MISSON
OUR MISSION IS TO LEAD PEOPLE TO CHRIST THROUGH EXPLORATION AND ADVENTURE IN THE WILDERNESS.
THE STORY BEHIND TRUE ELEVATION
For many years, Thomas (T) had a dream of starting a wilderness camp that focused on Jesus Christ and outdoor adventure. “I was one of those kids that would have met Christ in a wilderness setting but it wasn’t available to me growing up. Later on when I became a youth leader, I was blessed to be around a group of young people that inspired me to pursue this purpose.” In the fall of 2011, T finally listened to the calling and began to assemble the True Elevation leadership team. As members of First Baptist Church, T and Trey had become close friends. The two shared a common love of the outdoors and T saw in Trey a wilderness Pastor in the making. T asked Trey to help him realize the dream. “Having Trey come along side of me in this endeavor gave me confidence that this camp could really happen. Still, I knew that True Elevation needed that one person who could take this ministry to another level. That person was Taylor.” At the time, Taylor was a Younglife leader and was about to graduate college. “He had the youth and drive necessary to help get this ministry off the ground. God put it on my heart and I went to his work one day and briefly shared the vision of True Elevation.” Taylor embraced the challenge and the development of the ministry started to take shape.
VALUES
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WHAT WE BELIEVEWe believe in First Baptist Church of Durango’s Statement of Faith and live and guide by its principles.
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OUR MISSIONOur mission is to lead people to Christ through exploration and adventure in the wilderness.
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True Elevation’s belief in wilderness ministry has been shaped by the following truth:
“Throughout history, God has used the wilderness as a special place for transformation. God’s strategy for developing His people often involves transformative wilderness experiences; yet, today, in our increasingly urbanized world, young people are less able to experience the wilderness. Clearly, Jesus modeled for His disciples a rhythm of engaging people in missions and then retreating for rest and reflection in the wilderness. We must reemphasize this ancient apprenticing method that produced leaders such as Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Ruth, Jacob, David, Peter, James, John, and Paul. Each of them was profoundly called and shaped by God in the wilderness.” -Ashley Denton, Christian Outdoor Leadership: Theology, Theory, and Practice
“Throughout history, God has used the wilderness as a special place for transformation. God’s strategy for developing His people often involves transformative wilderness experiences; yet, today, in our increasingly urbanized world, young people are less able to experience the wilderness. Clearly, Jesus modeled for His disciples a rhythm of engaging people in missions and then retreating for rest and reflection in the wilderness. We must reemphasize this ancient apprenticing method that produced leaders such as Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Ruth, Jacob, David, Peter, James, John, and Paul. Each of them was profoundly called and shaped by God in the wilderness.” -Ashley Denton, Christian Outdoor Leadership: Theology, Theory, and Practice
"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted."
Luke 4:1
Luke 4:1
