Camp Meeting 21

Camp Meeting 21 was an idea put down in writing by the late evangelist Jack McIntosh. Jack truly believed in revival and felt that today's evangelist and itinerant minister could compliment pastors today in the right setting. I remember talking with Jack on a couple of occasions and sensing his passion for a ministry that made a difference. Jack had been a pastor for many years prior to launching out in the evangelistic field, so he brought a wealth of experience to the field. It seemed inevitable that Jack would find a way for evangelists and pastors to partner together in an emergent church setting.

In Jack's study, entitled Camp Meeting 21, Jack looks at the possibility of extended exposure to congregations in a 21st century venue. Since most churches today cannot have extended services for many reasons - many of which are because people are busy and can't make it to nightly meetings - a series of "one day" events are utilized. Having a big name speaker come in for one day is nice, but most local congregations won't feel the liberty to share their burdens with a prominent personality today. Albeit, if you had an evangelist, who shared the pastor's passion and vision for that church, come in for a series of services you would have a more lasting affect upon a congregation.

This might take the form of 4 consecutive Wednesday night, Sunday morning, or Sunday night services - or even a variation of all three. The benefit of this type of venue allows a congregation to get to know the speaker and feel comfortable participating in the services. And when the speaker returns...they just pick up where they left off. Similar to when a pastor preaches a series...the foundation gets laid the first service and then you build upon that! Evangelists could then utilize a regional base of operations, if you will, allowing travel expenses to stay at a minimal.

I know this is a bit LONG today and isn't typical "blog" material but I just wanted to share some great material from a great man who just wanted to make a difference with his life. All of us have something we can share with others...maybe you should take some time right now to jot down a few things you could share with the next generation - making a difference in your world today.