How Are Camps Organized in the Churches of Christ?

“How are camps organized in the churches of Christ?” someone inquires. Much of the time if not nearly always, Christian camps are organized by members of the churches of Christ instead of by one or more congregations of the churches of Christ. The distinction is that families who have a keen interest in the spiritual and physical welfare of their children and the children of others, too, arrange for camp facilities and camp activities for children. Several families may cooperate with each other to make a Christian camp possible.

On the other hand, a congregation may see a Christian camp as an opportunity for participating in one or more of the assignments for which the Lord’s church is responsible to the Lord. Usually, those church duties are recognized as involving benevolence, edification and evangelism. Therefore, it is possible that a congregation might view a Christian camp as an extension of its efforts toward edification – efforts that often manifest themselves in Bible classes and preaching. In addition, particularly when non-Christians attend (i.e., members’ children who have not obeyed the Gospel yet or children of non-members), a church may view its participation in a Christian camp as an extension of its effort to evangelize lost souls. Noting that some children who may benefit from attending a Christian camp cannot afford the nominal expenses required, a congregation may consider it a matter of benevolence along with edification or evangelism to make it financially possible for such children to attend.

Hence, how a Christian camp, for instance, is organized depends on whether it is the result of Christian parents banding together to provide for its existence, or whether a congregation of the Lord’s church considers it as an outgrowth of divine responsibilities (i.e., benevolence, edification or evangelism).