I’ve been involved to one degree or another in summer camps for twenty years. I was a counselor during my college years, took kids to them (and retreats) for eleven years as a youth pastor, and have been involved in leading statewide camps for the past eight years. Now I am sending my own kids. And I can tell you from two decades of experience that there is a marked difference between kids who go to a Christian summer camp and kids who don’t.

Camp is often one of the highlights for every children's ministry, but how do we make the most of the growth that happens at camp?

This summer many of us will attend or lead a summer camp. We must ask God to build our camps. We need to pray for God’s favor over the campers and leaders who attend our camps. This is why I’m asking pastors, leaders, and parents to rally their churches together and pray during the summer months for youth and kids’ camps all around the nation.

There is something special to be said about going on a trip with the kids in your ministry to a place designed just for them where they can encounter God with no distractions. Summer camp is a valuable tool for leaders and should be utilized as much as possible in guiding kids to a Christ-centered life. Here are three reasons why.

Teach your kids about the gifts of the Spirit. Teach them to learn to hear God’s voice. Teach them to go to a parent or a leader for guidance if need be. The Holy Spirit is a gentleman. He will guide your kids into an amazing spirit-filled walk.

I once heard what I thought was the perfect description of kids’ camp for a child. It was in an online article. The author was Dick Gruber. He described kids’ camp through the eyes of a child, as a week-long glimpse of what heaven is going to be like. I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. However, in the running of kids’ camps, kids are not the only ones that are a part of the kids’ camp experience. It’s the children’s pastors, moms and dads, and volunteers that help you achieve that goal for our kids.