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STORIES FROM SACRED PLAYGROUNDS
Summer Camp Staff Experiences and Call to Ministry
Call stories are unique and complex. When I was a camp program director, it was a privilege to accompany people on their faith journeys. I heard call stories from visiting pastors, retreat participants, campers, and summer staff members. I saw many camp staff called...
Ministers who Undervalue Camp, Group 3: Skeptics
Not all pastors value camp. Some are benignly dismissive, while others are almost hostile. We collectively call this group the camp skeptics. In our recent survey of ELCA pastors and deacons, just under one in five (18%) were categorized as skeptics. These folks do...
Ministers who Tolerate Camp, Group 2: Accommodators
Most congregational leaders value camping ministries. In the previous post, we took a closer look at the most fervent supporters, which we call camp enthusiasts. Those are the folks that bring congregation members to camps and retreats, give of their time and...
Ministers who Value Camp, Group 1: Enthusiasts
Most congregational ministers recognize the value of outdoor ministries. When we probe a little deeper, we reveal three categories of pastoral connection to camp. We uncovered these categories in a large survey of pastors and deacons in the Evangelical Lutheran Church...
Do Pastors Value Camp?
The Christian camp experience depends on congregational support and recognition. If church leaders are skeptical of camp’s benefits or ministry methods, they will be less supportive. This has two critical impacts. First, it means fewer people experience camp, since...
Problem Solving and Perseverance
Confession time: I am a bit of a spaceflight junkie. I am fascinated by stories of the Mercury 7, and I love learning about the accomplishments of Apollo-era engineers and mathematicians. I obsess a bit over the recent progress of SpaceX in reusable rocket technology...
Surprise! The Most Influential Ministry Space
Looking to have the greatest impact, to generate the most bang for your buck? You may need to shift your gaze. Whenever I go over the findings from a new study, people always ask me if I found anything surprising in the data. I usually have to make something up or...
COVID-19 Slams Outdoor Ministries Like Steel on Flint, Sparking Innovation
In our recent survey of Christian camp directors, Sacred Playgrounds asked a pretty blunt question: “How confident are you that your outdoor ministry center will be operating two years from now?” It was a question born out of sadness, with a touch of despair. COVID-19...
There WILL be Camp! 5 Reasons we will have summer camp in 2021
2020 was a disastrous year for summer camp. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of schools, day care centers, and numerous small businesses. Parents were not only at their wit’s end trying to find childcare and facilitate at-home learning, they also desperately...
New Publication: Christian Camp Shines
Sacred Playgrounds collaborated with other researchers on a new publication about the impacts of summer camp (see the article HERE). Those of us who have experienced the power of camp and witnessed the impacts on hundreds of campers and staff over the years know that...
Expectant Waiting in 2020
There is a blessed rhythm to the liturgical calendar. It compels us to remember, retell, and reenact. Even the most anti-liturgical Evangelicals on the one hand and the secular Christians on the other cannot avoid the annual rhythm of liturgy. The Christmas and Easter...
Camp: A Calm Port in the COVID-19 Storm
Summer camp looked different in 2020. For hundreds of camps across the country, it looked empty and quiet. Many were forced to make the difficult decision of cancelling their in-person programs. Millions of young people missed out on camp this summer, part of a...