While excellent at come-to-Jesus moments, Christian camps—and by extension, youth ministries—sometimes overlook their opportunity to emphasize the winsomeness of Christian maturity, to present the richness and fullness of life as an adult follower of Christ.
Given extended adolescence, segregation of youth from adults, and an increasingly secular culture, this is something we must address. Failing to introduce students to the expansive joys of Christian living makes the alternative versions of adulthood glitter attractively even if they are really fool’s gold.
Young people who grow disinterested in the church assume that in leaving, they are putting childish things behind them and moving up and moving on. They cast off the rules that good Christians follow—don’t drink, don’t party, don’t sleep around—for the liberty of a life unshackled by religious restrictions.
Yet, growing up and into our faith includes becoming a flourishing adult—a person who lives boldly, within thoughtful boundaries, who is both as wise as serpent and as innocent as a dove. The Christian adult is not perfect, but continues to grow in virtue, becoming more fully what God intended his people to be.
Misunderstanding adulthood as liberation from rules can be corrected through more intentional efforts to guide our children and teens. This summer, I worked for a Christian camp, Wheatstone, which explicitly sought to “welcome students into Christian adulthood.” I was struck by the language they used to cue this transition and can see the benefits of extending this sense of welcoming to young Christians in our lives and ministries.
Christian parents rightfully protect their children from many aspects of the world, but as that protection lifts and children become adults they need to be actively shown a positive view of adulthood. At this summer camp, that introduction included emphasizing honest community, exploration of the wonder-filled world, discussion of hard questions, holiness found in modeling Christ, and above all, love. It gave adolescents the opportunity to speak more frankly about the pain and brokenness that is just as much part of the world as the beauty and wonder.
Aspects of this issue are already being talked about, and the discussion needs to continue. In a Her.meneutics article last year, Tish Harrison Warren suggested that something like a rite of passage—where girls are called to embrace a clear, alternative vision for womanhood than what our culture propagates—allows them to make this transition from adolescence to maturity. Similarly, a week at a summer camp like Wheatstone or a church retreat could potentially be such a rite of passage. Beyond standard camp activities and goofy games, these special times give us a chance to speak directly to young people about the Christian life ahead of them.
As they grow up, the rule-based version of Christianity they may have conceptualized as kids instead gets deepened and broadened for a more robust view of their faith. As Paul enjoins, “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways” (1 Cor. 13:11). We must help our youth give up childish ways for something better. All these are tenets of the Christian church since inception. We just sometimes need to be reminded how rich a life of faith can be. Then, we must allow and call youth into Christian adulthood and ease their fears of a boring life. An adult living boring Christianity is not modeling Christ.
Wheastone offered some ideas for one version of mature Christian adulthood—fostering creativity to avoid merely consuming God’s creation, exploring the world, intentionally trying new experiences. We talked to students about how humans were created both to work and play. God’s goodness can be found in their work and hobbies, whether making animation, singing, going to museums, or chasing other passions. We as adults need to show that to our youth by modeling God-glorifying lives of faithful community, prayer, and work.
It was beautiful to watch the students take seriously the call to Christian maturity. They face a world where a pluralism of views, even within the church, will cause them deep uncertainty about what a Christian life should look like. With their warmth and willingness to embrace the diversity around them, they will also find it difficult to discern which issues to take stand on. More so then generations before them, they will need to navigate the waters between conviction and empathy as they seek to be a just, loving reflection of Christ. That is why offering them an opportunity to step into mature Christian adulthood is essential.
I saw this camp as a model for what could be included in our lives as Christians. For us adult Christians, it is a call to allow our youth to join our ranks because they see a compelling, world-encompassing vision of life. Paul says that Christ “is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Col 1:17). And if we believe that Christ holds all things together, then our lives as Christian adults will reflect that compelling reality. When it comes down to it, many of us are Christians today because the adults in our lives potentially unknowingly showed us the glories and truth of a life lived for Christ.
I think J.R.R. Tolkien’s Bilbo Baggins may have understood something about growing up. He told his nephew, “It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.” It’s true, there is no knowing exactly where you will be swept off to. But accepting Christian maturity must begin with a first step outside the door. Our youth need to be shown that the treacherous and wonderful journey of Christian adulthood can be made because others have traveled before them following Christ to the glory of God our Father.
Leilani Mueller lives in Southern California with her husband, Nathan. A Biola grad, she spends her time teaching for a classical high school program, writing both fiction and essays, investing in her community, and attempting to live and think well about her life as a Christian woman.
