3 Actions to Your Best Camp Ever

3 Actions to Your Best Camp Ever

We have been doing camp at Horizon for close to twenty years. We hosted our first camp in 2003 at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, OK. Since then we have been all over the state of Texas and a couple of places in OK.

We have now centrally located our two sessions of camp at Heart of Texas Camp in Brownwood, TX. 

Our philosophy is that camp starts the first week after you return home. For a meaningful camp year after camp, take these actions:

  1. Start your process early. We are serious about camp starting the first week after you return home. This is the best time to evaluate and get your dates on the calendar for next year. If planning a year in advance gives you anxiety, don’t worry. You can change your plan but having your dates on the calendar will set you up for the win.

    Here are a couple of additional tips now that your camp dates are in on the calendar:

    • Start recruiting leaders and don’t stop until you have more sponsors than you need.

      • Your ministry will never outgrow your leadership. Recruit!

    • Integrate the marketing process into your ministry. At our church, we post the dates on a special program insert the first Sunday after school starts.

  2. Know the administrative process from registration to check-in. Read every detail of the registration process or delegate the process. The first day of camp is always the worst but it goes much better when you can register in less than 5 minutes. You can if you know the process and are prepared.

    Once you know the process monitor the process each month. 

  3. Follow up the week after camp. (Camp isn’t over until you finish the follow-up.) Schedule a time to debrief with your leadership team and evaluate the previous week’s experience. This simple step will help build momentum for the next year. Include adult and youth leadership in the conversation. Then, follow up with each student who made a decision. 

These are only 3 simple actions, but they will set up a process that will carry you quickly through the next few months and ultimately you will have an easier camp week. Maybe the best camp week ever!

There is still plenty of time to talk about camp philosophy and preparations. I would love to continue the camp conversation with you. You can reach me at  horizon.jerry@gmail.com or give me a call at 325-669-1517.