Fueling the Camp Fire Back Home

Camp brings powerful life-change and spiritual growth. It leads to new commitments and decisions in a setting of acceptance and community, but coming home brings challenges and obstacles to the best intentions....

Lessen Camp Logistics Headaches Ahead of Time

Camp doesn't begin once you arrive at your chosen resort—it begins the minute your campers show up for departure. You can kick things off right by streamlining your logistics ahead of time. Randy Rainwate...

Lower Your Liability With Camp Common Sense

Camps have their own liability insurance policies, and your church should, too. Check your policy with your administrators or legal counsel to verify your coverage. Remember that while liability insurance can k...

Anticipate Emergencies

Camp is packed with fun and adventure. Inevitably someone is going to get hurt. Randy Rainwater calls it "ghastly arithmetic.""It's a year's worth of ministry," he says, "and if you played football with your ki...

Love Your Leaders

"Having engaged leaders is crucial," Randy Rainwater says. "Meeting them before and explaining expectations, making sure they know they have some off time as adult leaders is really important."Once at camp, Ran...

How Much Does Camp Cost?

Camp prices can vary widely depending on type and activity offerings. The size of your group also can affect price structures. Most counselors try to keep camp weekend retreats under $129 per student ...

Maximize Participation by Planning Ahead

Money and time are the biggest factors keeping kids out of camp, especially in an age of rampant travel sports and extracurricular demands. "They probably have a travel Backgammon team at this point," one leade...

Pick Your Programming

Most camps employ ministry professionals who are skilled teachers and youth workers, and you can plug into their programs and use their speakers. Obviously you want a speaker who is likeminded with you and your...

Find a Camp

You have options—lots of them. There are 850 camps affiliated with CCCA. Some are independent. Some are denominational. Some are affiliated with a ministry such as YoungLife or Youth for Christ. You can w...

Maximize Your Youth Ministry at Camp

Randy Rainwater was looking for an easy A in college. What he got was a life-shaping experience that has served as a lynchpin of his youth ministry. The class was Christian Camp Counseling at Asbury College (no...