“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Have you ever asked a child this question? I’m guessing that most of us have. Although children’s answers seem to fall into a few general categories, their answers do give insight into the interests and desires of the child. This is also a question I ask myself regularly of the ministry here at Big Sky Bible Camp. What do we want this ministry to look like in 3 years, 10 years? As we undergo significant growth it is a question that is at the forefront of my mind.
To answer this question, I first have to invite you in to the inner chambers of the minds of the leadership here at Big Sky. If that sounds scary, I promise it will be profitable and painless. Our goal here at BSBC is faithfulness to God and His Word, plain and simple. We do not get hung up on numbers of campers (except for the number of campers left on the waitlist!) or fiscal goals. Of course, we plan, we pray and desire to be intentional in every aspect of our ministry. Our conversations here in the office are never about being a “big” camp or getting to some magical threshold. Rather, our dialogue involves evaluation of faithfulness to the gospel. Right now, we believe this faithfulness manifests itself in the increased capacity for campers, particularly Camp Promise campers. As a camp, we require tools for ministry and the main tool that we need is facilities! Our faithfulness as a camp is dependent upon these tools. I don’t think a camp would be very popular that serves no food or lacks proper shelter for campers!
For those that may be concerned about the addition of these buildings and the end desires of the staff here at BSBC, let me reassure you of where we stand. The new dining room we are building is truly a beautiful building, but our excitement as staff centers around how the Lord will use that building to accomplish His purposes here at BSBC.
I was personally involved in the construction of the dining room this summer. As I spent time on the roof working on the chimney, what most excited me was the visions of the building bustling with future activity – with chapel times, Bible drills, LIT sessions, Camp Promise campers worshipping in a way that only they can. This is what inspires and motivates us here at BSBC.
Please do not get me wrong, we are so thankful for the countless donors who have given sacrificially to help us build a solid, beautiful building that will last for years to come. I simply want to reassure all of those who care deeply about BSBC that no matter how many buildings we have, no matter how many campers we are running through on a yearly basis, our desire will always be centered around faithfulness to the gospel of Christ and it is through this faithfulness that we find our joy.
Praise God for His provision and for the countless workers who are contributing to the infrastructure here at BSBC, but we praise Him more for the fact that He chooses to use sinful vessels and ministries such as ours to accomplish His purposes. May that fact continue to humble us and remind us that He created us and established BSBC to serve Him and promote the good news of the gospel.