by Steve Badger
Every Sunday all summer long thousands of vacationers visit state and federal parks and private campgrounds. To try to meet the spiritual needs of these travelers, many churches hold worship services at nearby campgrounds as part of their outreach ministries. Campground directors frequently encourage this and invite pastors and lay persons from churches in the vicinity to come and speak.
Here are several suggestions based on my experiences both as a participant and a leader of worship in this unique setting. I offer them to help those of you who may have an opportunity to organize one of these services.
Generally those who attend are Christians. Remember they won't all know each other and will have dissimilar denominational backgrounds. For these reasons, I suggest that vacationing Christians are best served by a camp worship service which simply emphasizes spiritual refreshment and encouragement.
If you have a burden for campground evangelism, don't use a camp worship service as a means to that end. There are better vehicles. For instance, you may choose to camp out yourself, get to know your fellow campers, and then share your faith in Jesus with them on a personal basis.
This does not rule out the possibility that the Holy Spirit may change your plans, but don't try to preach the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation in one Sunday morning. It is not necessary to impart every truth you know in one service.
Make sure most of what you say relates to your chosen topic. Recognizing your primary purpose will help you stick to your subject; then these two together will help you avoid the problem dealt with in the next point.
I have seen 30 people sit under a hot sun for more than an hour listening to a speaker who couldn't stay on one topic but instead seemed to be trying to share all his scriptural knowledge. Most of these folks thought they were going to a 30- to 40-minute worship service. This man should have noticed the heat of the day, the restlessness of the group, or at least the watch on his wrist, and closed the meeting. His insensitivity to the group's physical needs resulted in his failure to minister to their spiritual needs.
Usually camp services are held outdoors with primitive seating, open to the weather and insects, and subject to numerous distractions. It is a mistake to assume you can hold a group's attention for very long under these conditions. If the people are uncomfortable and inattentive, you are not likely to accomplish your goals.
When speaking at a multidenominational camp worship service, stay with the fundamentals of the gospel held in common by evangelical Christians. Certainly you should be true to our full gospel faith, but this is not the time or place for denominational preaching. Instead, try to inspire people to live out daily their faith in Jesus. Save denominational doctrines for those who stay to talk with you after such a refreshing worship service.
Perhaps one of your friends can introduce the leader of the service; another can lead the singing; another can lead in prayer; and another can testify or present a devotional. This should result in moving the service along smoothly, with a minimum of the boredom usually produced when the entire service revolves around one person.
You may dare to invite one of the campers to stand and testify. Of course, there is the possibility that no one will volunteer or, worse yet, that someone will stand and talk for a long time or try to push his own brand of denominationalism. If this happens, you had better be prepared to interrupt him gently and remind everyone of the time, or the heat of the day, or the fact that this is a multidenominational group. Then continue with the rest of the service, perhaps by singing a song everyone is likely to know. Cutting someone off may seem harsh; but if done with tact and gentleness, it will be worthwhile, and the rest of the group will be grateful.
Some campers may have their own Bibles, but bring along several for those who don't. Relatively inexpensive, durable paperback editions of the Bible serve the purpose well. You cannot expect anyone to show up with a songbook, however, so it's a good idea to have several of your own at hand.
It helps if you or one of your friends can play a portable musical instrument such as a guitar or autoharp. Should there be electrical outlets near the site of the worship service, you may consider using an amplifier and prerecorded accompaniment cassettes. If you use a battery-powered cassette player, be sure it provides sufficient amplification for the location.
Don't sing more than the first verse of most songs unless you have songbooks. Usually, it is a poor idea to teach the group more than one new song, and this should be short and easily learned.
Make it clear that you are gathered to worship Him, to fellowship with each other as we fellowship with Him, and to encourage each other to continue placing our trust completely in Him. Then close by asking any who haven't yet trusted Christ to stay and pray with you.
Sharing Jesus, worshipping Him, and preaching the Word in the midst of His outdoor creation can be an enriching and revitalizing experience for the campers and for you too. I sincerely hope you may have opportunity to take advantage of this special ministry of providing Christian campers with the opportunity not to forsake assembling themselves together.
Disclaimer: All of the ideas presented in this HTML document are entirely the responsibility of Steve Badger and in no way reflects the policies, ideas, or opinions of any other person or organization.
Copyright (C) 1984 Steve Badger
Document last revised: February 7, 1997
730 South Duke, Springfield, MO 65802
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