4 Keys to Speaking at Youth Camp

As a youth pastor for 13 years I was very involved with youth camps in South Carolina and North Carolina.  We prayerfully considered our options for camp speakers every year.  Sometimes, there was a great connection with the speaker and other times there was not.  That role has been vital for me as I have opportunities to speak at other youth camps. What were we looking for and what do I try to bring with me?

1.  A Word from the Lord.  It doesn’t matter how great of a story teller you are, how funny you are, or how well you can explain the scriptures.  When someone is asked to be a youth camp speaker they are asked to bring a Word from the Lord.  That means that it is expected that they have spent time in prayer and seeking God’s face as to what He wants preached at the  camp.  They should’ve also spend ample time in preparation of delivering that message.  Mark Wilson in his book “Filled Up Poured Out” talks about pastors speaking out of the overflow of what God is doing in their own heart.  This is not about coming up with something clever to say to a room full of teens.  It’s about sharing the Word of God.  It doesn’t return void.  It penetrates the heart.  Campers don’t need a word from me.  They need a Word from the Lord.

2.  Connection with leaders and campers.  One of my pet peeves as a camp leader was a speaker who spent the whole week in their room or on their own.  The more time a speaker spent with students the more effective their speaking was.  John Maxwell once said,”People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”  That sums up camp speaking in a nutshell.  Are you showing care for the camp or do you seem like a stranger passing through?  My philosophy as a speaker has been that if the students are participating then I am participating.  That means tubing, shaving cream fights, prayer times, meals, and sports.  It’s not enough to participate, but to be an enthusiastic cheer leader for everyone.

3.  Enthusiasm.  Serving at a youth camp is a privilege.  Speaking at a youth camp is an honor.  Sometimes we get a sense of entitlement that affects our attitude towards everything at the camp.  A youth pastor friend of mine used to say to his camp staff, “False enthusiasm is still enthusiasm.”  What he meant was that we were to be enthusiastic even when we didn’t feel like it because the campers would feed off our enthusiasm.  It means as a speaker that no matter how large or small a camp or how organized or disorganized it is I will have an enthusiastic attitude.  If I’m not excited about what God is going to do then why would anyone else be?  When someone brings me in as a speaker they get someone who is honored and excited to be there and acts accordingly.  If I don’t live up to that then I hope they tell me.

4.  Transparency.  A camp speaker is not a “Super-Christian.”  Through my speaking and interactions I hope to convey the fact that I am a broken sinner being put back together by the grace of God.  There is not a magic formula or magic bullet to being a disciple of Christ.  I hope they see that growth is a process and that God is still working on me.  I pray that they realize that being set apart is not something you have to put off, but it’s something God wants to do for us today.  I want them to see straight through me to see the glory of God working in and through my life.  While keeping my relationship with Christ intimate and fresh I must be open about my failings and imperfections.

What do you think?  What are the qualities you look for in a youth camp speaker?  Pray for me as I speak at the Pacific Northwest Wesleyan Youth Camp next week at Eagle Fern Camp in Estacada, OR.