The State of Camping Ministry
It is an exciting but nerve-racking time for Christian camping. The uncertainty and persistent stress of the past three years has given way to cautious optimism. A new survey of Mainline Christian camp directors sheds light on the state of camping ministry. This was...
S2 E14: The Best Gift We Can Give Them
To know and listen - these is the best gifts we can give our camp community. This applies throughout our ministries, from the connection between a counselor and camper, to how we engage our trusted supporters, and everything in between. Life is loud, input is...
Love your Neighbor
The Age of Authenticity is in full swing. The highest moral good has become reduced to a simple maxim: be yourself. At face-value, this is not a bad thing. Far from it. We want people to discover their God-given gifts (1 Corinthians 12). We want them to know that they...
S2 E13: Insights to Impact Camp Judson
In 2018, after hearing about some of the data from the first Power of Camp Study with Christian Camp and Conference Association ministries, Camp Judson and Executive Director Kevin Saxton decided to join the project. After their first year of data, they were struck...
Finding God in the Mess
Let’s get something straight: “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” is not in the Bible. (All the camp directors give a collective sigh of relief.) We love building nice-looking church buildings “for the glory of God.” We hang beautiful artwork, ensure the communion wear...
S2 E12: Stories & Steps from the Holy Land
Walking in the steps of Jesus is no small thing. True pilgrimage spans the preparation and prayer before, wide-eyed wondering during, and intentional processing and application after these holy experiences in these holy places. We'll hear from Jake and Anna from our...
Staff Training Insights from Peer Ministry
by Kelsey Blinn, Sacred Playgrounds Research Coordinator How do you plan events? Training? Workshops? Staff continuing education? Does it get overwhelming and bog you down? It is a process that takes a lot of time and energy to organize and initiate. It is amazing...
S2 E11: Recruiting Emerging Adults
We're deep in it, friends. Recruiting season. When we know the systems, life stages, situations, and motivations of the emerging adults that will soon become this summer's incredible staff, we can recruit in a way that sets both the staff member and the ministry up...
All Things Staffing FREE Webinar
Thursday · February 16 · 11:00A C/12E/10M/9P Camp leaders! We're hosting a free webinar for camp leaders on 3 focus areas for assembling a faithful, functional, flourishing summer staff team. We'll explore the latest trends among young adults that inform these three...
How We Create Holy Ground
The Origin Story In case you missed it, here's how Holy Ground: A Guide for Summer Camp Staff was born. #Throwback. It's spring 2022. Most camp leaders are in the throes of things like staff recruiting, summer program prep, and area church visits. The Sacred...
Holy Ground 2023 with Special Guests!
It's here! Holy Ground 2023 is available for pre-order, and we couldn't be more excited. We know these staff are the heart of your summer ministry, and we've learned and learned again that supporting them is absolutely vital. That's why we created Holy Ground.This...
5 New Year’s Resolutions for Camp in 2023
Happy New Year camp friends! It's here - one of our favorite and most downloaded episodes of season 1 gets a 2023 reboot. These 5 New Year's resolutions were built directly from what we heard over the last year and see unfolding in the year to come. Here are your...