Impactful research into United Methodist outdoor ministry.
United Methodist Camp and Retreat Ministry leaders, along with our partners from Sacred Playgrounds, are excited about this opportunity to assess the effectiveness and impact of camp! UMCRM outdoor ministries and the powerful settings, experiences, and relationships that form through camp are a critical part of the ecology of faith formation. Effective Camp projects offer actionable research into key camp constituents – campers and parents. The insights generated in these projects have proven to help outdoor ministry leaders make well-informed choices, increase staff capacity, and maximize impact.
A number of UMCRM camps were selected through a stratified random sampling process and invited to participate with the research costs being covered through a generous grant. All United Methodist camps have the opportunity to opt in to participate in the project at a special UMCRM cohort price point: $3450. If you’re interested in being part of this cohort alongside fellow UMCRM ministries, let us know below by January 26, 2026.
UMCRM 2026
Effective Camp Project
This cohort includes the full effective camp project, where we can gather multiple levels of camper data to understand longer-term impact and deeper insights.
3 Customized Camper Surveys
We administer 3 surveys customized for the UMCRM cohort, administered on the first day of camp, last day of camp, and 8 weeks after camp. You administer the first two via paper surveys on-site at camp. We administer the follow-up surveys 8 weeks after camp.
1 Parent Survey
The parent survey is sent one week after the camper departs camp, with a combination of best-practice and cohort-specific questions.
3 Insights Reports
We’ll put together an Initial Insights Report, a Parent Survey Report, and Comprehensive Camper Report about the findings with insight-based recommendations
Group Consultation
We’ll meet with the cohort virutally to go over the findings, clarify questions, and talk through recommendations to maximize the use of what you’re learning.
1 Marketing Kit
We’ll send along a set of branded, ready-to-share graphics based on your findings. Cohort-model camps will receive graphics for the whole cohort, with optional Canva-editable templates to adjust to your individual camp.
