My definition for camp is simple: Camp is a set-apart space that facilitates relational encounter between the self, the other, and God. Relational encounter with others is the primary pedagogical tool of summer camp. It is why camp works. Notice that the relational characteristic of camp is 3-fold and intentionally reflects Jesus’ teaching about the greatest commandment: Love God. Love your neighbor. Love yourself (Matthew 22:36-40).

Encountering the Other

The most recognizable of these 3 dimensions of relationality is person-to-person encounter. At camp, young people encounter one another face-to-face and heart-to-heart. This contrasts sharply with their experiences at home, school, and in their communities, where relationships are increasingly mediated through technology. Even the technology has gotten less personal, as new features and artificial intelligence allow users to curate their appearance and words to one another. Not sure what to say? Don’t bother thinking or deeply considering how your words might affect the other person. Let AI do it for you.

Camp facilitates a more personal encounter with the other. We do this through community living. Campers eat, sleep, play, work, and worship together. They share novel and oftentimes challenging experiences and then reflect on these experiences together. This opens the space for deep vulnerability. It compels young people to consider the concrete reality of the other, not as some idea, stereotype, or one-dimensional entity but as a complex human being with their own thoughts, feelings, doubts, joys, and struggles. As they share these deep vulnerabilities with one another, they discover the other as one who is beloved. This holy work includes encounters among those who come from different racial, ethnic, social, economic, religious, able-bodied, and political backgrounds. Camp is an essential place for bringing people together across these and other dividing lines that are increasingly emphasized in our society and reminding them that together we are the Body of Christ.

Encountering Self

Camp opens the possibility for young people to display the unfiltered self. This usually does not happen right away. It takes time to build trust, but over the course of a week or more at camp, young people have the opportunity to develop deep relational connections to their fellow campers and their young adult leaders (or counselors). They oftentimes say that they felt like they could be their true self at camp in a way that they did not feel comfortable at home or at school. They felt like they could be authentic. Free from judgment. Importantly, they learn to do this in relation to the other. Camp is not a vision quest or a personal retreat. Participants learn how their actions and way of being affect others, and they have the opportunity to discover how their God-given talents and unique personality can contribute to a community. This contrasts sharply with the hyper-individualism so often prioritized in American culture. At camp, we learn the fundamental theological truth that we exist in relationship.

This makes camp a crucial opportunity for self-discovery and identity formation. Campers have the opportunity to explore who they are within the essential framework of whose they are. Their identity is rooted in their designation as child of God, and they are not left adrift to discover their purpose alone. Fellow members of the body of Christ, who have taken the time to know one another and build trust, help identify and cultivate each other’s spiritual gifts.

Encountering God

These relationships are all formed in the context of intentional Christian community. We learn more about the other as a fellow child of God, a member of the Body of Christ, and a reflection of the Imago Dei. Through this encounter with the concrete humanity of the other, we experience the mystery of God at work in and among us. As Christ said, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:20). We encounter Christ in the sacred community at camp, and we also encounter the creator God in our interactions with the natural world (Psalm 19:1). Set aside time in your programs for sacred silence, and teach your campers to listen for God through the words of the other and in the still small voice (1 Kings 19:11-13). Read scripture together. Worship together. Pray. Help them identify the activity of God around them and practice reflecting on where they saw or encountered God during their day. The camp experience can and should open campers to the understanding that God is at work in this world and the expectation that God will show up. This creator God does not simply love us from afar. God dwells with us, abides with us, and seeks relationship with us.

What the Research Says

Camps are remarkably consistent. We measure the relational characteristic by asking campers their perceptions of their counselor/group leader, fellow campers, how frequently they got along with their primary camper group, and whether they felt like they belonged. Over the summers of 2024 and 2025, we surveyed more than 10,000 campers, and less than 3% were categorized as deficient in the relational characteristic. This makes it the most consistently robust of all 5 of the fundamentals. However, this characteristic also had the largest overall impact on camper outcomes. Those categorized as deficient in the relational characteristic showed statistically significant declines from the first day to the last day of camp in their belief in God, their understanding that faith is relevant in their lives, and their self-confidence. The decline was most pronounced in self-confidence, and there were also clear declines in social comfort.

Relational encounter is not only the primary pedagogical tool of camp, but also the lynchpin of the experience. When this element breaks down, campers often feel unsafe, they are more hesitant to participate fully, and they are more likely to be persistently homesick. The evidence we have suggests that this can actually damage their mental, emotional, social, and spiritual health. That is what is at stake with this characteristic.

Practical Steps to Relational Encounter

As you seek to facilitate relational encounter at your camp this summer, there are several things to focus on. Here are 5 practical steps to take:

1. Build trust: From the beginning of the experience, facilitate trust-building activities and conversations, particularly among cabin mates and their counselors. Begin by learning names and proceed progressively through experiences and conversations to cultivate a community of trust.
2. Shared experiences: Engage the campers in novel experiences together, and intentionally incorporate facilitated discussions about these experiences. Process everything, and make sure to do so through a theological lens and in light of scripture.
3. Group challenges: Use group challenges, such as group initiatives and low-ropes challenge courses. This takes time, so program for it. Let them struggle together and overcome challenges. Teach your summer staff how to process these experiences, leading to greater trust and self-realization.
4. Conflict resolution: At camp, we expect conflict to arise because it is a relationally messy environment. Do not be conflict averse. Instead, teach your staff to facilitate conflict resolution. Practice forgiveness, reconciliation, and never ignore conflicts or disputes.
5. Affirmations: This can be a life-changing practice for campers and staff. When you build a community of trust and facilitate an environment in which young people are building intimate relationships, they are open to hearing the voice of God through one another. Take time to identify the gifts that you see in your campers, and schedule opportunities for them to do this for one another. Pro-tip: make sure they are documented and sent home with the campers.