Beyond Fun: Making Church Camps Faith-Building, Not Cringy
- Jen Weaver
- Jun 6, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 17
Simple planning, shared leadership, and a Christ-centered focus make church camps meaningful and memorable without burnout or cringe.
Mention “church camp,” and adults often react in extremes.
Some light up enthusiastically, recalling joyful memories from their youth.
Others groan.
“I LOVE camp.”
“I HATE camp.”
I’ve heard both almost equally.
Those reactions, and my own experiences, have led me to this question:
How can we make church camps spiritually and emotionally comfortable for teens?
A 2018 Turning Point for Church Camps
In 2018, one faith-based organization introduced new guidelines that reshaped hundreds of church camps and thousands of volunteers. The focus? A single, often-overlooked principle: simplify.
The recommendations were simple:
Stick with basic tenets of faith and doctrines of Christ.
Choose camp activities that don’t manipulate emotions.
Let adults step back and allow youth to assume a bigger role.
At first glance, none of that sounds groundbreaking, but each principle matters.
Safety at Church Camp: Stick with Basic Doctrines of Christ
Not every camper arrives with the same mindset. Some are eager and spiritually ready. Others are hesitant, homesick, or struggling.
A camper already feeling uncertain can easily become overwhelmed by highly emotional or unfamiliar experiences. Simple activities can still lead to meaningful spiritual moments, such as:
Quiet personal time to read, ponder, or write in a journal outdoors.
Youth-led devotionals that allow peers to share their faith.
Testimonies from trusted leaders about Jesus Christ.
A healthy balance of physical, social, and spiritual activities.
Sometimes, the Spirit teaches most powerfully through stillness.
Safety at Church Camp: Avoid Activities That Manipulate Emotions
There’s nothing wrong with wanting camp to be “spiritual.” But in my research of teens who’ve had difficult experiences at camp, a common thread emerges:
Big, manufactured moments designed to “make” camp spiritual can backfire.
Emotional exhaustion or social pressure may lead campers to either fake feelings or withdraw entirely. These well-intentioned but forced-feeling experiences can actually wound faith more than strengthen it.
When planning faith-promoting experiences, consider:
Is what’s planned typical and appropriate within our faith tradition?
Are schedules and expectations realistic for teens’ emotional and physical limits?
Are testimonies or devotionals reasonable in length?
If a testimony meeting runs much longer than usual, hesitant campers may feel forced to speak or uncomfortable watching others break down from exhaustion.
The Spirit works gently. Spiritual experiences can’t be scheduled—they unfold like drops in a bucket, in the Lord’s time, rather than through a fire hose (2 Peter 3:9; Galatians 5:22–23).
Safety and Church Camp: Let Youth Lead
One of the most beautiful shifts I’ve witnessed in recent years is seeing youth take ownership of camp:
Older girls leading devotionals.
Teens planning skits and activities.
Peer mentors guiding daily routines.
Watching them lead is inspiring. They aren’t just campers anymore, they’re becoming leaders.
I learned this the hard way during my first year assisting with camp. Other adults and I decided to handle all the planning ourselves. We thought it would make things simpler. Instead, leaders were overwhelmed, and without some skin in the game, the campers were bored.
Had we involved the youth, it would have been better for everyone.
Here are just a few ways youth can help to plan camp:
Choosing the theme
Selecting camp songs or skit topics
Planning icebreakers or outdoor skills
Sharing short, personal devotionals
Leading routines or small group discussions
Once, during a planning meeting, I proposed a long, detailed post-camp follow-up. The teens all said, “That’s too long!”
We went with their plan, which was much shorter, and it was a success.
This made me realize, who better understands the needs of teens than other teens?
Final Thoughts
Camp can be wonderful, camp can be great, and sometimes, it’s just okay.
It doesn’t have to be perfect.
What matters most is that it’s a place where everyone feels comfortable—spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
When we focus on simplicity and shared leadership, camp becomes what it was always meant to be: a place where youth can grow in faith.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a church camp spiritually safe and meaningful for teens?
A spiritually safe church camp focuses on simple, Christ-centered experiences, avoids activities that pressure or manipulate emotions, and gives youth meaningful opportunities to lead.
Quiet personal time, youth-led devotionals, and a balanced schedule of physical, social, and spiritual activities often create more genuine faith-building moments than highly structured or emotionally intense programs. The Spirit works gently, not through pressure.
Can big emotional moments at church camp backfire?
Yes. Highly structured or emotionally intense experiences designed to create spiritual moments can overwhelm teens. Some may feel pressure to display emotions they do not feel, while others may withdraw.
When planning activities, it helps to ask: Is this typical within our faith tradition? Are expectations realistic for teens’ emotional and physical capacity? Creating space for authentic experiences is more effective than trying to produce them.
Why should youth take the lead at church camp?
When youth help plan and lead, they move from passive participation to active ownership. This increases engagement and helps faith feel personal rather than imposed.
Youth often understand what their peers need better than adults do. Allowing them to contribute reflects a pattern of shared leadership that builds confidence, connection, and meaningful participation.
What changed about church camp guidelines in 2018?
In 2018, one faith-based organization introduced new guidelines built around a single principle: simplify. Recommendations included sticking with basic doctrines of Christ, choosing activities that don't manipulate emotions, and letting adults step back so youth could take a bigger role. These changes reshaped hundreds of camps and reflected something Christ modeled throughout His ministry: meeting people where they were, with gentleness, rather than engineering experiences.
Comments