Camp as Faith Formation

In a recent blog post by ELCA Bishop Meggan Manlove, “Many young people love going to church camp. How does it shape their spiritual lives after they return home?” Manlove explores the important role of camp in a young person’s faith formation. While Mountain T.O.P. is so much more than a summer camp, there is no doubt how impactful an experience serving with Mountain T.O.P. can be.  

Jacob Sorenson, director of the Effective Camp Research Project and author of Sacred Playgrounds: Christian Summer Camp in Theological Perspective, identifies five fundamental characteristics of Christian summer camp: safe space, participatory, relational, unplugged from home, and faith-centered. Mountain T.O.P. practices all these characteristics by offering an inclusive community where all participants are welcome to be fully themselves. By serving others, meeting new people, and spending time in nature, our participants step into a new rhythm of life and explore new expressions of faith. 

One of Manlove’s primary points is that camp is one part of a larger ecosystem of faith formation, complementing a young person’s (or an adult’s!) other life experiences. The short-term nature of a Mountain T.O.P. community, when paired with a long-term relationship with a local church, promotes a deeper level of lifelong discipleship. The unique atmosphere of a Mountain T.O.P. community can supplement and support the ongoing faith formation that happens in the other 51 weeks of the year. 

Serving others is a key component of the Mountain T.O.P. ethic. Our service to one another extends further than home repair projects or Day Camp mentorship. For example, participants take turns hosting and cleaning up after meals and cleaning cabins. There is no end to the opportunities to serve others. And, the same could be said about leadership opportunities. Leading prayer, sharing in front of a group, participating in worship, talking to homeowners, taking the lead on a project, or mentoring a Day Camp participant are all opportunities for young people to practice leading others. Being immersed in this culture of servant leadership inspires our participants to take those skills home with them at the end of the week.

“For many years we had little data on the impact of camps generally, let alone Christian camps. That has changed dramatically in the last 25 years, and there is now a growing body of peer-reviewed research… These studies demonstrate that overnight camp experiences have significant and lasting effects on multiple youth development outcomes, including affinity for nature, independence, self-confidence, and spirituality.”

- Bishop Manlove

Indeed, taking the lessons learned at Mountain T.O.P. to the “valley below” is a prominent outcome of Youth Summer Ministry. We want the posture of serving others and living out their faith to be something that our participants are doing year-round, not just when they come to Mountain T.O.P. We hope that by spending time in rural Appalachia and learning about the complex needs of our community, our participants are more attentive to the needs of their home communities. We hope that by spending five days working on home repair projects, our participants think more critically about the root issues of substandard housing. We hope that by building relationships with local children through Day Camp, our participants relate to each person they encounter as a beloved child of God.

These outcomes are proven by the fact that in 2024, 94% of Youth Summer Ministry participants agreed they were more interested in service and missions because of their experience at Mountain T.O.P. Additionally, 96% of Youth Summer Ministry participants were ready to serve in the “valley below.” With numbers like these, we are confident that a youth’s experience at Mountain T.O.P. can propel them forward into a life of service, taking what they learned and investing—spiritually and otherwise—in their own communities.