Here at Lakeview Ministries we have always believed camp is more than a great week away—it can be a catalyst for a lifetime of faith. But we also know that the real test of spiritual growth is what happens after camp, back at home, back in routine, back in the everyday moments where faith gets formed.
That’s why we’re excited to share a new partnership with Growing Faith Together—a research and resource initiative for Christian camps coordinated through Camp HoneyRock and Wheaton College.
Why this matters right now
At a recent camp conference, a Barna presenter shared trends about faith formation in the next generation—and opportunities they saw for camp ministry to step up and help meet the needs of this current generation.
One trend shared was that there is often a disconnect in expectations for faith formation between churches and families. Many families are feeling uncertain and overwhelmed trying to guide their kids in the faith, and they expect churches to provide more guidance and support. Meanwhile, many churches recognize that faith formation begins at home, and desire to see families taking the lead in helping their kids grow in faith. Neither desire is wrong—but the gap between the two can feel real for families who love Jesus and still feel unsure about how to make faith “stick” outside of Sunday.
Here’s the hopeful part: camp can help bridge that gap.
Rhythms of Faith exists to explore how camps can partner more effectively with parents and churches so the impact of camp isn’t just a temporary boost—but that the real change experienced at camp is nurtured and reinforced through ongoing rhythms of faith at home and in the church.
What Growing Faith Together is doing
Growing Faith Together is a multi-year, cross-denominational effort aimed at equipping parents and caregivers by leveraging the power of camp experiences and translating them into practical, repeatable faith practices at home.
Growing Faith Together has already been researching this space for about a year, and this next phase expands the number of camps involved—Lakeview included.
What it means for camp this summer
As part of this partnership:
- Our staff are receiving training on key concepts centered around discipleship, faith formation, and church partnership—so we’re all working from the same big-picture framework.
- We are receiving field-tested resources designed to help camps better support families and strengthen connections with partner churches.
- We plan to use these resources in different ways to boost the overall summer camp experience, including during ECT time and our summer closing moments, creating intentional touchpoints that encourage families with practical next steps.
- There will be a survey sent out to families at the beginning and end of the summer so we can test what’s helpful “in the field” and help improve the tools for and resources for families everywhere.
It is our hope that participating in this study will allow us to be more intentional and effective in how we partner with families and churches and in how we equip campers to carry growth beyond camp. It has been cool to watch God at work – several of the ideas we hope to implement this summer are in areas that we had already been talking about and looking to boost. God is at work! At camp, in the home, and at church!
Help us shape what support looks like
One of the best parts of this partnership is that it pushes us to ask better questions—especially about what families actually need.
So we’d love to hear from you:
- What has Lakeview done in the past that helped your family keep growing after camp?
- What would be genuinely helpful for you as a parent or caregiver?
- What kind of support would strengthen the connection between your church and your camper’s experience at Lakeview?
If you have ideas, stories, or suggestions, please share them using the contact form below. Your feedback can help shape how we serve families at Lakeview—and contribute to a bigger effort helping camps nationwide become more effective at what matters most.