Church Camp vs. Summer Camp

What's the difference between a church camp and a Christian summer camp?

That's a good question. Both camps might have chapel services and staffs filled with youth ministers and kids from Christian colleges. Both camps want to bring kids to Jesus. Both camps might offer recreational activities like swimming and basketball and every kind of game that can be played with water balloons.

In fact, this is where some people draw the distinction: summer camps supposedly have nicer, more varied, more expensive recreation. If you're playing paintball and riding horses, you're at a summer camp, not a church camp. Church camps supposedly wouldn't go to the expense of these "superfluous activities." But I think there's a more subtle difference.

I think that what makes a church camp a "church camp" is the programming. At church camp you may or may not have expensive and elaborate recreational activities, but that's not the focus or even the selling point. The day is filled with opportunities to learn about Christ. You have scripture memory work, classes, service projects, discussion groups and a host of other activities that are purposed toward growing a kid in his or her faith. Chapel is just one more element in this round-the-clock programming, while recreation is a brief aside.

This kind of programming does tend to be less expensive and some church camps are downright primitive compared to the luxurious summer camps I've visited. But any camp facility could be a church camp if the unified direction and purpose was spiritual growth, not entertainment.