“When we step away from the daily grind and spend time away together, it often gives God a chance to open our hearts to him”, says Ben Stephenson, Youth Pastor at Crossway Baptist Church. Around 480 young people went on Crossway’s Wintercamp, where time for learning, discussion and focusing on God prompted 22 first-time commitments, 83 expressions of interest in baptism, and many more people interested in joining an Alpha Youth course or serving at the church.
Ben said church leaders encouraged youth leaders to aim for markers that showed people’s growth in Christ, although many of the most important things in faith development can be unknowable or immeasurable. “Jesus said that his disciples would be known by their fruit. He had an eye for impact, for what causes people to be fruitful and to move forward in their faith, so that’s what we put to our youth leaders – a win for you is not just plenty of people showing up, but seeing them move forward in their faith. Stepping into first-time commitments to follow Jesus, baptism, serving – they’re steps of faith we’re able to measure, making sure young people are learning whatever it is they need to learn in their life so that they can keep taking steps and making progress.”
In previous times, there was a greater focus from churches on being relevant and sensitive to people’s stage of life in order to invite them into God’s love, but now Ben has found many people simply turning up to church of their own accord. “There seems to be a turning of the tide of young people looking for truth that has some stability to it, and so when online platforms are getting more and more fake and artificially produced with AI, and young people have a social media persona but it’s different to who they really are, people are hungry for what’s real. I think young people are searching for a foundation they can stand on that’s not shaky. These days we’re seeing more people just rock up because they knew about God, or have started learning about Him, or they are checking out what church is about, or wanting to do faith with other people. It’s fascinating and encouraging.”
Young people are looking for a church and fellow Christians who know the bible well and will speak its truths into their lives. “It’s important to stay away from watering down the bible but be clear about what Jesus is saying. Newcomers are looking for people who know the bible well and are living it out. They are also looking for community and belonging, a place to worship and ask real questions in a safe way where they’re not going to be laughed at. Churches offer that community – which also helps young people to be more resilient.”
Ben said the campers’ response in taking steps of faith this year was similar to previous years. “Camp is always a catalytic event for people who have been sitting on the fence or are not sure about what the next steps are in their faith. It’s a chance to get out of their normal environment of home and school and daily rhythms, and it seems to be a place where God works in hearts and minds – this is expected and encouraging to see.”
Five of Crossway’s Victorian campuses participated in Wintercamp. Sermons for the 5-day event were shared by Faith Community Church Lynbrook Pastor Ramon Raux, focusing on our identity in Christ, faith as our foundation for life, the Holy Spirit as our helper, and the church as people on mission to take the gospel to the world.
Each day included plenty of heart-pumping, toe-warming games and activities. There were several practical electives on topics like how to read the bible with friends, how to pray, the 5-fold ministries, gifts of the Holy Spirit, and panels where young people could ask questions on things like relationships, apologetics, and culture versus Christianity. For an hour each day the campers met in discussion groups of 5-10 people to talk about how to put into practice some of the things they were learning about. Camp ended with a Saturday “youth takeover” service back at home.