by Jared Rendell | May 10, 2016 | Camp Research, Scholarly Publications, Theology and Culture
Christian Summer Camp in Theological Perspective A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Luther Seminary Christian camping ministry is a vibrant and well-established form of ministry in the church, but it has received shockingly little scholarly attention. Supporters and...
by Jake Sorenson, PhD | Feb 1, 2016 | Camp Research, Camp to Congregation
Christian camping ministry in the Mainline Protestant tradition is often broken down along denominational lines. We have Lutheran camps, Methodist camps, and so forth. These distinctions are not always helpful because camps have varying programmatic goals and ministry...
by Jake Sorenson, PhD | Sep 22, 2015 | Camp Research
As we begin to integrate some of the research from the Confirmation Project, last fall’s survey of camp directors, and the 4 site visits from this past summer, some BIG IDEAS are emerging. I had the chance to share some of the emerging research findings in a...
by Jake Sorenson, PhD | May 5, 2015 | Camp Research
Christian camping is about ministry. Camps are places with intentional goals and desired outcomes, but it is important to recognize that ministry itself is the primary goal. Theologian and Christian martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously said, “Cheap grace means grace as...
by Jake Sorenson, PhD | Apr 28, 2015 | Camp Research, Camp to Congregation, Rethinking Church
Christian camping is about ministry. Previous posts in this series have emphasized that camp is much more than fun and games. Camps are centers of faith formation. The ministry at camp focuses on meeting participants where they are in their faith journey and...
by Jake Sorenson, PhD | Apr 16, 2015 | Camp Research
The American Camp Association published the Directions study in 2005 (click for the report), which gave empirical evidence that summer campers show significant gains in 10 positive development constructs, and most of these gains continue over time. One of these...