My greatest fear has been that our conference's change to camping ministry has created a lot of distrust of denominational leadership, which has resulted in a "fight." Regardless of whose fault the "fight" is, fighting divides and makes enemies, and pushes both sides to dig in and "finish it." That is scary. Because I love all of you. I think fighting will push people away from our churches, especially younger people. There are too many issues that we can effect together that we need the Next Generation's input on.

And that's the good that can come of this. Young people have found a reason to organize and get excited about effecting change in our denomination. I've been to a few sessions of the Missouri Annual Conference, and there are a lot of people my parents age and older who attend, share their voice, and vote. I don't know the exact number, or percentage, but those of age 13-30 are a very small number in my experience. We need more young people to take an active role at these formal levels of the church governance. The system will change with new people involved, and decisions like this one about MOUM Camps will hopefully happen differently.

Anyone who is confirmed in the United Methodist Church is a voting member of the UMC and can serve on all teams, committees, boards, etc. The only one that has an age requirement is the Trustees, which requires you to be 18 or older to vote. You can even be a delegate to Annual Conference, Jurisdictional Conference, and General Conference. If I'm wrong about this, I hope somebody will correct me. Even if you're not an official delegate, you can still come and show support even if you can't have an official voice or vote.

First, you need to get elected as a delegate to Annual Conference. Your pastor is the chair of the nominations committee, so you need to convince her (or him) to nominate you for leadership in the church. Specifically as a delegate to annual conference. This means, you need to prove that you're qualified and responsible to do the job your church is asking you to do. This is not just about you getting your way, but this is a responsibility for serving the whole body of our church. This will not be easy. It is possible that position is currently held by someone unwilling to let it go, and may feel "replaced" or "unwanted." That's not really your job to worry about because your pastor should take care of that. But, I want you to be aware that it could cause trouble that's not your fault. These nominations are approved at charge conference, which should be happening very soon, and may have already happened. Hopefully, you're not too late. If you can't convince the pastor ahead of charge conference, you could still nominate yourself at the Charge Conference. This will cause trouble too because most of the business has already been decided and just needs a rubber stamp of approval. You can also ask your District Superintendent if you can be a District At-Large Delegate. I also think there are some Youth At-Large delegate positions. Either way, you'll want to get this done in the next few months before the spots are gone.

The conference also has a nominations team. If you're interested in giving your time, energy and money to work on one of the conference teams/boards/committees, then talk to your pastor and figure out how to get your name in the hat. I think this last year, there was an online submission process. I remember getting emails about it. At the very least, you can find a conference journal and see who the nominations chair is, and ask that person.

If you do manage to get elected as a delegate, then you'll need to get prepared and invested in the denomination and the Annual Conference. You will need a working knowledge of parliamentary procedure. You will need to research the budget and the issues. If you have a specific cause you're working for you'll need to make sure your position is intelligently and coherently put together and not just based on dramatic whims and feelings. Be prepared to listen, let go, see things differently, and be changed as much as you are to speak and fight for change.

You need to be prepared to sit through some boring stuff. Also be prepared to try to participate in worship amidst distractions and a business meeting atmosphere. It won't be worship services like what you're used to at church. Be prepared for workshops and chances to learn stuff to take back to your church. Be prepared to get up early during your summer vacation so you can make the morning bible study session. It will be a time to network and make new friends and enjoy spending time together.

The Missouri Annual Conference has a method for how they place business on the agenda of the Annual Conference Session. You need to figure out that process and follow it perfectly. I think I can summarize this ok, but I'll be honest, I'm lazy and don't know the details. Basically, there's a deadline that things must be submitted to the Mission Council or some other team who will determine whether or not it is worthy for us to take up as business. If you miss the deadline or have a poorly worded or researched idea, then it probably won't make it. I could be wrong. Truth is I don't know really what the standards are for judging whether a proposal or resolution is worth the time of Annual Conference. I've never really worked on one before (shame on me). Anyway, you will need to have some idea of what our procedures are for getting things done. You probably won't be able to get much done this first year because you're not "in" yet (if you know what I mean). Maybe once you've earned your keep, then you can influence things.

You (and if you're under 18, probably your parents) will have to make some sacrifices for you to attend the session of AC, and even more if you serve on a team/board/committee. It will take your time, money, and energy. You will probably rather do something else like play sports or video games, go on the family vacation, not miss that important activity (graduation, prom, state competition, senior trip, Boy/Girl Scout Camp, etc.). By making this a priority, you are forsaking others and it may cost you (grades, scholarships, state championships, etc.). It will be a sacrifice that pastors like me don't make because we're paid to do this stuff. Your parents will have to transport you or arrange for transportation. Also, if you're under 18, there will need to be supervision for safety/liability reasons, fortunately, the conference has a way for you to register as a youth delegate and will help coordinate that...or at least they used to, and I assume they still do and will into the future. The bottom line here is it's going to take some difficult sacrifices, and if you're under 18 or don't have your own transportation, those sacrifices will include your family too.

I truly hope to see more young people engage at the Annual Conference level and in leadership in their local churches. This camp thing may be a catalyst for that. I hope so. Why? Because: AIDS, Malaria, LGBTQ issues, marriage equality, war, violence, poverty, global health, suicide rates, drugs, human trafficking, global warming, civil rights, declining congregations, a UMC whose average age is 57, etc. These are all things that we can effect in a greater way together than we can separately. We need the voice, vote, influence, and energy of people age 13-30 who are baptized professing members of our churches. These are issues well worth our sacrifices, time and effort to organize ourselves to work together on. This is not just about helping our churches and properties survive, but changing the world and our neighborhoods.

So please, don't get angry and disillusioned and walk away. Work with the system, and through the system, as disheartening as it can be. Don't let your energy die out. Use this as inspiration to really do something great for the world and our Church. Organize, listen, learn, engage. We have a lot of work to do, major work.

The election of Jurisdictional Conference and General Conference delegates will be happening this year. Who knows, maybe Missouri can send the youngest delegation ever. We can only hope.

I'm not saying that anything has been hidden, or that we've been deceived. I'm saying this change in direction has more to do with combining Camping & Retreat Ministries with Youth Ministries (CCYM) into the new "Next Generation Ministries" than we may realize. So, a lot of the conversations leading up to this change were a part of aligning the conference ministries with the mission statement: "leading congregations to lead people to actively follow Jesus Christ." (side note: I've always thought the word "actively" was unnecessary or redundant because isn't following an action? can you passively or inactively follow? I think those would be "not following".) The impression that people seem to have is that this emphasis is just a Missouri Conference thing. It bothers a lot of us because it appears to make us more congregational in polity rather than connectional. For example, I've seen this post passed around on the interwebs, and it's titled "Disconnecting Missouri Methodism." The fear that we are becoming more congregational may be valid (I don't think so), but it's not a Missouri specific thing.

In addition to our mission statement, the Missouri Conference of the UMC has the following vision: "Growing, fruitful, vibrant congregations changing lives through Jesus Christ." This also puts an emphasis on local congregations, and seemingly away from our connectional nature and more towards congregationalism. However, this is not just a Missouri thing. It's a Council of Bishops and Connectional Table thing. It's a denomination thing.

A while back (2008), the Council of Bishops and The Connectional Table announced the "Four Areas of Focus." You can read an overview of it at the umc.org website. Among those four foci (is that how you pluralize that?) is...drum roll please..."Growing Vital Churches." Specifically, the focus is on planting NEW churches (actual wording is "new faith communities") and creating NEW ways for people to connect with God and The Church. But, they also include renewing existing churches. If you dig deeper and click the link to find out what they mean by "Growing Vital Churches," you will find more details for the vision of what exactly a vital church is. One of the components of a vital congregation is..."strong children's and youth ministries." (Note this as an emphasis on "Next Generation Ministries.")

What prompted this vision for our denomination? Why is there an emphasis on strengthening local congregations? Why emphasize children's and youth ministries? Here's what the website says:

The vision of emphasizing these Four Areas of Focus is "not for the next quadrennium, but for as far as the eye can see." We will be living into this vision for many many years to come. I think it's a great vision for us to strive for wholeheartedly. (Personal Confession: In fact, I wish I would have paid more attention to our Bishop announcing this stuff and found all of the material on the website sooner.) In order for us to truly be connectional and accomplish this vision, we need Vital Congregations. Without vital congregations, we won't have a denomination to be connected to. The good news is, someone has done a lot of work to show us how to develop a vital congregation. The website has this PDF document that your church can use as a guide to implement what they call "drivers of vitality," which are things that help the church fulfill the vision of a "vital congregation." The first (of sixteen) drivers of vitality is focused on small groups for all ages. The next two are focused on Children's and Youth Ministries. So again, there is an emphasis on "Next Generation Ministries."

I'm pointing all of this out because I want us to see that this is bigger than just the Missouri Conference, Bishop Schnase, Rev. Garrett Drake, and the Camping & Retreat Ministries Board. Sure, maybe the Missouri Conference is somewhat of a pioneer on shifting the focus to local congregations since this began for us prior to 2008, but still, this is not about people leading us away into congregationalism. This is about the future of The Church, our church, the United Methodist Church.

On the one hand, it looks like we've taken support away for Next Generation Ministries because first we closed our campus ministries, now we're closing campsites, and soon CCYM will be different. But in reality, we haven't had this type of concerted focused effort and alignment of resources to reach the next generation and form new communities of faith that reach the next generation. I give kudos to our Bishop for slowly (he's been here 10 years now) and persistently leading and influencing us to re-align our mission and vision and way of doing things (budget and staffing) to actually catalyze next generation ministries in our local churches. Did you see the stat above? The Average United Methodist Is 57 Years Old. Our conference leadership is being intentional about trying to change this. (And I am unique: one of only 850 people in the world who are under age 35 and ordained UMC clergy. Woo Hoo! Go me! Maybe if the process didn't take so long we'd have more, but that's a whole 'nother issue.)

These two emphases, vital congregations and next generation ministries, are critical for our church worldwide, and especially in the US. This vision is an effort to recapture the original Methodist Movement, not an institution. The Movement was always focused on small groups in local congregations who lived out their faith in their local communities. The local congregation (the people, not the building) is the primary locale that people connect with The Church.

To sum it up, I'm trying to say that this change is connected to more than just finances or ambitions. I'm trying to say that this is not us devolving into congregationalism. This is not denominational leadership sticking more to selfish ambition of growing a great organization. No, instead, this focus is deeply rooted in a desire to see us living as followers of Jesus Christ, disciples who care for the poor, lead our communities with integrity, and improve world health (historically Methodist emphases). We do this at the most basic level through our local congregations in communities, cities, towns, neighborhoods across the globe. People connect to people. The Church is people who connect people to the person of Christ. This vision is not necessarily trying to save a denomination, but it's trying to do the important work of continuing the Methodist way of Following Jesus Christ. Even if the denomination ever goes away, I think there will still be people who follow the Jesus Way in a Methodist Style, and I think these Four Areas of Focus capture that and it's well worth giving my life to...even if I won't get to use the same camp facility that I have grown to love.

It has been two weeks since the Camping & Retreat Ministries Board of the Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church announced that the Conference's four campsite properties would be shut down. This, rightly, grieved all of people who have a connection to those camps, including the Camping Board themselves. The grief is further compounded by the way the decision and announcement were made. I myself, didn't help much when I used an incendiary title as click bait ("no one cares") so that I could try to help people channel their grief and anger in a useful direction (reaching the countless youth in our communities who aren't a part of the church). Maybe my intentions were good, but my tact and timing were terrible. Some have asked me to take down the blog posts, but I'm not. It's a story of holding each other accountable for living in a Christ-like way, even in the midst of anger and grief.

And that's what inspired my last post on the subject, "Saying 'They Don't Care About the Next Generation' Needs to Stop." I was always taught growing up, "Be angry, but in your anger, do not sin." I believe that's in the Bible, Ephesians 4:26. So it really bothered me of how some people were talking and posting publicly about other brothers and sisters in Christ. It really upset me. I guess Facebook and other social media are places that people vent their frustrations, but I've learned that's not a good idea. Facebook and Twitter are virtually public. It's one thing to share how you feel in a private conversation and seeking guidance on what you should do with those thoughts and feelings. But publicly spreading ill-will and false ideas about people is not a good idea, no matter how true or right you may feel. You have every right to grieve, to feel and think those things, and even say things privately to people. But know those are your emotions and may not be true enough to be posted publicly, or even for you to believe them once you've settled down. I really want to see us come together as brothers and sisters in Christ with grace, truth, love and mercy. So I'm not going to take down that post either. I'll admit, it's not a good thing to try to tell grieving people what they can or can't feel/think/say. I am sorry that I did that. But I do think that as a Christian, I need to not let my grief be an excuse to hurt others and do harmful things.

In my first post on this subject, I clearly said "I will not be joining a movement to #SaveMOUMcamps." I haven't, and I don't plan to. But, I do want to save United Methodist Church Camp Ministries. I have attachments and memories to 3 out of the 4 properties, but I have always known that the people we reach through the ministry we do is what's more important than property. I want to be a change agent to see United Methodist Church Camp Ministries flourish. In fact, that's why I became an Event Director seven years ago. When I first arrived to be an event director in 2007, I knew the campsites and camping ministry were in trouble. The camp I was at had 96 beds, but the registration for the week of camp I inherited was only around 30. The property itself was old, worn out, and barely usable. I was surprised anybody would want to come to camp there. But, my Event Co-Director (and friend) and I knew that if we could focus everyone on Christ, the amenities and empty space wouldn't matter. We also knew we wanted to see all of those beds filled.

The next year, we nearly doubled in size to about 55. I and the Co-Director took one for the team and stayed in the oldest, yuckiest, unkempt cabin on the grounds because the other beds needed to be used. We filled the worship space with so many people and energy, that the A/C couldn't keep up, and we knew we had to find a different place to worship (or move to a different location, possibly CMU). So we went on planning, preparing and praying for year three. Fortunately, the Lord provides. There was an old barn that had been used for horses, but was no longer being used much. At a planning session at camp that spring, we prayed and as soon as we said "Amen" we looked at each other and said "What about the barn." It became our "worship barn." All of the cabins had to be used to hold over 60 students and then counselors on top of that. If I remember right, we were just over 80 people that year. Then, in the fourth year, we had 105 total people...for 96 beds. We slept on mattresses on the floor. I'm not saying all this to brag about success. I want to point something out, I care about camp ministry in Missouri done by United Methodists. I've been wanting to SAVE camps for at least 7 years now. Over those 7 years, that camp property has seen a lot of improvements. It is MUCH better than when we started. I like to think partly because of the experiences that campers had and went back to their church saying how important and valuable camp is. Churches gave funds. Churches helped remodel. Churches sent more kids.

I don't think anyone is arguing with the fact that Camping & Retreat ministries are valuable to individuals who experience them, and that churches benefit from them. These ministries are important, and will continue. The impact they have on campers' lives is priceless. Those same campers usually become more involved in their local churches, and those churches are energized. These ministries must continue.

The camping board knows this, and they are deeply committed to continuing the camping and retreat ministries. The Camping Board had a meeting this past Monday, and they allowed some of us to sit in and listen to all that they had looked at when making the decision for this new direction. Most of the explanation did not focus on money and property (though it probably should have). They focused on the Missouri Conference's Mission & their mission as a camp board. The conference mission is to lead congregations to lead people to active faith in Jesus Christ. At a visioning retreat, the camp board decided their mission would be a similar, focusing on the fruitful practice of "Intentional Faith Development." The mission statement they put down on paper is: "Leading local churches of the Missouri Conference in intentional faith development of children and teens." Then basically, they hit a "do-over" button by starting with this question: "If we started from scratch, and wanted to find the best way to help local churches intentionally develop the faith of the next generation (age 0-25), then how would we do camping and retreat ministries?" 

They then asked, what are the "wins" or desired outcomes if we are accomplishing this mission well? These are what they identified.

• Multiplication of Discipleship (making disciples who make disciples; IMO our churches need to be better at this at all age-groups)
• More involvement in our camping ministries, which includes numbers of participants and numbers of churches
• More involvement of teens and children in local church worship services (the average age of our church attenders should trend down closer to the age of our communities, not 20 years (or more) older)

The next question then was, what strategies do we use to accomplish these wins? This is where new ideas developed, property/financial issues were discussed, and alignment with the conference vision/direction was presented. I'll talk about alignment first. Already, our conference has developed processes for churches to have consultations to help them be/become "growing, vibrant, healthy churches." We have a consultation process for college-age ministry, and now with Next Generation Ministries, we have a consultation process in development to help with youth and children's ministries. There was a clear intention by the board to focus camping ministry on the Next Generation Ministries, which will eventually include workcamps and other ministries focused on helping churches reach those age 0-25. I basically see this as shuffling around what we do. Like re-organizing your kitchen or your clothes drawers. Instead of pots and pans in separate drawers, let's put them together in this one bigger drawer. Instead of having a socks & underwear drawer, I'll keep my socks separate and put my underwear with my undershirts. Of course, it's a little bit deeper than that when you're talking about an organization's Vision and how they implement it, but the bottom line is the same things keep happening, just a little differently, in a different place, with a different name. The conference has decided to put staff and resources into helping churches reach the next generation, so the camp board said, "We are all in!"

The truly new idea that was discussed is mobile camping. Rev. Garrett Drake toured the country learning from others who do mobile camps. These are not strictly "Day Camps" (though it could be), or a Vacation Bible School, but could be more time than VBS and involve an overnight component. This is really exciting to me because my two churches aren't necessarily capable of pulling of something like this really well at the scale it needs to be in order to reach my community. But, if the conference and some other churches collaborate together, we could reach families that are not currently apart of any church, people who don't know Jesus Christ. That's exciting. I know some people are afraid this won't work well, but I always tell folks (and my 5-yr-old), "you don't know until you try."

As for our four properties, basically, the question the board asked is "Are managing these four properties the best way to provide camping and retreat experiences for the next generation?" As we know, the board said "No, they're not." The reasoning is, we are not historically good property managers. Because of decreased funding, and increased costs, we choose to defer as much maintenance and improvements as possible so that we can get by on the bare minimum. We do not manage these properties with excellence. If we allow for camping ministries to operate at other sites that we don't have to manage, we could do our camping programs/ministries much better and at a reduced cost. Local churches would still get the benefits of camping experiences, and the cost would be less. While not a lot of the details were shared as to what property issues exist, enough was shared that I was amazed at the costs to keep the properties open, then add to that improvements needed to provide an experience that relates to post-2014 kids and teens.

So that's basically how the camp board came to their decision to close the four properties. They wanted to find the best way to help congregations intentionally develop the faith the next generation through camping ministries. They decided "We love camping ministry so much, and know how valuable it is to reaching young people and impacting churches that we need to find a way to continue it even if we can't keep our four properties." I recently had to trade-in a sporty little hatchback car for a mini-van because we became foster parents and went from 1 child to 3 in a matter of months. I still miss that car, but the minivan is better in the long-run. Even if I don't get to drive it that much. (That's probably a terrible metaphor, but it's what came to mind.) It was the best thing for all of my family. I hope and have faith that this change is the best thing for the future of our churches and The Missouri Conference. I hope you will too.

Another quick thought about United Methodist Camps in Missouri. I know I was the one who said, "nobody cares." I clarified what I meant. In fact, I think there are those hurt by this change that have felt like "nobody cares" in the sense that those in power aren't listening and don't care. I've heard it said that by the way this change was done we have offended a whole generation (not really, just those with a connection to our camps, this generation is way bigger than that). I've heard that we will lose our future leaders because of these actions. And the conclusion is that "they" don't care. You can feel that and say that, but don't believe it. I need you to know that "they" do care.

I understand you're grieving and upset over the loss of a physical place and what you're used to. I understand we are upset for how this change was made because "I didn't get a say in it" (many of us didn't get a voice or vote). But don't let your anger trick you into thinking that the people of the camping board, Rev. Garrett Drake, and Bishop Schnase don't care. They care deeply, and are sincerely and fervently committed to reaching the next generation.

For example, Rev. Jon Spalding is on the Camping Board and was involved in these changes to some degree. If it weren't for his commitment to youth ministry, I may not be the Christ-follower I am today. When I was a teenager, he was one of the pastors who chose to sacrifice some of his precious time to invest in teenagers like me. I know he cares deeply about reaching the next generation.

This change is saying, we care so much about reaching the next generation, that we are willing to let go of something we are very attached to. Something that is very valued and has done us a lot of good. Something we know that God has used to reach numerous people. It is truly priceless. We are willing to let it go so that we can do even better.

See, the question that keeps coming to mind is, why aren't people giving their lives to Christ in our churches like they do at camp? We have way more churches than camps. We could be multiplying the kingdom of God in much greater ways through our congregations. To be totally honest, this question is very convicting of ME. For the last 8 years, I have poured time and energy and efforts and my friends and my own funds into leading a week of church camp to reach teenagers for Christ, teenagers who usually have some church connection already. What if I poured that same time, energy, effort, and money into reaching the teenagers in my neighborhood and local schools? What if I poured that same amount of resources into meeting teenagers who have no connection to a church or Christ? What if I did that and they gave their lives to Christ in my church and were baptized? What if their parents and siblings came too and gave their lives to Christ? If just 10 new people, who never knew Jesus came to have faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior in my church this year, that would revive and renew my church in ways of which I've only dreamed. Maybe it's because I put my efforts into what I've always known and what's safe for me, instead of taking the risk to truly reach those of the next generation who aren't connected to a church and don't know Jesus Christ.

We do care, a lot. We are committed to engaging and reaching the next generation, and we will.

(Writing that last full paragraph breaks my heart because there's only three and a half months left to 2015, and I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that not even one person who doesn't know Jesus will give their life to Christ in either of the churches I serve. I have tears right now. I know this because I fill out the reports every year. Most of the baptisms are infants, children, or confirmands. Most of the new members are transfers or people who are already baptized Christians. If my one job is to be a missionary and lead people to Jesus Christ, and that's not happening, then what in the heck am I doing?)

Ok, I'm a fairly new blogger. So I don't really know exactly what I'm doing. But I'm finding that I've made a mistake here. I used an inflammatory title and phrasing to get clicks, readers, and a response. Unfortunately, doing that has misconstrued what I am trying to say and accomplish. Yes it got me noticed. But it did not end up representing myself well. I'm not backtracking on my ideas, but I am sorry for how I chose to express them. It was offensive to those who are deeply grieved, and it gave the impression that I don't care. I do care, a lot. That's why I am writing about it publicly.

Having had some more time to think about it, I would like to summarize my main thoughts about this change to MO UM Camping. ALSO, I will be an equal opportunity offender because I have another post I'm working on that would probably offend the "other side" (I don't like splitting this into sides because we are one church, one team) as well. Here's the summary:

I do think/feel the communication of this was handled poorly. It does feel to me that there was a lack of transparency in how this decision was made and carried out. All of the truth may have been told, but because of the way things were communicated it gives the impression that we may never really know. Although, I'm not sure there were many other options when it comes to a change/decision of this magnitude.

The decision to close campsites hurts me and all of those who are and have been connected to United Methodist Camps in Missouri. I had God-experiences (and other memories) at 3 out of 4 of these camps both as a youth and an adult. So I'm not overly attached to one campsite in particular. It doesn't seem to bother me as much as some of my friends and the students I've ministered with at the campsites. What's important to me is providing the spiritual opportunities for teenagers to experience and know God in life-changing ways. That can (and does) happen anywhere. And I'm excited to see it happen in new places and in new ways.

The Camping Board and the Conference Staff and Mission Council who were involved in this decision are part of the Missouri Conference. I am part of the Missouri Conference. Anyone baptized in or who is a member of a United Methodist Church in Missouri is a part of the Missouri Conference. We are in this together. There is no "us vs. them," but only us. We are on the same team. Also, even more importantly, anyone who is a baptized Christian actively following Christ is a part of the ONE BODY of Christ. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ. AND, we are all made in God's Image and therefore connected to one another.

We share a covenant together. Those who are ordained in the UMC share a publicly ritualized and deep covenant with the Church and one another. The covenant of ordination as Elder is one of leadership in the United Methodist Church. It involves a commitment to integrity. There have been some so hurt and grieved by this change that they are calling into question the integrity of the people who made this decision. This needs to stop. Yes we are all broken, and we are sinners, and no one is perfect. But this covenant means we are forgiving, and we trust that no one is intentionally and maliciously trying to do harm. If there has been impropriety, the proper response would be to approach it with grace, truth and love. As my father always taught me: "two wrongs don't make a right." This is an opportunity to show Christ's love and build up the body of Christ, not tear it down. You would only be hurting yourself.

I appreciate how Rev. David Israel has emphasized that our entire Missouri Conference played a role in under-funding camps. He basically says that the fact that we have gotten to this point is more of a "shame on us," rather than a "shame on you." We need to come together and work together because we have the same purpose: To Make Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World. These are your teammates, brothers & sisters, not enemies.

I have posted on Facebook to the students I lead for a week at Camp Jo-Ota, that somehow, some way, we will do something. Not only this, but there WILL be camps this summer of 2015. They will be in a different place. They will not be what past camps have been. They will be different. But, God is already there. God is already at work. Students will experience God and make commitments to follow Christ. AND, even though some of us may refuse to admit it, this may become more than we could ever ask or imagine. Not because this is the best decision. But because that's just how awesome God is. New life (resurrection) isn't just something God does, it's who God is. That's what Jesus is all about (John 11:25), "resurrection and life." This decision does NOT reflect a lack of commitment to camping and "the next generation." In fact, it is the exact opposite. This decision was made because of a deep commitment to camping/retreats and "the next generation." (I really appreciate Rev. Trevor Dancer's "bird's eye view" of the change, which speaks to the commitment to reach "the next generation" not just for 5, 10 or 15 years, but well beyond that.)

There are nearly 1 million school-aged people across our state. According to the reports that each of our local churches turn in to the Annual Conference, only about 60,000 of those are connected to a local United Methodist Church. That's six percent. (**See note below about camp participation numbers.) We shouldn't be satisfied with this. If our local churches had been living out a deep commitment to reaching school-aged people, then our camps would have been so overflowing that it would have been easy to maintain and operate them. I believe many of our churches and leaders (pastors) have neglected this mission field. There are a lot of reasons for that. But a lot of our churches do not have anyone or very few people under age 50. I've served churches where myself and my family were the youngest ones by a generation or more (until I worked to start a youth ministry). This is what I was trying to say when I said "no one cares, or at least no one is noticing." Sure, there are a good number of people who care and who are noticing, but when compared to the general population, it's not many. The people who care and are noticing are those who have a connection to United Methodist Camps in Missouri. Sadly, that's a small number. Not because the site directors and other camp staff or camping board did a bad job, but because local churches have failed to reach young people. Now, it's not ALL churches. There are quite a few who are doing well in this. But a majority of us are not. Even some of our larger churches have small youth ministries. There is no quick fix or magic bullet for this. But we must not give up or expect someone else to do this for us or think "it will just happen". We must persevere and keep trying to reach young people.

Some have responded saying that over-emphasizing evangelism is bad because you need to feed people before they can feed others. This makes logical sense. Another person responded saying that families need to do a better job of shaping their children as Christians at home (I totally agree with that), and church should be a place where families learn how to do that (I agree). I still say outward-focus is key to a healthy church. That doesn't mean you neglect equipping people for ministry and a life of Christ-following, but it does mean we are always pushing each other back into the world, much like the hymn "In the Garden" says near the end:

As for feeding people before they can feed others. I feed myself, most of us do, unless you're an infant. I happen to have an infant in my home right now and at 9 months was already starting to hold his own bottle and feed himself. To use the cliché, "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." There's two issues here churches need to work on. One, are we leading people to the life-giving water (or spiritual food)? I say, not if we're contained within the four walls of a building or only in relationship with fellow Christians. When we meet people, we meet God. Remember, every human was originally created in the Image of God. God is already there, but are you taking the risks to meet God among the people of your community. Try it. Take the risk. It is amazing how spiritually nurturing it is to see God at work in people's lives. And God is at work within people, ALL people, whether we/they know it or not. It is our job as Christians to help them make the connection and see God, see Christ.

Second, most of us (Missouri United Methodists or just USA Christians in general) are usually pretty satisfied and content. Our bellies are satisfied, and we have plenty of stuff. And we go around convincing ourselves and others that we are "OK." Sometimes, I'll skip a meal or two. Sometimes I'll even complain to someone near me that I'm hungry. I may even exaggerate and say, "starving." And if I'm hungry enough, I find food. I may wait a while and see if someone else is going to take care of me, but eventually, I find a way to eat. And if I'm hungry enough, I'll eat stuff I normally wouldn't, and I'll put forth a great effort to find food and prepare it and consume it. Maybe we need to get hungry again. Maybe we need to get desperate for God again. Maybe we, the Church need to help people be desperate for God again. We are distracted by all of the visible and temporary things we have and enjoy, when what we really need is the invisible and eternal source and author of life, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. From the source of these invisible things, we participate with God building the visible kingdom of heaven on earth, in our communities. The invisible is already there, we get to help people see it and experience it.

That's what camping did for me, and many others, and why it's important. But I wouldn't have known about camp, unless a church had first reached out to me and my family. The future of United Methodist Camping in Missouri depends upon how well our local churches are connecting and building relationships with people we don't yet know in our communities. I know that's easier said than done, but I'm committed to continually figuring it out over and over and over again because the same thing won't work for all people, places, and times. But the bottom line is relationships, and at the core of that is love; radical, crazy, risk-taking Jesus-love.

That about covers it. I hope that is more clear and less offensive.

Since my post on Friday, I've had a number of different people reply to me. And, I've seen a few other people voice their feelings and thoughts with most of them being helpful. So I'd like to share a few links to those, and then I'll say something that might bother some. Here we go...

Rev. David Israel was the President of the Camping & Retreat Ministries Board in the Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church for a number of years prior to 2012 when he handed it over to the current regime. He shares some wonderful background and insight/response to the change that United Methodists in Missouri are experiencing about camping ministry.

His first post points out what David calls, "the idolatry of geography." Which is something pretty much all of us are guilty of at one time or another. You can read the full post here, but the gist of it is this: the campsites are just physical places; it's the relationships and spiritual formation that takes place that make them special. Basically, we should be more attached to God and people, than property. That makes sense to me, and it should to you too.

His second post points out a little bit about how we got to here. He gives background on some of the other changes that led up to this point. It is information that I really didn't know, but is helpful to understand. He will continue to post and update his blog with his insight, so you can check it out. I'm curious to see his next post.

The best post I've seen about the feelings that many have about this change to camping & retreat ministry in The Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church is by my friend and colleague, Andy Bryan. You can read his post here. I know I identify with it, and I hope you do too. It's difficult to handle, but we will press on.

Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration because some people do care, but Nobody Is Watching Us and What We Are Doing About Camps. This is Missouri. We recently had a big event happen (and activity continues) in Ferguson, MO. Our Governor, Jay Nixon, said that the whole world was watching us and how we handle it. Well, here's some news, none of the rest of the world is watching how the Missouri Conference of the UMC does camping and retreat ministry.

I say this because some people have felt like the powers who made this decision are offending and neglecting the "Next Generation." The Next Generation is who we are supposed to be trying to reach; we all agree on that. No matter whether you're with this decision or against it, reaching young people is a top priority for the church. Here's the deal though, 90% or more of those people in Missouri who are age 8-18, do not know and do not care about this change. I haven't taken the time to look up the numbers, but I'm sure there are a HUGE number of children and teenagers who have never even heard of any of our four campsites. There may be a slightly larger number who have heard of Central Methodist University. But for the most part, we have only offended insiders. Somehow, we really need to focus on those children and teenagers who are not a part of our churches, but who are neighbors, and classmates with our kids. Most of these kids are playing sports and video games, going to school, arguing with their parents, reading books, eating candy, riding the bus, etc., the things that kids do. They and their parents are NOT offended by this because they don't have a clue. What's turning the current and next generation away from the church is their interactions with her (or lack of interaction with the church). We need to find ways to engage our communities and neighborhoods, and reach children and teens where they are. Don't fool yourself and think that this change has offended a generation and the UMC in MO has shot itself in the foot and all of the young people will go elsewhere. There is only a very tiny percentage of the next generation who know about this and care: the insider young United Methodists in Missouri. There's a HUGE number of children, teens, and college-age people near you who need to respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Will you go?

This graphic captures exactly the transformation that I want the churches I lead to go through. This gives me lots of questions to answer:

How do I lead consumers who are so inundated with consumer culture to see church differently? We are so enveloped by consumerism, we don't even realize it. It is that pervasive here in the west as USAmericans. In fact, they way we typically describe the American Dream equivocates our ability to consume with success. So, how do I lead others to see things differently? It starts with me. Seek to consume less, and seek to serve/give more to/for/with God.

How does being Missional change the time that we gather together on Sunday mornings? If an hour or so on Sunday morning is no longer a religious service to be consumed, what drives what we do during that hour or so? In the past, it seems like the songs we sing were chosen largely in part because they were consumable for people. You could probably say something similar about the sermons that are preached. It was an effort to sell God to consumers for what God can do for them. This is so different from the attractional, worship-driven model of evangelism. Is an average attendance number a good indicator for church health? Yes, but is worship the doorway to the Christian life as it has been in the past? It is a good indicator because it means you have more people who are being sent on mission. It can still function as a doorway for some (and even many), but maybe not in the way we've seen in the past. Why do I say this? Because if we're not trying to put out a product for consumption, then are we going to invest so much in doing over-the-top performance type of stuff? Let's be honest, the church cannot compete with Hollywood and professional concert venues--although we've done fairly well in many churches across the country. AND, I just don't think we SHOULD be trying to compete with the professional entertainers because we're not trying to put out a product to be consumed. However, we are trying to communicate and help people experience an Awesome God who can do more than any high-tech entertainment could even dream of. So I'm not saying we abandon all technology and excellence and professionalism. I'm just saying our motivations are different for using it, which will probably change the way we use it. What does that look like? I think we create it as we go in the context we are in, so it will look different for each group of people that gathers. One of my fears with stating it that way, though, is how do we keep worship from devolving into a product to be consumed.

I think this graphic also indicates another shift (transformation) that needs to happen in the churches I lead. A movement away from programs, and a greater focus on people. I feel like we get so attached to our programs so much that we'll do anything to keep them going even though they're not reaching people. The example I've seen is Sunday School. Let me first say that I don't think Sunday School is inherently bad. People learning the bible and growing in their relationship with God is good. The problem is Sunday School has become an institution that we expect new people to be willing to jump into. I've heard church members complain and say, "I wish we had more people in Sunday School." Usually it's "I wish those young people would come to Sunday School." Those of you who are leaders of established churches with declining Sunday School know exactly what I'm talking about. Like I said, people growing in their relationship with God is a good thing. Let's find ways for people to be a part of a group where that happens in their context, whether or not it's a part of the institutional Sunday School--who cares? The important thing is people are growing in their faith and supporting one another in ways that they can't (or won't) in a large group of people.

My one last reflection on this for today is applying this to Holy Communion/Eucharist/The Lord's Supper (or whatever you call the sacrament with bread and wine). The way I've experienced this sacrament in the churches I've been a part of is very individualistic and consumery (yes, I made that word up). Most of the time, it seems like communion is focused on me getting right with God. I remember what God has done for me in Jesus Christ. I consume the gift God gives, and it is my individual transaction. How is the Sacrament of Bread & Wine different when being Sent on mission is emphasized? How is it more communal encouragement and still personal?

I've had more questions than answers, but it's discussion that we need to have.

Now that Missouri Annual Conference 2012 is over, I guess I can take time to share my experiences, thoughts, opinions, reactions, etc. If you really want to, you can watch a highlight video here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNQOfHli6OU&feature=youtubeI didn't watch it, so I don't know if it's good or not, but my experience with the people producing it is that it should be pretty good.

This year's conference focused on reaching Youth & Young Adults, which is something we need since the average age of the UMC is around 57, much higher than the US average age (like 20+ years). The choice of the title of the conference was "Louder Than Before: Hearing New Voices." It was chosen because of the song, "Speaking Louder Than Before" by Jeremy Camp. (You can catch the music video below) It's a decent song, and has a great message.

As for our conference using the theme, I hope we didn't mess up the metaphor. I heard the phrase "Louder Than Before" a number of different times, by a number of different people speaking on stage. It struck me at one point that a person could walk away hearing the idea that all we need to do is be louder. I'm not sure that's all we need. It's not going to be enough to just raise our voices and keep saying the same things. It's not going to be enough to just do the same things bigger and use more resources. If anything, we actually need to learn to do new and different things that actually connect with Youth and Young Adults. We can yell and scream and make fools of ourselves until our throats are dry and we're out of energy and resources--just because we're "Louder" doesn't mean we'll be more effective.

I don't want to just be cynical. I don't think that's the message that was promoted at our Missouri Annual Conference. I think the teachings we heard we amazing and pointed us toward doing new and different things/strategies, so we can be more effective. I just want to point out that some people who maybe didn't pay attention very well and just heard the phrase "Louder Than Before" over and over again might walk away with the wrong impression. I pray that doesn't happen. If we really want to be heard, louder might not necessarily be better, but we do need to think more of who is listening and how they hear, and be willing to new and different things. Because it's obvious that what we're currently doing is not working.