Happy New Year, camp and camp-connected friends! It's 2026, and we're kicking off the new year with our annual installment of the New Year's resolutions for camp. On this episode, we'll share a fresh set of hopes and dreams for camp based on the latest research data...
Did Camp Thrive in 2025? A Resolutions Recap
What a year! As we round out 2025 and look toward 2026, it's a great time to look back at our hopes for this past year. Each year on the Sacred Playgrounds Podcast, we kick off a new year with a set of data-driven New Year's resolutions for outdoor ministry. Before we...
A Mailbag & A Merry Christmas
As we release this episode, it's almost Christmas 2025! We're wishing you a very Merry Christmas from our sacred playground to yours. We're ever-grateful to share this space with you. On this (shorter) episode, we're taking a few moments to answer a handful of curious...
Grownups Need Camp Too
It's true. Adults are a deeply important audience for your camp in one way or another - or more likely, in many ways. Not just as a donor, parent, or partner, but as one who can have personal, meaningful experiences at your camp. On this episode, we're talking about...
Breaking Down Breakdowns in the Camp Model
Camp is perfect, right? Right? At least, my camp is... You've thought it. So have we, and so has every camp enthusiast since the beginning of camp-time. And yet, we know that sometimes people have an experience that is less positive than we planned and prepared for....
3 Things We Learned & 3 Things We’re Going to Do
Reimagine. The Sacred Playgrounds team spent the second week of November gathered with camping ministry and supporting organization colleagues at the Outdoor Ministries Connection Great Gathering; a multi-denominational conference for outdoor ministry professionals,...
Live from the OMC Great Gathering: Insight-Driven Actions & Best of the Best Practices from Camp Leaders
Our team has spent the week at the Outdoor Ministries Connection Great Gathering! It's been an incredible week connecting in person with 500+ of our closest friends. From insightful keynotes to leading and joining engaging workshops to creative worship and making new...
Get On The Same P.A.G.E. with Church Leaders & Parents
This is a cutting edge for outdoor ministry right now, and camps, when we understand our role as a catalyst, is poised to have an outsized impact on faith lives of countless campers and families. The connectivity in three sacred spaces - camp, church, and home -...
Church Camp The Book: Guest Episode with Author Cara Meredith
On this episode, we're excited to sit down with Cara Meredith, a lifelong camp enthusiast, experienced camp speaker, and author of the book Church Camp. This book has been stirring in many ways for Christian camp and camp-connected leaders, and we are grateful for the...
Camper Confidence Over Time: Summer 2025 Insights
Each fall, early in our podcast season, we try to spend time talking through some of our, really your, learnings from the summer. We aggregate data from Effective Camp and Power of Camp projects - those that focus on campers and families - and run it through a variety...
5 Fundamentals Series & Self-Assessment Tool Launch
Start here. Camp has the potential to be deeply impactful. Many of us have seen it with our own eyes and felt it in our own souls, having had personally transformative or life-changing experiences. Yet, camp doesn’t always have the same impact on everyone. Sometimes...
Behind the Scenes of the #OMCGG & Why Cross-Denominational Camp Partnerships Matter
If you've ever planned an event, fundraiser, conference, or other significant gathering, you know that there is so, so much that goes on behind the scenes to make that happen. On this episode, Jake and Jared are joined by the Co-Directors of the Outdoor Ministries...


















