This summer, normalize the regular use of scripture at your camp. This involves more than just having Bible study every day or repeating a theme verse. The aim is to Biblicize every activity, program, and tradition. We lay the foundation for this when we Biblicize...
Camp builds better people. It is not about the games or the novel activities. It is not about the campfires, s’mores, or silly songs. It is not even really about the new friends or laughing together until your sides hurt. These are the accoutrements, the methods, and...
Another summer is in the books! I continue to marvel at the amazing ministry happening at Christian camps across the country. It is a true privilege to walk alongside camp professionals in their work of proclaiming that the Kingdom of God has come near. I often lament...
We were created to be connected. It is right there in the second creation story, when God said human disconnection is NOT GOOD. We are hardwired to connect, to connect to God, to the natural world and to one another. Camp is perfectly designed to nurture these...
“I guess I just don’t understand why some people have to be jerks all the time.” Our ears perked up, and we sat up a little straighter. We were gathered in our usual spots, but this was a bit unusual. We were more accustomed to getting a perfunctory one-sentence or...
What is a playground? The dictionary tells us a playground is “a piece of land designed and often equipped for recreation, especially for children.” Okay, it’s a place to play. Its purpose is fun. But the purpose of a playground is so much more than a place for...
Democracy is in peril. Not everyone agrees with this, of course. That, in itself, is part of the problem. Pope Francis had something to say about this in a December 4 speech. He called it “a retreat from democracy.” He reflected, “Democracy requires participation and...
At long last, a project that was nearly a decade in the making has made it to print! From the back cover: Sacred Playgrounds explores the wisdom of camping ministry for Christian education and faith formation, examining its rich history and fundamental characteristics...
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...
Social distancing is not what humans were made for. In fact, we were made for just the opposite. We need face-to-face contact and human touch. Newborn babies come pre-programmed to track and respond to faces. We need to be held and be near one another for our...
Christian camping ministry is often overlooked in the scholarly community for its role in Christian education. New research from the Confirmation Project and Effective Camp Research Project demonstrates that camping ministries are often integral parts of Christian...
Ministry leaders and scholars often have dismissed the camp experience as mere fun and games, while lifting up the traditional classroom model of direct instruction. This article challenges these long-standing assumptions using descriptions of ministry contexts and...
Join us March 3-4, 2026 at Camp Wapo for CampWell x Sacred Playgrounds, a training experience for Christian camps and their leaders to create and sustain a difference-making culture of well-being in campers, families, staff, and beyond. Learn more & register at sacr.pl/campwellxsp or enter your email and we'll send you to the registration page.
