sparkles’ as we called it then.
I love that we're all so different. Some people overthink everything and some of us can just enjoy and take what is being offered. Different things and ways of doing things cater to different people. Someone at her very church camp might be changed forever primarily because of God and Aldo because of the effort to create an environment such as this. Come to Africa...we showered in cold water at church camps (unless you woke up at 4am before the hot water finished), walked in mud, memorized Bible verses and had literally the time of our lives. We even has Sunday school camps from around age 10 where we spent a week at the camp. Big ups to those camp leaders because I doubt I'd take around 50 primary and middle school children for a week anywhere. But I wouldn't change my childhood for anything.
This is true. I can confirm after many times my parents tried finding churches in our regional area, some church youth camps were like this, whether it was non-denominational churches, evangelists or whatnot. Some camps were guilt-centred but some were still the contemporary Christian 'message' that aligns to what we strive for, and so on. The whole point is to find the church that is Biblically aligned to the message of who Christ is and what he can give us. If there's some stirring in one's heart that something's not right, then it's time to question and reason to see if the Church you go to is actually leading you to Christ.
I don’t know if it’s called “cry night” but the kids did go up on stage and repent of something.. this allowed my kids to understand that they are not alone, and to open up to me so I could help them. It was actually very helpful.
the camp i go to in the summer talks a lot about the “camp high” and how we need to actually take the things we’ve learned at camp into our lives and applying it
Man puts on a display of Jesus, and we think we have to sell Him. In reality, the relationship we have with Jesus pours out of us from us abiding under His shadow. We can wear Him like a t-shirt, put Him on when it is convenient or specific times, and when the lights turn off, the music stops playing, and the room is empty, we realize and look and see it’s just a mask we put on. And our relationship instead stems out of doing instead of abiding. I’m sorry that Jesus has been misrepresented to so many. He’s not some taskmaster who forces you to go to the Altar. He is kind and always waiting for you. When you are ready. Let us put our faith and trust in Christ alone, asking Him to lead us into places where we will be spiritually fed by the right hands, those who abide with Him through relationship. I love you all. Blessings!
Hey, camper here. I go to Mountain Top Youth Camp. Literally the theme for the week I last went to was accepting Jesus as your Savior, because He died on the cross to save you from sin. The speaker went over how Jesus calls unlikely people to be His disciples, while also going over how sin is bad. Overall, MTYC is a great camp, and while I did feel guilty at times for my actions, my leaders helped me through to grow in my relationship with God, which I think is a very good thing. And besides, I’m autistic, so the “guilt” stuff was probably from my brain’s personal comprehension instead of anything intended by the staff there.
@@apocalypseofplush There’s nothing to be guilty of, I’m autistic and I know that what they’re doing to you is emotional manipulation. There’s nothing to feel bad about if you did nothing. The guilt you felt was not personal interpretation, it was real.
Met my husband at church camp at age 17. We were friends for a few years and started dating. That obviously makes me glad I went but I didn't have the same experience as her. But one year we didn't go to the huge 500 kid summer camp and our youth pastor took a group of about 20 of us straight up tent camping in the woods. No frills, hype, or overstimulation. It was an awesome contrast to the norm and changed me deeply.
I feel very lucky that I was able to experience youth camp with my middle/and high school youth groups this summer. No emotional manipulation, no guilt-tripped altar calls, and most importantly time to rest (we called it "off your feet time"). The speaker taught right from The Word and the kids responded very well to it all - because the Word of God changes hearts and lives! This generation is hungry for truth and if we as leaders would just recognize that, we wouldn't feel the need for all of the "fluff" to entice kids to come to camp. I'm all for illustrations and games and having fun, but God's Word is what will truly change lives.💛
I went to a church camp for the first time it changed my life it was awesome and they did prey over us and half of us including me started crying but now god has been in my life so much more
Thank goodness we didn’t have church camp when I was growing up. As an introvert this would tire me quickly. I learn more on my own than with a large group. 💕
