A Study of Contemporary Holiness Camp Meetings
A Discussion for their Biblical/Theological Basis and An Investigation of Their Problems
by Charles Nutt, President, Sebring Holiness Camp Meeting
In the Spring of 1995, I conducted a survey of 70 camp meetings leaders, evangelists, denominational leaders, and scholars involved with holiness camp meetings. The questionnaire consisted of five questions:
- Do you believe there is a unique biblical/theological basis for "doing" camp meeting? If so, what is it?
- What do you believe the purpose of camp meetings to be as we enter the 21st century?
- What, in your opinion, is the relationship of the holiness camp meeting to the holiness move-ment, and holiness denominations, today?
- What is distinctive about our camp meetings, as a means of holiness evangelism, as opposed to our local holiness churches?
- What is the greatest problem facing holiness camp meetings today?
Numbers one and five are the questions upon which this study is based. The section of the study dealing with a biblical/theological basis is based on 43 responses. All percentage figures in this section are based on this number.
The section of the study dealing with the problems of holiness camp meetings is based on 48 responses. All percentage figures in this section are based on this number.
This study will serve as an analysis of only the first and fifth questions, but where appropriate, information from the other questions will supplement the study.
{mospagebreak title=Introduction}
INTRODUCTION
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study is twofold. It is to discover a biblical/theological basis for "doing" camp meeting, and, to investigate the problems facing contemporary holiness camp meetings. Both of these issues are discussed as they are perceived by camp meeting leaders, scholars, evangelists, and denominational leaders. It is my hope that the clarification of these issues will provide camp meeting leaders with a stimulus for discussion, and a better understanding of the difficulties they face as they seek to perpetuate the camp meeting movement in the next century.
The nature of this study is exploratory and as such, does not offer much in the way of solutions. However, those surveyed did occasionally offer suggestions. Relevant material will be cited.
A DEFINITION OF HOLINESS CAMP MEETINGS
Camp meetings can be defined as an extended series of religious meetings, usually held on an annual basis, for a period of three to ten days. Usually, a number of those attending stay "on the campgrounds" for the duration of the meeting. In many camps, there are services and activities for all ages. Holiness camp meetings are distinguished by their theological commitment to the Wesleyan-Arminian doctrine of Christian perfection and their historical relationship with the American holiness movement.
Holiness camp meetings today are the descendants of a camp meeting movement that actually began shortly after the Civil War in the United States, as a means of promoting the holiness movement. They exist today primarily in two forms: independent and denominational camps.
BRIEF HISTORY OF HOLINESS CAMP MEETINGS
The holiness movement did not give birth to the camp meeting movement. Rather, the holiness movement discovered the camp meeting as an invaluable instrument for the promo-tion of its theology and message.
Dr. Kenneth O. Brown's work, Holy Ground: A Study of the American Camp Meeting (Brown 1992), is a definitive study. He believes the oldest camp meeting to be the Effingham County Camp Meeting, near Springfield, Georgia, indicating its founding year as 1790 (Brown 1992), seventy-seven years before the organization of the National Camp Meeting Association for the Promotion of Christian Holiness in 1867 (Jones 1974). Camp meetings had played an important role in American frontier life long before they were "discovered" by the holiness movement. Charles Johnson states that they were "one of the most important social institutions in the trans-Allegheny West in the first half of the nineteenth century" (Johnson 1955).
The "holiness camp meeting" appears to have been the brainchild of Reverend John A. Wood and was founded in an effort to propagate the Methodist doctrine of Christian perfection. The first encampment took place at Vineland, New Jersey, in July 1867. Encouraged by the results of this encampment, the National Association was formed. The Association gave birth to permanent interdenominational holiness camps, with Ocean Grove, New Jersey, founded in 1869, as perhaps the first. Camp Sychar, in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, seems to have been second, founded in 1870 (Brown 1992).
rom these beginnings the ministry of the National Association expanded. "It encouraged the formation of other holiness associations, and promoted the work of holiness evangelists and other holiness ministries, such as holiness publishing houses, holiness missions and mission agencies, and holiness training schools and colleges" (Brown 1992). Brown calls the holiness camp meeting the hub of the holiness movement's "huge expanding spoked wheel" for the first seventy-five years of its history (Brown 1992). He quotes Joseph H. Smith in 1924:
The Camp Meeting is still the unit and the center of the Holiness Movement. Neither the convention, nor the evangelist, nor the paper, nor the training school, nor the college; no, nor the Holiness church is it. These are but auxiliaries, some of them but incidents and the best of them but products of the Holiness Camp Meeting (Brown 1992).
The holiness camp meeting is still alive today. As Brown states, "It most emphatically is not dying out . . . " (Brown 1992). The writer can personally testify to this.
I serve as the President of Sebring Interdenominational Holiness Camp Meeting in Sebring, Ohio, a camp that was founded in 1905. Additionly, in 1994, I served as the editor of The Camp Meeting Challenge, a directory of holiness camp meetings published annually by the Camp Meeting Commission of the Christian Holiness Partnerhsip, formerly known as the National Camp Meeting Association for the Promotion of Christian Holiness. The 1995 directory lists dates and workers for more than 160 interdenominational and denominational camp meetings, and in the database which I use to produce this directory, there are more than 330 camps listed.
NEED FOR THE STUDY
Holiness camp meetings have been studied primarily as a historical phenomenon. They are seen by most scholars as a method of the past that proved useful in its day. This has resulted in a void of literature on contemporary camp meet-ings, their ministries and special problems. Even with¬in the holiness movement itself, there is no literature on what contemporary leaders think about contemporary holiness camp meetings.
This study has been undertaken, therefore, with this goal in mind: to discover current thinking about holiness camp meetings by those who have been involved with them for many years.
CHAPTER ONE: HISTORICAL BIBLICAL AND THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS
Charles Jones argues that camp meetings were an invention of the Presbyterians on the Kentucky frontier, but had become a largely Methodist institution by the time of the Civil War. Jones offers James Porter's explanation of camp meetings:
. . . "a golden link" binding distant Methodist "societies together in a holy brotherhood." The "strictly religious" meeting held "amid waving trees" and "purling streams" was "conducive to health," furnishing a change of air, scenery, society, and style of living which was "most ruinous to hypochondria, and invigorating to the whole man." (Jones 1974).
As I shall try to clarify in the next chapter, this explanation of camp meeting seems to have a legitimate biblical/theological basis. However, the camp meeting, as explained above, was merely seized by the holiness movement, as a particular method to promote its particular theology. It paid little or no attention to any biblical or theological evidence that actually legitimizes the method of camp meeting itself. John Inskip, first president of the National Association, along with twelve others, called for "holding a camp meeting, the special object of which should be the promotion of the work of entire sanctification." (McDonald and Searles 1885). Though they would certainly seek to save souls, the special object of the meeting would "be to offer united and continued prayer for the revival of the work of holiness in the churches . . . ." (McDonald and Searles 1885). One of the respondents to my questionnaire gives this explanation:
Without question, the camp meeting movement of the 19th century served an important function in spreading scriptural holiness across the land. The culture and society of that era was well served by the format of the camp atmosphere, and that atmosphere was suitable for the propagation of the biblical and theological distinctives of Wesleyanism.
The problem with this understanding is that for too many camp meeting leaders, the validity of the theology of holiness has been used to validate the method of camp meeting. Another respondent replied, "the biblical/theological basis for doing camp meetings is found in the message of holiness itself." Another, "the biblical/theological significance is the message . . . ."
Many camp meeting leaders have been legitimately concerned with keeping the message of holiness the same, but this has allowed, and in some places, actually promoted the stagnation of the method of camp meeting. "Keeping the message the same" has actually become "keeping the method (camp meeting) the same." The result, then, of this focus on the theology of holiness as the legitimizing factor for doing holiness camp meetings, is the failure to understand the concept of camp meeting, as itself, a biblical and theological idea. In other words, we are using the wrong theology to understand the idea of camp meeting, and this, I believe, has slowed the process of adjusting, adapting, and applying the idea of camp meeting to the culture of our day. The first respondent noted above adds:
. . .the radical changes brought by the 20th century have tended to make the camp meeting concept antiquated . . . the camp meeting format is fraught with difficulties in today's world.
It is true that the camp meeting format is fraught with difficulties in today's world, but it is made more difficult because the wrong theology, the theology of holiness, is informing our understanding of camp meeting. The truth is, that the theology of holiness has little or nothing to say to the idea of camp meeting, and perhaps has even been detrimental to the proper understanding of the camp meeting method for our day and time.
Let the reader quickly note, I am not saying there is anything wrong with the theology of holiness. I am saying there is something wrong with our biblical/theological understanding of the idea, the concept, of camp meeting. My contention, as will become clear in the next chapter, is, that there is a biblical/theological basis for doing camp meeting. There are many, as shall be seen, who agree with me. But we shall also see that there is confusion on this issue, and perhaps even disagreement. What I hope to set forth is a fresh articulation of this biblical/theological basis that will truly inform our understanding and use of the camp meeting method in our day and time.
It is often said that methods change but the message remains the same. Can there really be a biblical/theological basis for a method? Actually, to my surprise, I believe I have discovered that there is.
{mospagebreak title=Contemporary Views}
CHAPTER TWO: CONTEMPORARY VIEWS OF A BIBLICAL/THEOLOGICAL BASIS
Forty-three camp meeting leaders, evangelists, denominational leaders, and scholars, who have been involved with holiness camp meetings responded to the question: Do you believe there is a unique biblical/theological basis for "doing" camp meeting? If so, what is it? The replies fell into four basic areas, with several of the respondents falling into more than one area.
Seven per cent of the respondents found the biblical call to evangelism as a sufficient biblical/theological basis for doing camp meeting. Nineteen per cent found camp meeting to be only a method, with no biblical/theological basis actually existing for doing camp meeting. Twenty-eight percent felt that the theology of holiness itself was sufficient grounds for doing camp meeting. Fifty-six percent found a biblical/theological basis for doing camp meeting in either the Old Testament feasts of Israel (Lev. 23.33ff.), Christ's call to come apart (Mark 6.31), the injunction to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together (Heb. 10.25), or some combination of the these three. I shall look into all four categories in depth and reflect upon them.
EVANGELISM
Seven percent, or three respondents, connected camp meeting with the biblical call to evangelism. Their comments: "a refreshing short term alternative to evangelism as presented in the local church context." "Camp Meeting helps us fill the biblical mandates for evangelism," and the "unique biblical basis for doing camp meetings . . . is in The Great Commission." In fairness to one of these respondents, evangelism was one of several bases listed for doing camp meeting.
The problem with seeing evangelism as the unique biblical/theological basis for camp meetings, however, is that it does not appear that much evangelism is being done. In my personal experience as a camp meeting president, we are seeing our own young people and children receive spiritual help and actually seeing some of them come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. But in a real sense we are simply "evangelizing" our own kind. Charles Jones observed this in the very earliest holiness camp meetings. He writes:
Since the "very wicked seldom" attended camp meetings, there were now "fewer instances of those remarkable conversions" and personal transformations which had characterized earlier gatherings. Increasingly, camp meetings specialized in evangelizing the children of believers and in calling the devout to perfection. During the course of the Vineland meeting Simpson (Bishop in the Methodist Church) saw his son, Charles, converted. Holiness revivalism had become the evangelism of the already convinced (Jones 1974).
So, camp meetings are not winning multitudes to Jesus Christ, and it was not even the intention of early holiness camp meeting leaders. They meant for camp meetings to minister to the church. They were convinced that "a sanctified church would soon secure a converted world." (Jones 1974). This may mean that evangelism becomes more effective as a result of camp meetings, but the biblical/theological concept of evangelism does not really illustrate for us to any great degree the whys, hows, and what fors, for doing camp meetings.
ONLY A METHOD
Nineteen percent, or eight respondents, saw camp meeting as only or chiefly a method of carrying out biblical mandates. They respond: "Camp meetings are only a method of bringing people together . . . ."
"Camp meeting is a method."
"I believe camps served a distinct purpose in the early days of the American holiness movement. I am inclined to believe the purpose was a practical one . . . the church is always is seeking practical ways to carry out biblical mandates."
"There is no distinctive theology for 'doing' Camp Meetings. They are a service style that developed in 19th century America and . . . facilitate gatherings of large groups of people in settings that are more relaxed than other church assemblies. Distinctive theology relates not to Camp Meetings . . . ."
"There are scriptural precedents for meeting 'in holy convocation,' but I certainly could not base camp meeting specifically on any directive of Holy Scripture. Camp meetings . . . may be employed by its [church's] leaders to fulfill the church's broader mission, as they may choose."
In response to the questionnaire, one participant emphatically replied, "No! It would be very difficult to find a Biblical basis for Campmeeting. We need them but they become an extension for the Church."
I believe this particular view subscribes to the theory that a method of inculturating the next generation or influencing the present one does not, or perhaps even cannot, have a biblical/theological foundation. This belief is articulated in the cliché, "Methods change, but the message remains the same." This can result in an attitude that is all too anxious to discard a formerly successful method that has not been properly applied or adapted to a culture that has changed.
Personal, one-to-one, and small group discipleship is an apt example of a method with a biblical/theological basis. Jesus used this method, and the gospel pages are filled with examples of how he did it. No one has shown this better than Robert E. Coleman in his book The Master Plan of Evangelism (Coleman 1963). Across the centuries the method has been applied in different times, settings, and cultures. The monastic orders applying it one way, parachurch organizations like The Navigators, another, and local churches still yet another in small group Bible studies. This method is still very much the same as when Jesus used it, but it has been adapted over and over again to a changing world. This truth should cause us to take extreme caution when we use the phrase "only a method," especially when it becomes our watchword for summarily dismissing something we don't believe works anymore. The truth may be that we have not worked hard enough to apply a method with biblical and theological roots to a changing world that we wish would remain the same.
THEOLOGY OF HOLINESS
Twenty-eight percent or twelve respondents felt that holiness theology and/or the call to teach and preach it was the unique biblical/theological basis for doing camp meetings. Some responses: "If the holiness camp meeting is true to its theological heritage, for some in attendance, who hear the doctrine of holiness, this may be their only opportunity to be exposed to [the] glorious message of full salvation."
- ". . . we are to be about the business of spreading scriptural holiness throughout the land."
- "The biblical/theological significance is the message which can and should be preached in other settings."
- "Distinctive theology relates not to Camp Meetings per se but to the sponsoring group of the camp meeting."
- "The biblical/theological basis for "doing" camp meetings is found in the message of holiness itself."
- "I'm not clear on such a basis for 'camp meeting' as such. However there is certainly a directive for accenting the essentials of our faith and for accenting holy living."
The theology of holiness is the distinctive theology of holiness camp meeting leaders, and it is certainly the theology that we want to see articulated at our camp meetings. Truthfully, however, that theology which we all love so much says nothing to us about the method of camp meeting itself. It does not tell us why we do camp meetings; it merely tells us what to do at camp meetings. Neither does it tell us how to do camp meetings. Simply put, as biblical as I believe the theology of holiness is, it does not give us a mandate for doing camp meetings. It does not inform camp meeting leaders about their craft and the task that is theirs.
OLD TESTAMENT FEASTS, COME APART, ASSEMBLE
Fifty-six percent, or twenty-eight participants mentioned at least one of these as the unique biblical/theological basis for doing camp meeting. Seven respondents mentioned Christ's call to "come apart." They said: ". . . there certainly is Biblical precedent for time alone with God. Jesus took His disciples aside . . . . It seems to me that camp meetings can play an increasingly important role as our society pursues the secular trail. More than ever there is the need to come aside, to renew a different vision, to get in step with a different drummer.""Camp Meeting gives people one modern equivalent of drawing apart to a quiet place for meditation and prayer, away from the clamor of the normal busy-ness, and asking God to speak to them."
"Come apart and rest a while" or just come apart! Jesus withdrew from the multitudes---'Campmeeting' was supposedly that kind of exercise that gave opportunity for spiritual renewal."
"There are no biblical commands but there are some hints, Jesus: 'Come apart and rest awhile.'' This suggests getting away from the schedules of life and reflect."
"Jesus exemplified the value of the retreat . . . ."
". . . the repeated calls in Scripture to come apart . . . for the purpose of drawing near to God . . . ."
Seven more noted the command to assemble ourselves together.
"Camp meetings are a unique way of 'assembling our¬selves together.'"
"We are exhorted to forsake not the assembling of each other together."
"The Bible has myriad examples of the saints meeting together for divine worship, praise, and evangelism."
" . . . the exhortation to 'assemble together' for mutual spiritual edification and spiritual growth constitutes merit in 'doing' camp meeting."
Fourteen respondents mentioned the Old Testament feasts of Israel. Their comments: " . . . the commanded gatherings of Old Testament Israel . . . give us ample biblical evidence that this type of convocation is the expected norm within the annual life of the people of God."
"Absolutely! It can relate to the 'Feast of Tabernacles' . . . ."
"The injunction to the Israelites regarding the feast of booths and description of its observance indicates the value of withdrawing from home situations to such times of spiritual refreshing."
"The idea of the 'assembly' was central to Israel's religious experience throughout the Old Testament . . . ."
"The concept of camp meeting may find a Biblical basis in the Old Testament feasts in Israel, especially in The Festival of Tabernacles as described in Lev. 23.33ff. et. al."
"I think there is an analogy to the Old Testament festivals where the whole family 'went up' to Jerusalem to celebrate God's presence and blessing."
"I view the camp meeting phenomena of this century a recapitulation of the holy festivals of the Old Testament, first of all."
It would seem to me that these passages and the concepts which they articulate constitute a biblical, and there¬fore, also, a theological basis for doing camp meetings. Certainly the Old Testament feasts were not camp meetings as we understand them. But they were camp meetings as the people of God understood them. They were gatherings of the people of God for the purpose of remembering God's deliverances. They were times of reconsecration. They were days of offerings. They were days of rest, days of rejoicing. They were the kind of days that Jesus would later advocate, days to come away and rest awhile. They were unique assemblies of the people of God. They were a method God instituted to accomplish his purposes.
We find no assemblies of Christians in the New Testament that approximate the Old Testament feasts of Israel. Given the animosity of the first century world toward Christianity, however, it is not difficult to understand why early Christians did not meet together in large groups for extended periods of time. It was a culture that would not allow for the use of this method.
Our culture, however, is one that still does. It is our task as camp meeting leaders to use this method which God has instituted, and adapt it to the culture in which we find ourselves, using the biblical/theological foundations as guidelines for its proper application to our context.
{mospagebreak title=Principles and Applications}
CHAPTER THREE: BIBLICAL/THEOLOGICAL BASIS: PRINCIPLES AND APPLICATIONS
1. Camp meeting is a method which finds it biblical and theological roots in the Old Testament feasts of Israel, is confirmed in Jesus' call to come apart and rest awhile for the sake of refreshment, and is validated by the church's mandate to assemble together. We must operate from the perspective that the Camp Meeting is a method to be used, not an institution to be preserved.
2. Camp meeting leaders must begin to articulate from camp meeting platforms and in camp meeting publications this biblical/theological understanding to their constituency.
3. Camp meeting is a method that is most effective when its primary application is to the people of God. All the biblical references referred to in the first principle deal with the people of God, not a lost world. The target audience of camp meeting leaders should be the church. We must begin to speak openly, especially to camp meeting Boards, of our target audience being the people of God, the church.
4. The primary emphases of holiness camp meeting lead¬ers should be the winning of our own to Christ, especially children and youth, their indoctrination in the teaching and life of holiness, and calling adults to a deeper life of holiness. We must stress the importance of first-rate programs for our children and youth.
5. Evangelism of lost sinners should be a secondary emphasis of camp meeting leaders. We must stress to those we call as workers that our primary emphases is the indoctrination of our children and youth in holiness teaching, and the calling of our adults to a deeper life of holiness.
6. Camp meeting leaders must face the reality of a changing world, and be courageous in articulating that chang¬ing camp meeting methods to meet the needs of that changing world does not mean chang¬ing the theology of holiness. We must be bold in innovative and effective change for the sake of meeting the needs of our constituency in our changing culture.
7. Camp meetings will be most effective when they are constituted of the same elements that were basic to the Old Testament feasts and the commands of Jesus: remembering, reconsecration, rest, rejoicing, renewal. We must find innovative ways to implement these elements.
{mospagebreak title=Problems of holiness Camp Meetings}
CHAPTER FOUR: PROBLEMS OF HOLINESS CAMP MEETINGS: FINDINGS
The answers to question five (What is the greatest problem facing holiness camp meetings today?) fell into seven basic areas, with several respondents falling into more than one area. Responses in the "Other answers" category consisted of answers in five different areas, each representing 8% or less of the total respondents. Due to the relatively small response concerning these areas, I will just briefly mention them here. These were:
1. Lack of young leaders - two respondents (4%)
2. Hindrance of government regulations - two respondents (4%)
3. Lack of children and youth - two respondents (4%)
4. Need for more advertising - four respondents (8%)
5. Denominational vs. independent camps - two respondents (4%)
Other responses were as follows:
ALTERNATIVE ACTIVITIES
Eight respondents, or 17%, felt that alternative activities present a serious problem for camp meetings today. Individuals and families have many other choices in terms of how they will spend their time.
One scholar called this "competition." Another noted the "pace of modern society." A college professor expressed concern about more school districts going to a year-round calendar. A retired college president and camp meeting evangelist spoke of the "unwillingness to make the time commitment to attend the entire camp."
A retired denominational executive speaks of "life style changes." A holiness magazine editor mentions the "many secular demands and amusements" that occupy attention.
The concern and conclusion of these respondents are that people today have more activities they must be legitimately involved with, and that they also have a wider variety of leisure activities available to them.
INADEQUATE FACILITIES/FINANCES
Nineteen respondents, or 40% of all responding participants, mentioned inadequate facilities/finances as a difficult problem for camp meetings today. Facilities and finances were linked together by most of those responding in this category, inadequate facilities, of course, being the result of inadequate finances.
One camp meeting evangelist said that "camp meeting goers have such fine homes and without all the conveniences of home, it is easier to stay home or go to places more comfortable." Facilities were also noted as perhaps too rustic and primitive, after all, "Americans are used to central heat and air!"
Two well-known camp meeting evangelists spoke directly to the problem of interdenominational or independent camp meetings. They said that the greatest problem of independent/interdenominational camp meetings is having enough money to improve their facilities. One noted the poor pay of these camps to evangelists.
Another evangelist noted that financial problems at independent/interdenominational camps could be linked with the development of denominational camps. He said:
With the rise of denominational camping programs, many of the independent holiness camps no longer have the support base needed to continue. It is difficult for church people to give themselves to a camp program beyond their own church related camp program. As the older supporters of a given camp "die off", unless there is a new generation to shoulder the burden of maintaining and supporting a given independent holiness camp, that camp will eventually cease to exist.
Camp meeting leaders added an interesting perspective. One camp meeting president said "lack of funds is the greatest problem facing the interdenominational holiness camp today." Another said that "those who have attended and given strong support to the camp meeting programs are growing older and are no longer able to carry the responsibility of the camp program." He connected this with the fact that "younger families are often excessively involved in secular pursuits and therefore do not have time or are not willing to give time and support to the camp program." Another camp meeting leader, who is also an administrative board member of the Christian Holiness Association, summed it up by saying there is "too much burden practically and financially for too few."
A denominational executive noted his own lack of knowledge or experience relating to non-denominational camps, but stated that "necessary funds to maintain adequate facilities seemed to be a major problem. He felt this was also true for denominational camps, although on a different scale. In the denominational setting, financing camp programs "has definitely tended to curtail church planting efforts in many places." A retired denominational executive noted a "reluctance or financial inability on the part of many camp associations to update old facilities and become flexible enough to accommodate groups year-round."
The editor of a holiness magazine wrote of the difficulty of maintaining aging buildings and facilities, and the problem of reconciling "the raising and expenditure of vast sums of money for such projects with the imperatives of Christian stewardship, especially when camp facilities are often used only infrequently."
The respondents have connected inadequate finances with at least three other problems: 1) the accommodations that people are accustomed to keeps people away from "rustic" and "primitive" facilities; 2) the failure or inability to attract younger couples and adults, partly due to other pursuits; 3) for interdenominational/independent camps, the rise of denominational camping programs.
LACK OF HOLINESS PREACHERS
Ten respondents (21%) noted a lack of holiness preachers. A seminary president sees a lack of "genuine holiness preach¬ing ministers." One camp meeting president believes "getting good, dedicated speakers who can proclaim the message from a heart that has been cleansed by the Holy Spirit," is not easy. Another says there is "shortage of bonafide evangelists who emphasize the holiness message." A magazine editor sees real difficulty in finding "qualified, intelligent, and spiritual workers adapted to the specific needs of camp meetings." A seminary scholar believes there is no "cohesive movement to provide a sense of identity and a cadre of speakers."
Five evangelists offered a critical perspective of their own field. One sees "a real lack of holiness camp meeting preachers." Another says "powerful, gifted camp meeting workers are just not plentiful enough." A former denominational executive, who has preached in the largest camp meetings in America since his retirement, believes "the securing of qualified preachers . . . for the preaching of the Wesleyan doctrine of a definite second work of grace," to be one of the holiness camp meeting's greatest problems. An evangelist who has preached in holiness camps for more than forty years sees the future preaching of holiness in the camp meeting to be "very dim. There are so few men who preach holiness."
An evangelist who also serves as a holiness mission executive sums up this perspective very well. In answer to the question, "What is the greatest problem facing holiness camp meetings today?", he writes:
The finding of the high quality, maybe unique characters, that made Camp meetings the attractions they were. Certainly the next generation will have even more difficulty as the type of preaching descends to conversational discussions of subjects rather than powerful, pictorial exposition of the Word.
LACK OF YOUNG COUPLES
Eight respondents (17%) see a lack of young couples as a serious problem for holiness camp meetings. It is interesting that five of these respondents are camp meeting presidents.
One president noted the difficulty of "having families take annual time of vacation at camp meeting." Another said "younger families are often excessively involved in secular pursuits and therefore do not have time or are not willing to give time and support to the camp program." A camp meeting president who is also a denominational executive points out that "we have not been successful in transferring the torch to a generation coming on." He places the possible blame on entrenchment in "yesterday's methodology."
An evangelist says, "I'm afraid that we are failing in passing this part of our rich heritage on to the younger generation." A scholar adds, we are "losing youth and young couples interest by not allowing change at a proper level and pace."
This lack of young couples is connected with a lack of change by many respondents. This will be dealt with further in Chapter Three.
NOT CONTEMPORARY ENOUGH
Fourteen respondents (29%) believe that holiness camp meetings today are not contemporary enough. There is a problem with "staying relevant."
One scholar believes:
The camps are in trouble because of a gap between the needs of our culture and society, and the particular ministry the camps are prepared to fulfill . . . . I think before camps are able to meet the needs of our society, they are going to have to be willing to go through radical changes. Most camps I know resist change like the plague.
Another notes "the old chestnut of finding the middle ground between faithfulness to tradition and relevancy for 'this present age.'"
A retired denominational executive notes about camp meetings that "many are planned, managed, and personally directed by 'elder statesmen' whose hearts are dedicated but whose methods are often less than contemporary. This is often also the case with evangelists and Bible teachers and musicians engaged." A camp meeting president believes that "people today demand a quality presentation of the word. I am not sure we can bridge the gap to new generations without some major changes."
UNFAITHFUL TO HOLINESS MESSAGE
Thirteen respondents (27%) believe that there is a problem with faithfulness to the holiness message. An evan¬gelist notes "a lack of 'strong emphasis' on the message of scriptural holiness itself." Another that the "spontaneity and earnest pursuit of a crisis moment of entire sanctification is very largely gone from the Holiness movement." A seminary administrator sees a failure on the part "of some camps to put a clear focus on holiness from the pulpit."
Five scholars saw this lack of faithfulness to holiness as a major problem. One notes "a dilution of the camp meeting motif with programs that play down the holiness emphasis." Another, that we live in "a culture which is deeply hostile to any idea of perfection," and that there are camp meeting "boards who often have no idea of their camp's theology and heritage."
A seminary professor who is one of the younger voices in the holiness movement sees "the crucial need to clarify the breadth of Wesleyan soteriology in relation to entire sanctification and its place in order of salvation." A seminary professor, now retired for several years, believes we must "make sure the doctrine of holiness is confirmed and affirmed as the central theme of the Bible; and that this truth is to be preserved and propagated as fundamental in all biblical exposition."
{mospagebreak title=Meanings of the Problems}
CHAPTER FIVE: PROBLEMS OF HOLINESS CAMP MEETINGS: MEANINGS
Three different categories of problems for holiness camp meetings are delineated in this questionnaire. They are financial, theological, and methodological problems. The financial problem category stands alone and is well defined in the previous chapter. The theological problem category consists of the concerns for a lack of holiness preachers and un¬faithfulness to the holiness message. The methodological problem category consists of the concerns about alternative activities that people choose, the lack of young families, and the belief that many camps are not contemporary enough. What is apparent in the questionnaire answers is that many respondents feel that the first two (the choice of alternative activities and a lack of young families or couples) is often a result of the third (camps are not contemporary enough).
The breakdown of the respondents into these categories is very revealing. As noted in chapter four, where it appears to be the largest category, 19 respondents (40%) fall into the financial problems category. However, 20 respondents (42%) indicated theological problems as defined above. Even more respondents indicated methodological pro¬blems as defined above, 25 (52%).
A further breakdown of the respondents into the seven divisions or combinations that these three categories allow illustrates the emphasis on methodological problems.
Financial Problems Only - seven respondents (14.58%)
Theological Problems Only - eight respondents (16.67%)
Methodological Problems Only - 14 respondents (29.16%)
Financial & Theological - four (8.33%)
Financial & Methodological - three (6.25%)
Theological & Methodological - three (6.25%)
All Three - five (10.42%)
I believe that what this analysis represents is that although financial concern is the specific problem most noted, by a significant margin, there is a wider concern for theological and methodological difficulties in the holiness camp meeting movement. Financial problems may be the most visible, i.e., an obvious shortage of funds, and deteri¬orating buildings, but what I believe this study reveals is that our greatest problems are bigger than money.
There is a great fear of the loss of theological truth and a theological heritage. There is also a fear that the desire to remain rooted in our theology has mistakenly rooted us in our traditions, and that these may be preventing us from stepping into the present, and the future, in a way that makes the holi¬ness message attractive to contemporary society.
Many respondents spoke creatively to these concerns, and it is to these proposed solutions we now turn.
{mospagebreak title=Proposed Solutions}
CHAPTER SIX: PROBLEMS OF HOLINESS CAMP MEETINGS: PROPOSED SOLUTIONS
As I mentioned in the introduction, this questionnaire did not seek solutions to camp meeting problems from the respondents. However, in the course of answering open-ended questions, suggestions did arise, and I will attempt to clarify those now. In this section I will also be using data collected from the other four questions in the questionnaire.
PROPOSED SOLUTIONS TO FINANCIAL PROBLEMS
One camp president notes "the high cost of maintaining a comfortable and commodious camp ground. Our modern lifestyle calls for air conditioning, private rooms, plenty of hot and cold water, good food services, recreational facilities, etc. This requires planning, development, and ex¬penses. His statement about planning and development is as close as any of the respondents come to suggested solutions for the financial problems of holiness camp meetings.
As mentioned in Chapter Five, respondents connected inadequate finances with at least three other problems: 1) the accommodations that people are accustomed to keeps people away from "rustic" and "primitive" facilities; 2) the failure or inability to attract younger couples and adults, partly due to other pursuits; 3) for interdenominational/independent camps, the rise of denominational camping programs. It is apparent from their comments that many respondents feel that finding solutions to the first two problems would help to alleviate the financial burdens of camp meetings.
From my own experience as a camp meeting president it is clear to me that long range planning strategies are needed. Along with these, development vehicles, such as capital and planned giving, should be explored and employed by camp meetings.
It is obvious from this study that the question of ways and means used by holiness camp meetings for raising funds is a subject for further research. This research would be most effective if it was done with individuals directly involved with particular camps, such as camp presidents and board members. Possible questions for a survey might include:
- Do you have a long range plan for your camp? Please briefly describe it.
- Do you have a plan in place for receiving bequests, trusts, etc.? Please describe any successes you have had in this area.
- What methods have you employed for receiving capital gifts, such as larger gifts for building improvements?
- What means do you employ and how frequently do you communicate with your constituency about the financial needs of your camp? (Newsletters, appeal letters, etc.)
- Have you explored outside sources such as community foundations and area businesses, etc., as a means of financing any of your camp projects? Please briefly describe any successes in this area.
A study of this kind would enable the collection and sharing of data and ideas that would be of great assistance to many holiness camp meetings.
PROPOSED SOLUTIONS TO THEOLOGICAL PROBLEMS
As revealed in this study, the theological problems of holiness camp meetings are a lack of holiness preachers and unfaithfulness to the holiness message. The suggestions that were offered in the questionnaire do not necessarily solve those problems, but they do suggest the strengths of the camp meeting environment for the teaching of the doctrine of holiness. They also offer new ways of presenting the teaching of the doctrine, and some cautions.
A Christian Holiness Partnership board member and camp meeting officer believes "the camp meeting offers the opportunity to concentrate on this biblical teaching [the doctrine of holiness] and to clarify its significance in God's plan of full salvation." A scholar sees the camp meeting as "an ideal place for [the] articulation of and appropriation of holiness, both theologically and existentially," and that it "is often not exposed in local holiness churches (many of which are bland, generic, mainstream evangelical churches)."
Along with the appropriateness of the camp meeting setting, a camp meeting president sees the value of being "showered by the holiness message in a concentrated time." A seminary professor sees this "focus of concentrated Biblical exposition and challenge in a setting other than the comfort of the local church [as] good for specifying personal need. The accumulated effect of concentrated preaching in the context of communal audience produces a different aura." This concentration can be accompanied by repetitive teaching. A mission executive states the necessity of "those who have preaching and teaching responsibility presenting again and again scriptural truths, using scriptural terms well defined and contextually presented. Wesley had, many times, to redefine his terms." A seminary professor sees this as essential for camp meeting boards "remaining faithful to their original holiness theology." They have done this "only insofar as their boards have been continually reeducated."
In dealing with the theological problems of camp meetings, there also is a call for "refocusing." What we refocus on is the question. A seminary executive is "convinced that the camp meetings need to refocus on second blessing holiness to put new life into the holiness movement." A seminary professor believes "the purpose of camp meetings must continue to be the promotion of holiness of heart and life," but renewed emphasis needs to be put on Biblical teaching about holiness and on building people up in practical Christian living. It would be helpful to include truly Biblically based sessions on things like holiness parenting, Christian discipleship, and personal prayer life."
A denominational executive and president of a denominational camp writes:
Frankly, the majority of the people in my camp would not be aware of being in "a holiness movement" or of being part of a "holiness denomination" with that terminology. In fact, while our doctrine has not changed, regarding the teaching to be filled with the Holy Spirit, appropriating his enabling power to give us daily victory over sin and self, and calling people to live lives that are holy before God, and in the midst of a very unholy culture, these themes are not usually presented today with the language common to the "holiness movement" of the past. So while most folks at our camp would look puzzled at the statement that they are attending a "holiness camp," they would brighten and eagerly tell you that it is a place where God is at work and where people are finding the Lord and experiencing Him in a deeper way. With that, I am comfortable and hap-py. I submit that there is a refreshing "godly movement toward holiness" at our camp, but no such label.
Personally, I am not sure these are conflicting views. I am personally acquainted with the seminary executive and professor. I am convinced they would be happy with the results of which the denominational executive speaks. A former professor of mine, I believe, sums up this section and issue, succinctly and well. He writes:
Some [camps] have lost the clarity of doctrine and experience in their program and services. Over all, the Wesleyan camps must retain two things. First, the preaching must be biblically sound and not just traditionally correct. People need the certain Word of the Lord more than a particular heritage, however helpful that was in days gone by. Secondly, our ministries must lead people to a vital experience with God. Doctrine is only a means; it is not an end in itself. As long as people encounter the living God in a real way at our altars, camp meetings have a guaranteed future. If they fail to do that, they deserve no future.
PROPOSED SOLUTIONS TO METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS
One scholar declares that "the radical changes brought by the 20th century have tended to make the camp meeting concept antiquated. The camp meeting format is fraught with difficulties in today's world." This is not difficult to accept, but I am also convinced that the camp meeting is a method that finds its biblical and theological roots in the Old Testament feasts of Israel, is confirmed in Jesus' call to come apart and rest awhile for the sake of refreshment, and is validated by the church's mandate to assemble to- gether. This understanding of the camp meeting itself as a method that can be changed and adapted to our culture and time will help us as we grapple with our methodology.
We must first change our perspective as to the target audience of the camp meeting. My conclusion is the camp meeting is a method that is most effective when its primary application is to the people of God. All the biblical references referred to in the preceding paragraph deal with the people of God, not a lost world. The target audience of camp meeting leaders should be the church. More camp leaders are coming to grips with this perspective. One writes "camp meetings are more and more seen as retreats." A college professor and evangelist declares that
camp meetings can serve as a 21st century "city of refuge" for believers who have been fighting the good fight throughout the year. Certainly it is an opportunity for sinners to be converted and believers to be sanctified wholly, but I believe that the camp grounds as well as meetings serve as a relief and a release from the pressures of life that are sure to accelerate in the 21st century.
An evangelist sees the camp meeting "increasingly viable as the rural retreat becomes more and more attractive to our urban society."
Camp meeting leaders must also face the reality of a changing world, and be courageous in articulating that chang¬ing camp meeting methods to meet the needs of that changing world does not mean changing the theology of holiness. This means we must "wrestle with format and terminology in order to connect and communicate, or camp meetings will become monuments of a once great movement." A retired denominational executive writes:
We have clung tenaciously to a functional and programmatic tradition which has become almost as sacrosanct as the message itself. Should we not address ourselves to both the traditional approach, but [also] grasp the challenge of reaching to the wider Christian community and world with the message of radical, transforming grace? . . . I detect an overall cry for getting the message beyond our four walls (and our camp meeting groves) IN A SEMANTIC AND CULTURAL PACKAGE that contemporary minds and hungry hearts can understand and embrace.
A denominational executive, who struggles not with a declining camp, but one bursting at the seams writes:
If other camps are not finding that people of all ages want to be there, it may be that a close look should be taken by the leadership of those camps, whether they have lost touch with people and need to consider changes that bring freshness and relevance, without compromising the truth of our message. I'm convinced that this can be done. So, while it would be easy to say that "the greatest problem" facing holiness camps today is the lethargy and lack of spirituality in the church, I suggest that it might rather (or also) be a lack of perceived relevance and a reluctance to change, on the part of the camps themselves.
Besides the struggle itself with change there were also some innovative suggestions for changing metho¬dology. One camp president writes: "Camps must also create new forums to acquaint people with how our holiness message works out through family issues. Seminars, opportunities to quiz holiness leaders, or other creative ways are necessary." The denominational executive with the growing camp included a long list successful strategies they are currently using. I have included all of them in the hope that others will find them useful and beneficial:
During the past two years we have opened 81 new camp lots, bringing our total to more than 500. A new youth tabernacle was dedicated, with space to crowd about 500 seats. This has already proven to be too small on the weekends. God allowed us to purchase an additional 15 acres adjacent to the camp, with the very enthusiastic endorsement of the people, who see the need for continuous expansion. We are averaging around 2,000 per evening. The attendance of a growing number of young families has become very obvious and extremely encouraging.
Keys to the vital life of our camp right now seem to be:
(1) A core of dedicated, mature Christians who pray for the camp, give of their time and re¬sources, and roll up their sleeves to work.
(2) A willingness to minister to young people with uncompromising Truth, but with contemporary Christian music and with speakers who "know where young people are" in today's world,
(3) An increased insistence on reasonable well-communicated rules for all who attend camp, but accompanied by a greater sense of freedom and openness regarding a balanced view of "non-issues" like the wearing of modest shorts at camp, when the reality is that such dress is normal and acceptable the rest of the year.
(4) A willingness to change methods and schedules to better minister to people. Example: We doubled the adult weekday afternoon attendance by replacing the afternoon service with 3 different choices of a 5-day seminar series. One is always a basic Bible study, taught in the tabernacle, which is more appealing to those who would miss the idea of "an afternoon service." The other topics are varied, but typically include one series on marriage and/or family issues.
(5) A boldness to risk doing some new things that tap into various interests. Example: We offered a 5K Run on a Saturday afternoon last summer, with around 35 participants of all ages, including pastors, missionaries, and this D.S. It was well received and will be done again this year, with the potential of bringing runners to the camp from our various churches and possible visitors who will come only for the run and will thereby become acquainted with the camp. The course winds through¬out the camp and concludes in front of the camp office. The goal, therefore, is both fellowship and outreach.
(6) A purposeful shift in our evening services toward a blend of camp meeting hymns with meaningful praise and worship choruses, using an overhead projector. By planning the flow of worship very carefully, we have actually added music and specials within the allotted time frame. Other special music is often used as a pre-service preparation time of about 10 minutes before the hour. People have been extremely responsive to the enhancement of our corporate praise and worship! The camp board finds this to be such an integral part of the current spiritual health of our camp, that they are reluctant to "import" music personnel that may not be tuned to this approach. We have used our own music leadership more often than not in recent years, and incorporate a wide range of the best music from our 52 churches.
{mospagebreak title=Conclusion}
CONCLUSION
The purpose of this study was to discover a biblical/theological basis for "doing" camp meeting and investigating the problems facing contemporary holiness camp meetings, to clarify these issues, and to provide camp meeting leaders with a stimulus for discussion, and a better understanding of the difficulties they face as they seek to perpetuate the camp meeting movement in the next century. Without question these issues have been investigated and, in my own mind at least, I have clarified them. I hope I have brought some clarity to others, also. Judging by the tremendous response to the questionnaire, it was itself a stimulus for discussion. If a forum can be found for the results articulated in this paper, I believe it will also stimulate discussion and help to bring about better understanding of the problems of holi¬ness camp meetings and the possible solutions to these problems.
The study was undertaken to discover current thinking about holiness camp meetings by those who have been involved with them for many years. I have certainly discovered what some people think about holiness camp meetings. Whether or not this will begin to fill the void of literature on contemporary camp meetings, their ministries, and special problems remains to be seen. I believe this is a worthy effort and I am hopeful that this study can be shared with a larger audience.
{mospagebreak title=Bibliography}
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Baker, Sheridan. Living Waters; Being Bible Expositions and Addresses Given at Different Camp-Meetings and to Ministers and Christian Workers on Various Other Occasions. Introduced with the author's experience in spread¬ing holiness. 3rd ed., corr. and enl. Boston: McDonald and Gill, Office of the Christian Witness, 1889.
Brown, Kenneth O. Holy Ground: A Study of the American Camp Meeting. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1992.
Bruce, Dickson D., Jr. And They All Sang Hallelujah. Knoxville, Tennessee: The University of Tennessee Press, 1974.
Coleman, Robert E. The Master Plan of Evangelism. Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1963.
Dayton, Donald W. Discovering An Evangelical Heritage. New York: Harper & Row, 1976.
Dieter, Melvin Easterday. The Holiness Revival of the Nineteenth Century. Metuchen, New Jersey: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1980.
Grimes, John Franklin. The Romance of the American Camp Meeting. Cincinnati: The Caxton Press, 1922.
Johnson, Charles A. The Frontier Camp Meeting. Dallas: Southern Methodist University Press, 1955.
Jones, Charles Edwin. Perfectionist Persuasion: The Holiness Movement and American Methodism, 1867-1936. Metuchen, New Jersey: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1974.
McDonald, W. and John E. Searles. The Life of Rev. John S. Inskip. Boston: The Christian Witness, 1885.
Smith, Joseph Henry. Things Behind and Things Before in the Holiness Movement. Chicago: Evangelistic Institute Press, 1916.
Smith, L. Timothy. Revivalism and Social Reform. New York: Abingdon Press, 1957.
Wood, J. A. Perfect Love. Chicago: The Christian Witness Company, 1909.
Wood, John Allen. Purity and Maturity. Philadelphia: National Publishing Association for the Promotion of Holiness, 1876.
Help us build a more complete directory!
Do you have more information about any of the camps listed on this site?
Or perhaps a camp is not listed.
Let us know by clicking on this link to give us updated camp information.