Types of Leaders at Camp

The true heroes of camp are the leaders who give of their time, vacation, and energy to keep their group together, on schedule, and safe. The thing is they each have their unique way of making that happen. Join us this week as we explore the types of leaders we have seen at camp over the years. If you know of some we missed email us at mergeministries12@gmail.com and let us know.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Welcome in to another episode of M3 Merge Ministry Mostly. I'm Daniel. And I'm Luke. And we are back again for another riveting podcast.

SPEAKER_01 0:15

What what number is this?

SPEAKER_00 0:17

See, uh, I started episode one and then I quit counting. So I have after one? I made it to like four or five.

SPEAKER_01 0:25

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 0:25

So I don't know. But we're back. We're back, baby. We did not we do not have any viewer comments this week. I had somebody tell me they were going to. I guess the so I always get messed up because we're recording when we record these things.

SPEAKER_02 0:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 0:41

So we had a discussion at church about the sock, sock, shoe, shoe. There were probably five people at the church that do sock shoe, sock shoe.

SPEAKER_01 0:51

That is wild behavior.

SPEAKER_00 0:53

And one of them is a staff member. No way. I bet you can't guess who the staff member is. I'm gonna guess Grant. Grant was one. I think Grant said he did it sometimes. Okay. But the other one should be of no surprise.

SPEAKER_01 1:06

Now you're setting me up. Oh, come on. Of no surprise.

SPEAKER_00 1:10

No surprise. You look at this guy and you go, You would definitely be a sock shoe sock shoe. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

I'm blanking. Who is it? BJ. Oh, yeah, definitely. Definitely. I when you said staff, I was honestly thinking no uh adult male would do this. So I'm going, I'm thinking all the teenagers, but I was wrong. No, it's uh him's a grown man.

SPEAKER_00 1:39

He's a grown man, and he which when he puts on socks and shoes, which is impressive in itself, he does it sock shoe, sock shoe.

SPEAKER_01 1:47

So anyway, that's wild behavior. I still stand by that.

SPEAKER_00 1:51

That is so Abby said she will do that when she's at the gym and takes a shower because she don't want to stand on the floor in her sock. Athlete put it. Athlete's foot ain't too bad. So she puts on a sock shoe. And so this week we're looking, we are very soon approaching camp. And hopefully at camp we can do these from camp.

SPEAKER_01 2:16

That would be awesome.

SPEAKER_00 2:17

I think we can do it.

SPEAKER_01 2:18

Maybe I'll sit up on the stage and do it.

SPEAKER_00 2:21

Yeah, that would be awesome. Key word would would be. We'll see if we can make it. So we're looking towards camp and getting back to the the merge ministry part of the podcast. We have come up with a list of the types of leaders you see at camp.

SPEAKER_01 2:38

We also got not like I was gonna say got in trouble. We don't get in trouble. We were we were informed that uh we've gotten away from our merge conversations, yes, and we were like, yeah, well, apparently the people like the ridiculousness that we've been talking about, so that's what we've been sticking with, but somewhat ridiculousness today, and still tying it in with camp, right? Back back to some camp stuff.

SPEAKER_00 3:06

So if you are one of these leaders, and at the end of it, we will discuss what the ideal leader at a camp is. But if you're one of these leaders, you're doing ministry, you love Jesus, so we're not knocking you for that. We're just these are people that we've seen. Everybody has a different style, everybody has different leaders, different personalities. So if you're one of these people, bless you.

SPEAKER_01 3:36

Yeah. Well, and this is all in good fun. Kind of like as we've said, that you know, some the the only people that have written in have basically told us we're wrong in our opinions, right? You know what I mean? Everybody's different, you know. We all function differently, which is what makes up the camp experience, you know. Like just because we're gonna make fun of it doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong or bad, or like, or or or even like detrimental to camp. Some of some of these things we're gonna talk about are necessary things that keep us on track. Like, that's what we're gonna say. The here's the pro of it, and here's the con of it. Because there's some of these things are are are helpful to the group, it's just everybody don't want to be there.

SPEAKER_00 4:29

And every every group is different, you have different kids, so you have to treat them differently. Yeah, also I would think there were some things I did early in ministry with our group that I probably would do different now. Would you climb up the drain spout again? Oh, a hundred percent. You go back right back to it. Yeah, so I would say that last night, uh what yesterday was my birthday.

SPEAKER_01 4:56

So a couple weeks ago yesterday when you're when you're here watching May 14th. Actually, when we're recording, it was yesterday.

SPEAKER_00 5:05

So anyway, so a couple weeks ago, or within the past couple weeks, I was talking to some guys about tasers, and it would be fun to tase people and yada yada yada. Well, my children decided at 8 30 last night they started, you know, scheming and giggling, and they were texting some another group of people, and they were like, We'll be back, you can't go to sleep until we get back. So I was like, Oh gosh. Yeah, and I was like, Well, first of all, I'm not staying up too much longer, so make it quick. So they come in, my three, um, Lex was at the house, the other three, came in with two guys, and they all Levi walks in with his phone recording, and they're sitting down and they all are kind of grinning. And I was like, What are y'all doing? Like, Levi's recording, what are you about to do? Yeah, what are you doing? So they pull out a taser. Oh gosh. So we were like, How many volts, watts, whatever is that? And the guy that bought it said, six hundred thousand. Oh my goodness. And I was like, that's a that's how much is it comes out of a uh socket? And he's uh works for Alabama Power, and he said something like 120. Yeah, and I was like, so that's six, and I didn't believe it. I was like, I gotta look this up because this can't be right. 600,000. 600,000. That's uh that's a lot of votes, man. So last night um we tased ourselves some. I was a little scared, and I didn't do it a whole lot, but it said if you do it on the palm of your feet or the palm of your hand, it's not supposed to hurt as bad. So that's where I started with the palm of my hand, and then uh actually another gentleman there, he started it because I was too scared. Um but he did it, which he had on sweatpants, so I was like, I don't know if that really counts.

SPEAKER_01 7:03

Yeah, so we was going on a cruise and uh our we're riding uh down there in the church van, there's a lot of us that are going, and so uh there's a taser in the van. In the church van? In the church van. So I what we assumed was this was taken up from a student and forgotten about, and so I was asked, how much would it take for me to tase you? And I'm going, I my whole life, like I I consider myself to be somewhat manly, you know what I mean? Like uh when it was when I was playing sports and stuff, like I played through some pain today. I ain't playing through no pain because I ain't got to. I'm gonna take some message, but uh, he was like, How much would it take for me to tase you? And I'm like, I you're not doing it, it's not happening. Like, I'm with you. Like, I'm scared, I don't want no part of this. Now I'm sure the taser that they had probably wasn't nowhere near 600,000. It probably wouldn't have been that bad. It was a little bitty pink one. Uh but my point is, I'm out, bro. I'm with you. I don't want no part. I ain't gotta prove my manhood to you.

SPEAKER_00 8:09

So I did it, I did it three times. I did on my hand, I did it on my thigh, and I did it on my butt. Did it hurt real bad? The butt probably was the worst, probably felt it the longest. Now I didn't like yeah, yeah, I just like yeah, pop myself and uh but so you weren't letting nobody else do it. Heck no, that's Abby was like, let me let me tase you, and I'm like, No, no, no, no, because you know they're gonna hold it for a little bit, right? So then it turned into we have to take this to count. I mean, and I said the problem with that is some junior high kid would get a hold of it and like tase herself and then go tell their parents, and then I'd get in trouble.

SPEAKER_01 8:49

I'm like we we had a kid in in the in youth ministry that has his mom is you know big part of merge, he's been you know around as a camper and then now on staff and stuff. And uh he every time we put out like the what to bring list, he always says, You didn't tell us what not to bring, so I can bring weapons and drugs and this, like joking. Right. And uh, so if if uh because of that, I started adding to my group like what not to bring, and you know, those things, just honestly being it's the inside joke with him, is really all it was. Not expecting kids to bring those things, but uh haven't thankfully I haven't had to deal with that myself. I'm sure other people have bringing tasers or the stuff they weren't supposed to, yeah, yeah, alcohol, many of those things that you bring uh as a as a minor uh to camp. But anyways, I say that to say uh we have if we have that on the list, and then we are the leaders and bring that as probably a little bit irresponsible. I'm not saying that so I don't get tased, I'm saying that as a responsible adult.

SPEAKER_00 9:57

Well, I will bring it. I don't want your taste, I don't want your things. We will see. There will be an age limit on who gets to participate. There you go.

SPEAKER_01 10:05

But we will bring it up. So anyway, we'll put it in a little little, you know, one of those little gun safes. That's right. Yeah, that way nobody fingerprints.

SPEAKER_00 10:13

So on to the leaders you see at camp. Like we started to say, if this is you, you do you, it works for your group, it works for you. But these are just types of people, types of leaders that we see at camp. So we'll list them and then we'll talk about them for a minute. We'll give you a pro and a con. I'll do the first one, then you do, and we'll go back and forth. Okay. The first one is my little duckling leader. These are this is a fucker. Because you see them, you see them coming and they're all in a single file line. I'm like, you're walking half a mile and they're all in a single file line everywhere they go. So the pros, you keep everyone together, they're all yeah, that that is very much true, or not losing a child, losing that kid. The cons, everybody don't want to do the same thing.

SPEAKER_01 11:02

That is that is true.

SPEAKER_00 11:04

And if you have older kids and younger kids, you're making your fifth graders walk in a line with your third graders, and they probably are not enjoying life sometimes. True, because all the other kids, most of them is just wide open, like take off and go wherever.

SPEAKER_01 11:19

And I this leader, I can tell you how many kids we see at camp that they are just wide open, and you you see them on the way. You're we're going to eat, and they they should be heading towards eating, and they're walking the opposite direction. You're like, Hey, where where are you going? Oh, I'm going to play basketball. Where's your leader? I don't know what church are you with, and they go, I don't know. I'm like, what in the world? I'm just here. This, the my little duckling leader, that don't happen to them.

SPEAKER_00 11:49

No, it don't. And uh it's so funny, like they're in a line and it's a B line, and they every time they go places, they'll get everybody together, line up in a line, and then they just stroll out. That's right. So you keep them together. I will say we appreciate that. You do keep your group together and you know where they are.

SPEAKER_01 12:07

We all do we are not trying to hunt down this this kid's leader when you are the my little duckling leader. That is a fabulous thing. I'll give you that. Uh my my first one, um I believe you added this, but I was I was going to to put this one on there as well, is the the splatball gun leader. Yeah. Uh if you don't know what the splat ball guns are, it's it's like a less painful uh paintball gun.

SPEAKER_00 12:40

So before we get into this, I was looking up this to make sure I spelled it right. If you look on Amazon, it's splatter s plate r ball.

SPEAKER_01 12:50

Interesting.

SPEAKER_00 12:51

But then so I don't know the difference. Maybe it's splatter.

SPEAKER_01 12:54

Maybe maybe maybe it's like uh uh a Kleenex and a tissue. Maybe they're two different brands, anyways. The point the point is uh the these these guys typically guys have uh the the splat ball gun, splatter ball gun that shoot the little orby orbies, yeah. And uh as as they uh when you get shot with it, it's not like it's incredibly painful, but when you get what feels like a beasting out of nowhere, you're like, what was that? You know, you're kind of looking around and then you see some guy hunched behind a tree where he just shot you. So the pro is, man, they know how to find, know how to have fun. They they are they're bringing life and joy into camp. That's right. The con is sometimes they take it too far, they might shoot the wrong person, yes, you know, thinking that they're gonna enjoy this and have fun, like like I do. I've been uh on the receiving end of this before and look around, I see you know who it is. We laugh, cut up. Sometimes it causes me to go over there and talk to them. Sometimes it's like, all right, let me get away from this. Uh, but uh all in all, they they know how to have fun. Sometimes, and sometimes it's not uh their doing of they went too far, sometimes it's the person that they shot. Right. I don't handle it. I'm gonna I'm gonna say this probably the worst way possible. Don't know how to have fun. This is probably not the best way for me to describe that. Uh, but with that being said, it it ain't for everyone, and so you gotta be careful of you gotta be careful who you splatter splatter gun uh leader.

SPEAKER_00 14:28

Yes, but they are they're fun, you're out and they're shooting people and laughing, but shoot the wrong one, then it's a problem. You can't believe you did that, and it becomes an issue, but yes.

SPEAKER_01 14:41

I got I got shot right in the back of the head with one of those one time, and I turn around and normally it's they're they're in like the hiding, like I'm trying not to get caught. It fun, right? He's like, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. I wasn't trying to shoot you. I was like, Oh, you could manage got a big knot on my head now, but it's fine.

SPEAKER_00 15:04

Yeah, so and a lot of time they realize if they go too far, sometimes they don't, sometimes they just shoot their own person thinking it'd be funny, and the other person didn't think it. So that's true. So this next one, I originally had the stop sign, but I figured that somebody gets upset about that. So I call this one the crossing guard leader, crossing guard, which is really the stop sign leader, because all you do is tell kids to stop, or you tell them no, or you're like, no, you can't do that. No fun here, don't don't go there, come get in the line. Like you you you you're over um protect, maybe, so they don't because they are kids, and I get it. There's kids that if you give them a little bit, they're gonna take a lot, and yeah, you but you're this person is uh overly um no person.

SPEAKER_01 16:00

So I was adding one, and then I'm going back through the list, and I took it off because you you hit it with the crossing guard guard leader. I had um the no fun leader. Hey, crossing guard guard is a lot better. It's the their their goal and their idea is not we're we're not having any fun. It's we gotta follow the rule, follow the schedule, keep this, keep we gotta do exactly what's on. Yeah, and and and and be be all together.

SPEAKER_00 16:33

However, however, the con is they are kids. Let them have fun. Let them have fun, man.

SPEAKER_01 16:39

So four days enjoy the the camp.

SPEAKER_00 16:41

They're away from their parents. Let them let them stay up late or let them eat something that they probably couldn't at home. Um, let them run, let them, let them go.

SPEAKER_01 16:53

So my dad is the pastor at the way church where we are here filming. Um and my brother-in-law, pretty much all my family but me, goes to my dad's church. Uh my side of the family, my side of the family, and my wife's side of the family. Um, they, you know, lead praise and worship. Uh, my brother-in-law plays the drums, my sister-in-law sings, my mother-in-law leads uh vocals, and my uh aunt, I heard my mother-in-law's sister plays piano. Like it's literally everybody, uncle runs the sound, they all go here. And uh, as we've started with merge, we've had you know more and more and more of them start to serve with us. Uh the opposite of that crossing guard leader. Uh, I don't think we have on on here. Maybe we do. Yeah. Kind of. Kind of. The the hype man. Yeah. Uh that I that that would be him. Yeah. Like he is when he was a chaperone, uh, coming to merge, he's finds out the kids that are in his room, and he is uh getting some from the parents, but after he got the list from the parents, he's like, I'm gonna go to these kids individually. He got their favorite snacks, favorite drinks, and he even asked them, not necessarily the drinks your parents buy you, but what's your favorite? So like he's got Mountain Dew in there, like he's got stuff that some of the kids will tell him, No, man, I mean the parents will be like, nah, my kids can't have this. He's got snacks for days. So the hype man, they bring the energy, right? Like they are the the life of the party, keep the morale high. Uh, turn turns you know the regular old simple wreck into the Super Bowl, you know, like this is the greatest thing ever. Yeah, allows the kids to do stuff they wouldn't do. My that was my point why I'm bringing this one up now. Allow the kids to do some stuff that at camp that they may not get to do at home and makes it an enjoyable experience. One of the problems with uh the hype man is they got two volumes, it's loud and louder. There's uh sometimes it's difficult to keep the control. That's right. We we we like to say it's controlled chaos, right? Right? To keep some control in there, but most of the time it's just chaos, right? They are uh they but the good thing another good thing about the hype man is the the kids want to be around them, right? You know, they're the leader they want to be with, right?

SPEAKER_00 19:25

Because they get to do what they want to do, which is great if you can keep them in control sometimes and they know too much chaos. That's right. Sometimes you gotta bring it in and calm it down a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 19:37

So the best hype man that that the con would be less here is they know when to utilize their role as a hype man and know when to kind of pull back and let the other guys lead. I would say Johnny did that. He was very good at at that side of it, and you know, be the hype man when it's needed. Yeah, and and when it's not, when I need to chill out, he would you know kind of calm down and right give give give the authority back to the other folks like y'all quit, y'all quit coming over here by me. Don't do pay attention here.

SPEAKER_00 20:13

Don't do what I was just doing, yeah, do what they're telling you to do.

SPEAKER_01 20:17

Pre-service is over, service is started. Now sit down and shut up.

SPEAKER_00 20:20

Right. So the uh where's Waldo leader? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Is uh you're the leader who nobody knows where you are. You came to camp for vacation, I guess. Your kids are all over the place, everywhere. Uh, the pro to this person is get catch up on your rest. Yeah. Uh you can go take a nap. And there are some times that as a leader, like, sure, go and relax, but there's some of the leaders that take that a little too far, and they just let them go. And kids are running around. We're like, where's your leader? And they say, I don't know, I haven't seen them since breakfast. We're like, we haven't either. So a con to that is their kids and you're responsible for them. Um, but the other, the bigger impact with those kind of leaders is in service. Yeah, like it is fantastic for the leader to sit with your third, fourth, and fifth graders during an hour-long service to help with crowd control. But there'll be leaders out in the parking lot, they'll be on the phone, they'll sit in the back of the room, and their kids are up every two seconds going to the bathroom, and we're like, Hey, the staff is looking around like, Where's in charge here?

SPEAKER_01 21:40

Yes. The answer is nobody.

SPEAKER_00 21:45

It's kids' camp, let them be kids. It's uh for them a little too far. You were there for a reason, and it's not just to get rest and to be unseen. W one time at kids camp, this was.

SPEAKER_01 22:01

Right, I think before I got to the church that I'm at now. But I I knew a lot of the leaders at this at the church that I'm at now. And so somebody from that church comes up to me and asks, Do you know where Miss So and So is? And my response to them was yes, she's out by the pool. And they were like, Are you kidding me? And I was like, I just assume y'all was down there swimming. Like, didn't y'all not book the pool? Because this is one of those times where it's like we didn't have the pool reserved for camp. Yeah. You know, and there was you know other things going on. And we don't we don't know the activities that some of the people book. So this church was booked to do the ropes course or aqua park or something like that at Chaco, and they can't find this leader anywhere. And she's just chilling out by the pool. And there's no kid with her. I'm thinking she's watching chaperoning, you know, watching kids doing what she's supposed to do. So I didn't even honestly didn't think nothing of it. No, shot had been there since the pool opened. So we fun time we go out to color games and she goes out to the pool, and she's been at the pool since color games. She's been out there for four hours with no kids, no nothing. She's like, right on, brother. Right on.

SPEAKER_00 23:20

I mean that and that takes free vacation. To be the type that goes, hey, I know I'm here and I came with you guys, but I'm going to the pool. Y'all go down there and do some recreation.

SPEAKER_01 23:33

Uh this is uh one of my one of my favorites to see, but I know sometimes it can be uh maybe frustrating for the the church pastor or yeah leader in charge, the uh secret service leader. The the one that is uh they're aware of every possible scenario, anything that that could go wrong, they are aware of it. Uh another pro, they they stop problems before they happen. Uh, but but sometimes you gotta lighten up when we're at camp. You know what I mean? Uh this this guy can be very uh intimidating for the kids. Uh they're on guard with everything that's happening, everything that could could go wrong. They're over there, like they're they're working for the FBI. That that leader is sometimes a little a little intimidating, a little scary. Yes. But there's fewer of those than some of the others we've talked about. But there's always that one. There's always that one there.

SPEAKER_00 24:37

So there was uh speaking of they think you're in the military. I remember when I was in youth group, and this could be a long story, but I'll keep it short. Basically, there was we were teenagers, and there was a guy that wouldn't, or we wouldn't be quiet when it was time to go to bed and all that. So there was a leader that we didn't really know. Well, the youth pastor told this leader to pretend that you're having like PTSD like flashbacks from the war. Oh god. So this guy's laying down here, and we're laughing and cutting up, and he starts like screaming, like, stop, I'm gonna kill you, all this stuff. And we're like, what the heck? And he takes off out of the room a couple of times. The youth pastor comes in, he's like, dude, he was in the military, like he was over like all of this, he's having a problem. So he comes in, like one group of kids set up suitcases around because they think he's gonna come get them. Well, the dude gets up and like goes towards them, falls over the suitcases. Now everybody's like it's dark, and this guy's running around. There was uh a guy laying under on the bunk under us. Dude went to repenting. God, I'm sorry for saying those words. God, I'm sorry for looking at that girl to me. He thought he's done. He thought he was done. So some of the military guys, they they a little scary, but you can use that to your advantage.

SPEAKER_01 25:55

You can use that to your advantage. Yeah, that's true.

SPEAKER_00 25:57

So, but they get the job done now. They do get the job done. They're there where they see things that other people don't see, um, and that's needed in terrorist attacks and bombings. Uh maybe not so much at kids' camp. Maybe not so much at kids' camp. Uh, the close but not too close is kind of probably what a lot of leaders I would say are. Like they uh I tried to tell when I had a group at kids camp my leaders to be present. Some people did a great job because you can keep an eye on more kids. So the pron the pro of that is the pron. The pro of that is you can keep an eye on multiple kids, like you can see the pool or you could see the basketball and all that. Uh so you could keep an eye on more, but the problem is they're still kids, they're gonna mess up. You're getting older, or maybe I am. Um, your reflex and your eyesight ain't what it used to be. Uh, so just know that if you're close, but not too close, you're gonna miss something, and you're gonna have to answer for a kid doing something dumb. But kind of best of both worlds, you're far enough away that you can watch them, you give them their freedom. Um, but you're gonna have stuff that you have to fix because they're going to mess up or do something because you're not right there on top of them.

SPEAKER_01 27:17

I was I was heading down the same path. Um, I was labeling it the the not not not that big of a deal guy. Yeah, like though those guys uh or or ladies, I just keep saying guys, but they it's a good thing in a lot of ways that things don't bother people, you know. Like the kids are gonna be kids, they're gonna mess up, they're gonna be where they ain't supposed to be. They might break something, and you know, to not have the guy that's how can you do this? Yeah, uh, but just you know, allow allow them to mess up and we just fix it, right? No, no big deal. That is a a a good a good quality to have at camp, but sometimes you completely miss stuff because of that.

SPEAKER_00 28:04

Now, some of them will say one that I don't say we don't need because there is even a pro to this the Eeyore leader. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Which I had to look up how to spell Eeyore.

SPEAKER_01 28:16

When I looked at this, I was like, man, that ain't how you spell Eeyore. E-O-R-E. That's how you spell Eeyore. That's how that's how I tried. And then I had to look it up. Uh E-E-Y-O-R-E, in case you were wondering.

SPEAKER_00 28:28

Eeyore. Eeyore, yeah. That I still don't even think that's right. It said it on the internet. So the pro to this leader is you made it possible for your group to come to camp because they needed a leader. They probably stood up in the church and said, Hey, we need somebody to go without you. Your group probably couldn't come.

SPEAKER_01 28:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:49

So we appreciate you being there. The con to this is everyone at camp can tell you. You don't want to be there. Like you sit over in the shade at Wreck and you just have this look on your face like, how much longer I hate this in service. Uh, you're trying to find the furthest place to go because it's too loud, and the kids are talking and not listen. Like, so we are glad that you're there because the kids probably wouldn't be there without you. But everybody can tell. Relax. Everybody, everybody knows. Like, just enjoy it. Like relax. Find the spiritual part of like you're impacting the life of a child. They could get saved because of what you're doing. So just smile. Like, just just look like you you want to be there. We know you don't. We we see that, but just just enjoy it. Maybe we could get little stickers and we can pass out stickers this year at camp for these different leaders.

SPEAKER_01 29:51

You're being eeure. Stop it. Uh, which brings me to my next point. Uh, the young at heart leader, baby, but you old. You as you young at heart, but you own. Again, we may not have, you may not allow the possibility of kids to make it to camp if you don't show up. And we appreciate you, but there's just some things that you should probably stop doing. Well, but you know what I mean? There's some things at camp that you should be the guy or lady sitting on the side with a with a smile on your face watching what they're doing, and maybe not participate in everything.

SPEAKER_00 30:34

These these people, this this type of leader, I think they they still got a little bit of kid, like they come because maybe they didn't get to do kids' camp. So they want to experience the way a kid experiences camp.

SPEAKER_01 30:48

So it's like the best version of like dad's living through their sons and like sports. I guess it's like the best version of it. Like they're they are living their best life at camp because they didn't experience when they were a kid.

SPEAKER_00 31:01

I just I keep mentally picturing this type of leader.

SPEAKER_01 31:06

I was to say what you have written down, to be honest with you.

SPEAKER_00 31:09

He got his goggles on in the pool, in the pool, got his sunscreen on his nose, it's all white, might even have on like a swim cap. Yeah, and just out there just getting it during freeze time.

SPEAKER_01 31:21

So the good thing is they blend in, you know, they are right there with the kids, and and not just blend in with the kids, but they're there for the kids. Like they are they're a part, they're a part, they know where the kids are at. Yes, but they are might be enjoying it more than the kids are. They may. The problem is you blend in with your kids, and we don't know if you're a kid or or or an adult or a chaperone.

SPEAKER_00 31:50

Yeah, it was uh hey, you may have contacts, you may need to wear goggles to go swimming. It's just funny that it was funny.

SPEAKER_01 31:58

So um we that was probably more of a us being more of a hater than we should be.

SPEAKER_00 32:06

I mean, yeah, so I have uh the uh rubber band leader, which also can go for the uptight. You're it you're you're on top of everything would be the pro because like you have to like make sure everything stays in order and like but you're also wound up a little too tight. Like it's it's okay again to let a kid drink a coke for the week or to to run from one place to the other, like let them be excited. So you you kind of gotta unwind a little bit. A little bit.

SPEAKER_01 32:40

Um so my group they don't have me at camp. I'm running camp, so I'm not with my kids 24-7. You know, I try to do uh the best I can with checking in and still being a part, but I'm I'm helping, I'm on staff, I'm running camp. So uh there was this young lady that uh I don't think I have a rubber band leader. Yeah, uh none of my leaders are like over the top. And last year I had the conversation with a couple of them. It's like there's some things we should be a little bit more on top of. Uh I had a little girl first year at camp. She's got one of those uh water bottles, is like you know, the big one, stainless steel on the inside. And uh she is killing some water, like everybody is like she's always got this thing with her, she's killing it. And uh she is leaving wreck and she's like, My stomach is hurting really bad. Like she's she's fit, says she's dizzy and feels like she's gonna pass out. And they're like, Oh no, you know, go check her out with a nurse. And first thing they ask is, How much water have you had today? Well, the leader steps in and says, Oh, she's probably drank two or three of these. And the look, the kid responds, I haven't had any water. Uh and they're looking at her, car uh the lady is looking at her, says, I've I've watched you drink this. She's like, What's in what's inside it? She's like, Coke. Gotcha. Maybe we should be a little more aware of the water consumption. Uh we got some water in there in her. She was she got hydrated, she was fine. So, yeah. There is some pros to the rubber band leader. Yes, however, the the cons sometimes outweigh the pro in that right, you know, have fun. Relax. We're at camp. Relax. We are indeed at camp. Uh this this one. Again, trying to say it the nicest way uh possible. The the one more thing guy. You know, a lot of times the leader will look around to the other leaders and they aren't really genuinely asking, does anybody else have anything? And like they're asking the question to to move on, right? Like it's the transition point, right? And so let's pray and let's get out of here, move on to the next thing. But the one more guy leader is one more thing, leader, is uh I gotta add, gotta add something else to to the point, right? So they do add two small groups, they reiterate the the point. It is sometimes beneficial. Right. And I got one more thing. The problem is that everything is 20 minutes longer than it needs to be. Right. The anybody else got anything? Yeah, one thing, one thing. Oh no, this and this ain't just a camp thing. This is in coaching, like you see, it's in coaching a lot. Like the head coach is done, he's land blasted the the the team, and he's like, This is what we need to work on, this is where we're headed. Any coaches, y'all got anything? Yeah, coach, I got one more thing. It's like, no, stop it. We're done.

SPEAKER_00 35:58

Yeah, that feeling like the coach, they feel like they have to say something.

SPEAKER_01 36:01

Yeah, no, you don't. No, just they they they covered everything every single thing that needed to be covered. Let's move on from here.

SPEAKER_00 36:09

We did that with Travel Ball. We had a head coach, um, and I was helping coach, and he would talk, and you could see the kids like start tuning out and not paying attention because he goes for like shutting off the lights and he's still talking. My son played for that, and then he looks at me and goes, You got anything?

SPEAKER_01 36:28

Like, nope, nope, I'm ready to go to. So I learned with with him, uh, I would just start. Like, I by no offense to him. Like, I'll I'm short with what I got to say. And if I have something to say, this is I'm the assistant coach, I'm probably saying something negative about what y'all didn't do, right? You know what I mean? So I just jump in, I start, this is where it is, and then I let him do his thing afterwards. Because he'll he he was very good at you know correcting the thing or saying, hey, we didn't do well at this, but then building them up before we left. And sometimes uh for whatever reason in in football last year when I was coaching with him, I didn't I didn't know there was no there was nothing to build up. Like there's all negative. If if there was something to be said, it was negative. Uh so one more thing.

SPEAKER_00 37:24

So what we're gonna do, we're gonna just read, we'll back and forth. There's like four of these left because we want to get to the ideal leader uh as we get ready to wrap up and we're getting um towards the end of this. So uh we'll just kind of roll through these, make a comment or two. The big spender. Uh you buy candy for all of your kids, or you start a tab, or they have a tab, and you just come up and you just pay for everything, or you're the the guy that the kids are sitting there trying to decide, and you're like, just get it all and I'll pay for it. So great for your kids. The con is you make the rest of the leaders look bad. You make everybody else look bad. Other kids are going. You gonna buy me something?

SPEAKER_01 38:02

It ain't just other leaders, it makes some of the other parents look bad. Like my son comes up with a daggum walking stick, and I'm like, Where did you get that? And he's like, Mr. Sonzo bought it for me. And I'm like, Oh walking. I didn't give you money for no walking stick, right? Another one is the sensitive ears. Uh, they hear everything that's going on. It's a pro, they they know what's happening. Uh, the con is the music's always too loud, you know, drums are too much. It's it's it's not, you know, we gotta sit in the back. We need uh earphones or whatever, headphones.

SPEAKER_00 38:37

Well, the good thing is if they are that type of leader and they realize it that they try to sit in the back, but what gets me is those type of leaders that say it's always too loud, and they're sitting in the front, yeah, right in front of the subs.

SPEAKER_01 38:49

They're like, Oh, it's too loud. Look, I I understand people have sensitive sensitivity in like hearing sensitivity, whatever. And if you know that, yeah, like help me out, right? By you sit in the back. And if you need earplugs or whatever, like you come prepare right for that. Don't be mad at me. It's kids' camp. You know it's gonna be loud.

SPEAKER_00 39:09

The next leader's ready for the apocalypse leader. You have everything covered from a paper cut to Armageddon.

SPEAKER_01 39:17

You have a bag. Ready for the apocalypse apocalypse leader is not going to the camp nurse. They don't need the medic, they don't need the medicine. I got it. They got it.

SPEAKER_00 39:26

Anything that happens, bottled water, anything you need. The cons, you have a tendency to overreact to everything. Most of the time, the kid is tired or needs to be told suck it up and get on with it.

SPEAKER_01 39:38

That's right. We don't need the medic medicine or whatever. Yeah, I'm with you. Uh, which is uh similar to the the camp mom leader. Um how much water have you had today? Which again, there's there's pros to this, you know? There is you keep everybody alive, we're well prepared. We got snacks, sunscreen, water, medicine, everything that needs that we need. Not quite to the extent of the apocalypse leader, right? But they're the mom. Everybody's covered, everybody's got what they need. The problem is eh, worrying 24-7. 24-7. We're we're worried about the the cut, the scrape, the amp bite, the water, the sun.

SPEAKER_00 40:15

Water.

SPEAKER_01 40:16

Yeah, and it's on and on. So yeah, because I can guarantee you this at camp, until the thing is over, the activity is over, they don't the kids don't care about none of that. They don't once they're sunburned, then they might be like, hey, I'm sunburned, but we have on the front end, it's like, who cares?

SPEAKER_00 40:34

Uh so the ideal leader. Um, if I had to sum up what the ideal leader is, this is and we'll kind of probably add to takeaway. One that is there for the kids, participates in recreation and color games, leads in worship, keep structure with your group in service, and also out on the rec field, says yes whenever possible possible and offers to help and will help if needed. So, like when we're cleaning up and we have like a ton of stuff out, and a leader comes and says, Hey, can we give you a hand? We're not gonna say yes, we're not saying yes, we're not saying yes. We got people to do that, but the fact that you offered to help, fantastic. Like that speaks about you, makes us feel like hey, they're they're willing, they're here for the right reason. But that's also a thing, like if you're willing to help out and to to to give of your time on top of being there with the kids, like it just shows that you're you're kind of in the right spot. So yeah, but a leader is going for the kids. Uh, when I was the children's pastor and we took a group, like I love playing the rec games, getting out there with them, doing those things. I think that's where you build relationships. No doubt. Kids get to uh see you and get to know you and have fun because you do have to be structured sometimes, you do have to tell them when to calm down. But when it when you can play, get out there and enjoy it with them.

SPEAKER_01 42:04

Yeah, one one of the things I'm as we're closing, thinking of all the the one more guy. As I'm thinking about all these things that we've listed, like there is a role at at some point for a lot of these people. Right. When when it's time to get back up to the room, it's it's lights out, the my little duckling leader is is on point and very helpful. You know, we need that. And you know, all there's there's we listed the pros of these things for a reason, right? Like there is there is a time for all of this, but the heart of the ideal leader is is kind of the pro of all of these and leave the cons out. Like let's at the time we need the secret service leader, right? Let's let's be let's be that at the time that we need to be the hype man, let's be that, right? Show up for wreck and enjoy it. And and you know, it's hot at camp, and it's easy for people to start complaining, but have your water, be the mom, have the water, and you know, all of those things that go into it. That ideal leader is is a a yes man, like let's do it, let's let's be a part. And uh there is a lot of growth and bonding, I guess, really, that that goes into camp and from camp that is is is built there, but it doesn't just happen, it's got to be purpose, right?

SPEAKER_00 43:25

And what we have seen and heard for a leader that comes the Bible says something about it with the right motives, with the right heart, with the hey, I'm gonna make this the best for these kids, I'm going to lead in worship, I'm going to see what God also has for me. Yeah, like there are adults that enjoy kids camp as much or more than the kids, not just because it's fun or they get to do some of the stuff, but like God speaks to them and changes them no doubt the same that He does with the kids.

SPEAKER_01 43:57

So we we have conversations every single year.

SPEAKER_00 44:00

you know the leaders that i know that we they they come up to me it's like man daniel when daniel said this i never thought of it like that and yes we're structuring it for kids but when when you begin to the holy spirit begins to move right it it it reaches anyone that's right and it you your heart is what is necessary to be prepared right you know it's yeah that that's what matters yep so that is the ideal leader um if you can think of a leader that we missed please uh send us I'm sure there's some more out there see what you can come up with merge ministries12 at gmail.com or comment um in the platforms that you're listening to and we'll check them and see what you have but that is the leaders we see at camp if that is you if you're any of those thank you for being that leader thank you for showing up to but try to be the ideal leader this year be the ideal be the ideal let just kind of relax a little bit and have fun so that's all we got for today thank you for joining us we'll be back again next week and then we'll roll on into summer which we're still going to record but it could get a little crazy with camps and vacations and VBS and everything else we got going. So thank y'all for joining us and we will catch you next week. See you bye