Baack, Hill, and Palmer state in Adventure Recreation: An Adventure in Group Building that in a world where the circumstances of life pull people apart, Adventure Recreation in a Christian setting can bring together different groups of people who are emotionally and spiritually disconnected from God and others around them.  They claim it is a means for sharing the adventure of the Christian life both with those who know Christ and also with those who have not yet taken that leap of faith.  They believe it draws a group of individuals into an attitude of like-minded spiritual togetherness.  The excitement and high spirits one feels by being a part of a group experience such as this brings much fulfillment to the heart.  Christian Recreation (Adventure Based Counseling) as used in a ministry setting is a process of teaching spiritual truths through group building in a series of games and challenging activities.  The activities are designed for a group building experience and are a good tool for Christian Counselors, Youth Pastors, and laypersons to serve the greater purpose of ministering to people and sharing the life of Christ with their target audience.  The goal is the participants’ individual edification, as well as the group’s spiritual growth through the spiritually based lessons and applications of the games they play.

                Christian Recreation was a spin off of the original Adventure-based Counseling (ABC), which is an adventure-based therapeutic approach to personal development and group activity.  ABC was developed by Project Adventure and became more widely used and well known because of their publications, ABC programs, and extensive training programs.  Adventure Based Counseling is an approach to counseling, activity therapy, and life that is involved, active, challenging and has high expectations for the individuals within a supportive and caring group atmosphere. The program’s careful selection and sequencing of the games and activities, which are tailored to each group’s particular needs, build feelings of trust, togetherness, and cooperation within the group members. The program is designed to take each individual beyond their own expectations or their professed willingness to try the new activity. Those who do choose to go beyond their self-imposed limitations, will have more self-confidence, a greater self-awareness, and ultimately become a stronger person for their efforts.

                The application, or the teachable moment, is the most important aspect of Christian Recreation in adventure based counseling experiences.  At any time during or after an activity, an observation can be made that reveals an important spiritual truth.  The group’s observations and discussions can honestly explore uncomfortable emotions, and spiritual conflicts, while coming to conclusions that will build up each person in a caring Christian atmosphere.  The leader’s debriefing is one of the most important parts of this process and should leave individuals with the desire to continue, while not allowing the conversation to drag on indefinitely.  The leader should bring a life-changing purpose and spiritual application to the activity by encouraging participation and learning, and relating the activity to a real life situations and spiritual solutions.  During de-briefing, Christian leaders and their groups consciously take a break from the physical activity to explore its spiritual applications.  Reflection, prayer, and scripture readings are all instrumental components in this process. The Christian recreational experience is a tool that if used properly, will help individual participants grow in self confidence, while letting groups grow in the cooperative spirit of Christ. Setting and working toward personal and group physical, emotional, and spiritual goals allows participants to negotiate strategies and the steps they need to take to achieve them. Phil. 3:14 states I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

                Christian Recreational Adventure Based Counseling is a powerful ministry tool in which messages on faith and trust are used alongside physical activities to create a caring, supportive, and cooperative environment in order to draw people closer to one another and to Jesus, while also emphasizing learning through experiences of close group encounters.  It uses a holistic approach that involves participants physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually.  One of the main goals of these types of programs is to enhance participants’ self-concept, and in turn lead them into a more enriched lifestyle.  During the course of the activities, participants interact socially, assist each other physically, use their intellectual abilities to solve problems, face their own and others emotional and spiritual responses, and draw spiritually based connections and conclusions that will help them grow spiritually in their walk with Christ.  Participants of Christian Recreational Adventure Based Counseling encounters must function as a group by working together and using the various abilities of the individuals within the group to attain a group goal.  They see a practical illustration of how the body of Christ needs to function, as portrayed in I Corinthians 12:27.  All the activities, games, and initiatives are designed to lead the individual members of the group to trust and depend on one another to complete them.  As in the church, each member of the group does their individual part and the entire group is strengthened in the process.  If an individual does not fulfill their particular role, the group will not be as triumphant, nor as edified, as they otherwise would be. 

                Some necessary attributes of the leaders of these groups are mental and physical endurance and a passion for experiencing the outdoors.   But mostly they need to have a great capacity to love and a desire for caring and sharing. Christian Recreational Adventure-based counseling requires a great deal of interaction with other people. So depending on where you apply your talents, you could be working with a population that hasn’t experienced much love or positive interactions.  There’s no greater privilege than to have a positive Christian influence on another person while showing them the love and acceptance of Jesus Christ. This allows  leaders to demonstrate the positive, active, and fulfilled life that God intends for everyone to have.  In Christian based groups, the members are saturated with the ideals of God’s love and Christian support.  In this kind of setting, the joy and excitement of a life in Christ is naturally shared with others.  Life is full of risks, hurts, and disappointments, but through an adventurous Christian based encounter group experience, participants will likely all feel the love and support of God through the caring and support of others.  As friends break each others falls, lift each other up, and cheer each other on, lasting friendships are created that make the mutual journey of life a little less painful and possibly a lot more enjoyable.

                One of the great things about this type of group counseling, is that it gives everyone the opportunity to participate.  Less active and non-athletic members of the group may still be actively involved and succeed in most or all of the activities they choose to do.  The games and activities include both physical and mental challenges, and everyone has an equal opportunity to provide input and suggestions.  As the group develops in unity, the individual members begin to see partners and friends, rather than the differences in their personal makeup.  In an environment of acceptance, the participants are much more willing to admit a weakness and to ask for help when necessary because they know it will be willingly given without criticism.  Though some conflicts and disagreements may occur while the participants try to resolve their differences, and still attain their goals, they usually become more accepting and appreciative of one another.  Group experiences like these clearly illustrate the spiritual truth  If any of you are encouraged from companionship in Christ, if any are comforted by His Love, if any are connected with His Spirit, if any have tenderness and compassion, then my joy is complete knowing that you are of the same mind, and have the same love, and are one in spirit and purpose.  Yet, you should do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty conceit, but rather humbly consider others needs as more important than your own.  You should tend not only to your own interests, but to those of others also.  You should have the attitude shown by Jesus Christ. (Phil. 2:1-5)

Through these kinds of adventure based encounters, churches, classrooms, troubled teen youth programs and ministries, peer advocacy groups, addictions groups, family therapy groups, physically, mentally, and emotionally challenged groups, sexual abuse groups and others have ministered, educated, counseled, and equipped a great many individuals to cope better with the stresses of their particular life settings.  All of these various groups with their own particular challenges use recreational therapy to restore and build self-esteem for self and respect for others.   Christian Recreational adventure based counseling experiences provide an appealing and enriching series of activities which are a good means of ministering to many diverse groups, but are usually selective in the group that a particular program targets.  A group experience for victims of sexual and domestic violence is a good example, because of the dire need to increase these survivors’ self-concept and esteem, along with their sense of trust, and the need for spiritual growth.  Many of these women have great difficulty trusting men and cannot accept a concept of God, as father. 

References

Baack, S., Hill, H., and Palmer, J. (1989) Adventure Recreation: An Adventure in Group Building. Convention Press, Nashville, TN. 
Neill, J. (no date). Adventure-based Counseling (ABC). Available:

            http://www.wilderdom.com/ABC/
Adventure-based Counseling. (no date). Insight Magazine.  Available:

            http://www.insightmagazine.org/careers/article.asp?career_id=2