Stop me if you've lived this:
In an unusual stroke of brilliance, you formulate the perfect summer camp.
The theme correlates perfectly with the games. The logos take half the time as normal to create (and they're totally dope and fresh, as the kids say). That one speaker is finally available and booked. You found the one week this summer that actually works for your people - a modern-day miracle. You call up the camp that is perfectly equipped for it and you realize... this place would blow the budget.
"No problem," you resourcefully say to yourself. "I'll get other churches to join so we can hit our minimum attendance requirement."
You post in the local youth pastor Facebook Groups. You cold-call churches in your area. You message that one gal you went to seminary with years ago but you think might still be in youth ministry. You exhaust every option of connectivity you can think of, and at the end of the day...
NO. ONE. JOINS. UP.
Because of this, you arrive at the only possible conclusion: churches are too competitive in this area to work together.
Have you been there?
The scenario I just described is a far too common trap that leaders fall into. If you've attempted to collaborate on a camp and walked away feeling that it is impossible, here are three things I'd advise:
#1. No one will be as excited about it as you are
You are the birther and rear-er of this vision - OF COURSE you are more excited about it than others. But could your enthusiasm cause you to have blind spots as to whether the greatness of this camp is a universal truth or more an "everyone-thinks-their-own-baby-is-cute, even-the-ugly-ones" type thing?
My favorite commercial of late is with Larry David. They show him rejecting golden ideas over the millennia, including forks, indoor toilets, and (brace yourself) coffee. At the end he says, "Nahhh, I don't buy it - and I'm rarely wrong about these things."
Can I challenge you on something? Don't view all the people who said "no" as naysaying Larry David's.
It is also an invitation to examine how many collaborative opportunities you personally have turned away from others too... those moments when you yourself have been a Larry David...
*Got a little awkward in here*
There is a myriad of plausible reasons why that church may not be able or willing to link up with you. It is not a direct reflection of you or your vision. Don't fall for the low-hanging bitterness fruit and start making indictments of other people's ministries.
Don't own it as a personal failure; don't make it personal in your relationship with other leaders.
#2. Relationship prior to a collaborative pitch is the greatest factor of success
Trust is the ingredient that makes it all go round. It's true in dating, in sales, in ropes courses, and it's CERTAINLY true in collaborative camps.
If the first real contact you have with someone is to have them participate in your activity, skepticism rises. If you've neglected to show up to a youth leader network at all other opportunities but today you magically decide to do so and just so happen to plug your camp, people see through it.
The best collaborative camps happen as a byproduct of ministry friends doing ministry together.
Put in the relational work with other leaders without strings attached and then let God drop vision on all of you of how you can work together.
#3. Giving away real ownership creates instant buy-in
Leaders like leading - it's in the name. While there are some who love the proposition of "just bring your teens and jump in," there are plenty who want to do the heavy lifting alongside of you. As they should.
The better method is to bring the idea 50% completed to a handful of trusted leaders and invite them in to help finish the rest.
All of my control freaks clicked off by now : )
When they are partial stakeholders, they will be holistic advocates. You'll be amazed what synergy multiple cooks in the kitchen can create.
Bottom line: you will find the most joy in ministry if you link up with local ministers outside of your ministry. Much of that takes time showing up, being a friend, and operating without an agenda.
So what leader can you connect with in your area today?