We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, camp is a critical part of the ecosystem of faith formation. We learned that in the Camp & Church Leadership Project and Episcopal Church Leadership Project. We continue to learn that through Effective Camp. We’re learning and deeply studying that in the Rhythms of Faith project.

Let’s take the words “camp,” “church,” and “home” out for a moment and find the threads within the fabric. Faith is formed through sets of layered relationships and experiences. The experiences mold, shape, and refine. The relationships ground, sustain, and provide opportunities for practice.

When it comes to faith, the home – our families – provides the most significant impact on that formation. One way or the other, for better or worse, our home and family experiences and relationships shape our faith most. They are the thread that, if pulled, twisted, or cut, will usually unravel the whole thing. Or, they are the thread from which the rest of the tapestry is woven.

Yet, as the saying goes, it takes a village. Our influences go beyond our home and family. For many, another layer of our spiritual influences comes from a community of faith of some kind. Churches are a vital part of the ecosystem, and that isn’t going to change anytime soon. The need for community is a thread woven into creation, and despite our best efforts to abuse it, the Church will sustain, survive, and even thrive.

Together, the home and the church make up what our friend Rob Ribbe calls our “permanent community.” They are long-term spaces and relationships that we can go from and come back to. Then, there’s nearly always a catalyst that creates a reaction, a spark that lights a fire. This is camp, and experiences like camp, what they call “temporary community.” This is how growth happens in lots of contexts in the world. It’s what working out does to muscles, what master classes do for hard skills, what Mentos do to Coke. We leave the permanent, introduce something temporary and transformational, and things change when we return to the permanent again.

All this is to remind us that the partnership between influential permanent communities and catalytic temporary communities deeply matters and is the best path to the impact that covers our mission statements. We have to start with trust and the assumption that we’re after the same thing, facing the same direction, following the same underlying call. So,

The first thing you can offer church partners before camp this summer is value.

One of the camps I worked at was in rural North Dakota. Farms abound, whether it’s wheat, barley, potatoes, soybeans, or whatever other vital crop they are growing this season. When the time is right, farmers gather what’s been sown, and much of it is stored in silos.

One of the camp-connected websites I got the privilege to build is for a program design to maximize donations from farms and farm families by donating bushels of grain to the camp, and running the program through local elevators, rather than donating dollars that have been taxed at least once. Crops for Campers at Ingham-Okoboji Lutheran Bible Camp is an incredible program!

Silos serve their purpose on the farm, but when ministries and their leaders live and work in figurative silos, it leads to missional disconnect, duplicative efforts, and burnout. The biggest reason church leaders, from staff members to volunteers to donors, don’t recommend and support and speak highly of camp is that they haven’t shared the experience. They haven’t felt the value. They haven’t been invited and incentivized and encouraged to “come and see” as scripture so regularly calls us to do.

If every church leader in your area hasn’t been invited to come to camp at no cost, either with campers from their church or for a personal retreat, it’s time. It’s time to create space for them.

The second thing you can offer church partners before camp this summer is space.

Camp leaders, this is true for you, and in case you haven’t noticed, it’s true for most of the church leaders in your area. Most church and camp settings are running with less dedicated staff than before, with job descriptions that cover a broad breadth of work and hold a big ol’ white space of “other duties as assigned.”

Church staff members and volunteer leaders carry a heavy load, both practically and emotionally. They are tasked with much and scrutinized more than their fair share. So, again, start with offering them value, and then seek to help them meet their mission in a way that also helps you meet yours.

When you put resources in their hands that are high-quality, mission-aligned, and easy to use, you give them a true gift. There are some categories here to consider. Some have marketing value for you and for them. We heard from camp leaders that churches are having an increasingly hard time making the case for camp to their families. That’s why we created the Why Camp? resource that many of you have integrated. Some have relational value, bringing deeper familial connection between camp, church, and home. Others have practical value, meeting a need they have, known or unknown.

Whatever the focus, giving them something they can easily and readily use that helps them meet their mission is an opportunity to watch the depth and impact of your camp and church connection grow.

The third thing you can offer church partners before camp this summer is relevant, ready-to-use resources.

There you have it, at least three things you can offer to your area church leaders right now, before the summer begins. If you want to hit the easy button yourself, we made a gift for you too. Below, you’ll find a ready-to-send Pre-Camp Blessing and Commissioning that you can simply download and send to church partners today. Drop your email in the form and hit submit, and you’ll be taken right to the download. If you’d like an editable version to place your camp logo and additional language in it, just send a message.

Praying for your prep, and theirs…