Effective Camp
for outdoor ministry professionals
Camp Wisdom Speaks
What you do as a leader in outdoor ministry is a critical part of the ecology of faith formation. The experiences and encounters you dream up, create, and execute for campers serves to nurture faith, build character, strengthen families, and support congregations for the sake of each camper and for the sake of the world.
The wisdom of camp works when 5 Fundamental Characteristics come together in balance.
Share the story
When the 5 Fundamentals of Effective Camp come together, outdoor ministires become an integral part of faith forming experience. Use the resources below to tell the story of effective camp, and the difference it can make in the lives of campers. These resources help you make the case for camp.
share away
Below you’ll find your easy button on things to share about effective camp. These graphics and written statements help you tell the story of camps like yours and the depth of impact your ministry can offer in partnership with churches and families. The images are downloadable just by clicking. They are sized ideally for Facebook, work great in Instagram and Twitter, and can be embedded in your websites and emails as well.
“The Christian summer camp experience impacts campers in positive ways that extends to their families, churches and others.” Learn more at effectivecamp.com
“90% of those attending a Christian summer camp like ours report that they grew in faith.” Contact us at ______________to learn more and go to effectivecamp.com
“97% of those attending a Christian summer camp like ours report that they had fun!” Contact us at ______________to learn more and go to effectivecamp.com
“Kids report that they feel safe at Christian summer camp because of the powerful relationships they form.” Contact us at ______________to learn more and go to effectivecamp.com
“Kids report that by growing in faith at camp it helps them in their daily life back home.” Contact us at ______________to learn more and go to effectivecamp.com
“Camp doesn’t end when the week is over, research shows that it has lasting effective. Many campers read their Bible more, pray with their family more, and attend church more.” Contact us at ______________to learn more and go to effectivecamp.com
Articles + Blog Posts
Feel free to use and share these posts on your websites, in your newsletters, and in conversations with other leaders, pastors, parents, and supporters.
Sacred Playgrounds & HoneyRock Partner on 1.25 Million Dollar Grant Project
We've got incredible news to share. In partnership with Wheaton College's HoneyRock Center for Leadership Development, Sacred Playgrounds is embarking on a 5-year initiative, a project titled Rhythms of Faith that will engage more than 25 camps, 500 congregations, and...
Playgrounds for the church
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...
S2 E15: Fresh Findings from OMC
These are some of the most impactful findings on the pulse of outdoor ministry today, draped in a really hopeful outlook. We unpack things like the biggest threat to outdoor ministry this year, what we're learning about director demographics, the four types of...
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...
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...
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...
Happy, Healthy, Unplugged
Who is your primary client? You might say the campers who attend camp during the summer. But who actually registers those campers, pays their registration fees, and often takes time off work to bring them to camp? Yup – the campers’ parents. The parents are the...
Graphics
You are free to use the 5 Fundamentals of Effective Camp and the Effective Camp Research Project graphics and logo whenever you are sharing about Effective Camp or the Research Project in your communications. The download package is a .zip file with a variety of logo styles and colors. For questions about style and brand standards, contact Jared.
Maximizing Your Impact
The 5 Fundamentals work. When each of these pillars are intentionally planned and faithfully practiced, the faith forming impact of camp is realized in the lives of participants, and extends to their families and communities back home.
Where do we go from here?
Below you’ll find your easy button on things to share about effective camp. These graphics and written statements help you tell the story of camps like yours and the depth of impact your ministry can offer in partnership with churches and families. The images are downloadable just by clicking. They are sized ideally for Facebook, work great in Instagram and Twitter, and can be embedded in your websites and emails as well.
Conduct research at your camp
Talk with a Team Member
Join the Effective Camp Community
We’re gathering on via a special Facebook group to explore ideas, share resources, and tell stories of impact and tranformation through camp experiences.
Take the E-Course!
Gather your outdoor ministry team and engage the Effective Camp research through an interactive E-Course! This will guide you through intentional reflection on the five fundamental characteristics in your specific context.