His camp story started more than 40 years ago, eventually leading him to this - the start of his 17th year as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Christian Camp & Conference Association (CCCA).

On this episode, we get the honor of sitting down with Gregg Hunter, who serves and leads at CCCA, an organization that exists to maximize ministry for member camps and conference centers. CCCA has more than 800 member camps across the country and beyond, who collectively serve around 2.5 million participants each year (*2025 Compass Survey).

We get the chance to here Gregg's camp story, and then journey with him through what we've learned together through projects like the Compass CCCA Member Survey, the Power of Camp Study, and more. We'll chat through how this massive organization uses those insights to craft strategy and maximize ministry. Then, we'll look into what Gregg and Jake see for camping ministry as a whole, as well as CCCA in the months and years ahead.

Plus, listen for the second installment of our new segment, Trending, Bending, or Ending, as we wonder about church engagement trends, and a #StatOfTheWeek hot of the presses from this summer's Power of Camp Study.

Quick Links

Christian Camp & Conference Association
Explore CCCA Membership
Compass Survey
Power of Camp Study

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A question from a camp leader: "How are faith-based camps navigating changes to their denominations and churches as they decline in health and vitality? What novel ways have camps/conference centers found to help bolster those congregations, or train/equip them for more vital ministry?"

We had a number of questions like this from camp leaders after the summer of 2026. The hard, all-too-common truth is that camp leaders and church leaders, on the whole, may be moving apart rather than closer together in terms of trust and reliance on each other to thrive.

On this episode, we're sharing three themes that form the beginnings of a fresh blueprint for connecting camp and congregations for the sake of vital ministry, reciprocal impact, and mission alignment.

Plus, listen for our new segment, The S'more You Know Camp Trivia Challenge, and a #StatOfTheWeek on how many campers show greater interest in attending church after camp.

Quick Links:
Connecting Camp & Church: Pastor Brad Peterson
Rhythms of Faith
#StatOfTheWeek

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What if camp is life as it should be? What if camps are places and spaces where the veil is thin and the inbreaking of the kingdom of God feels close? What if the way we live and breathe and have our being at camp is exactly who we were made to be as people of God, community of Christ, and the whole of creation?

On this episode, we'll begin to break open some of these theological and philosophical ideas that give foundation and relevance to outdoor ministries. We'll talk about 4.5 of many critical observations of our culture and communities today and consider where camp excels in offering an antidote to what's broken and breaking.

We've got a #statoftheweek that speaks to the emotional reality of our youth, a #QuickQampQuestion that begins to call us to our, "What now?", and the debut of a new occasional podcast segment called More or Less.

Book Mentions:
A Common Book of Camping by Jerry Manlove
Theology of Hope by Jürgen Moltmann
Surprised by Hope by N. T. Wright
Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
The Nature Fix by Florence Williams
The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
Grit by Angela Duckworth
Together by Vivek H. Murthy

#StatOfTheWeek

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Season 6 is here! Welcome to the playground, whether this is your first time or you've been around for years. We're so excited to get back behind the mic for a season of camp-y conversations, stats and stories, and difference-making insights.

On this episode, we'll kick off season 6 with gusto as we share some of what you can expect from this podcast in the months ahead, including new pop-up segments like Camp Nerd Trivia, More or Less, Got Skills, and Trending, Bending, or Ending.

We'll also share the findings from our 3rd annual Post-Summer Pulse Check survey. Some things have held steady, and some shifts are coming into focus. Listen in as we unpack those insights, and download the accompanying graphics - our #StatOfTheWeek as well as a full infographic of the Pulse Check Insights.

Quick Links:
Pulse Check Infographic
#StatOfTheWeek
Camp Research Hub

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Summer is here! Camp leaders, your staff have arrived, or are arriving soon. This episode is designed specifically for them. We're speaking right to those emerging adult summer staff about to make ministry happen at camp this summer.

On this episode, we'll take a minute to share some of what we know about summer camp staff, and contextualize it for this summer's staff teams. They'll hear some words of encouragement, motivation, connection, and, some critical information about the fundamental things that make camp thrive paired with some practical ways for summer staff to embed these fundamentals into life at camp this summer.

Leadership staff, here are few ideas for how to use this episode as a training and equipping asset for your summer staff:

1. Listen to or watch the episode as a full team in staff training, and discuss in small groups or a whole large group
2. Distribute to staff members and have them listen, jot notes, and discuss learnings and applications over a meal or in a training session.
3. If your staff haven't arrived yet, send to them as a pre-training listen, and create time to discuss during training after they arrive.
4. Whatever the format, context matters, so encourage them to write down the practical action steps given with context to your particular camp's setting and experience and to share those ideas with the staff team.

Mostly, summer staff members, on behalf of all the campers and families you are about to serve, we hope and pray that you hear confident encouragement and deep gratitude for what you've said yes to. Thank you.

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It's the season 5 finale! Summer is almost here, and for some, it feel like it's time to PANIC!

We get it, you get it, your fellow leaders get it. The sprint up to staff arrival and camper arrival can get overwhelming. On this episode, we'll talk through seven things you, your staff, or your colleagues may be starting to feel panic about, and how to find some focus amidst the "too much."

In our #QuickQampQuestion, we'll also share the single most-impactful thing executive/director-level leaders can do right now for your camp.

Thanks for an incredible season, friends. What an honor to walk with you through this season of ministry!

Quick Links: Camp Enrollment Cliff Episode, Summer Fundraising Tips, Summer Staff Support Systems, #StatOfTheWeek

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Character.

This word is, as our guests on this episode will say, a "big tent" concept. As the American Camp Association has been exploring, building, and developing the Character at Camp Initiative and the Character at Camp Grant Program, the word character has had a galvanizing, unifying effect. We can be aligned in seeking to create experiences that develop something deeper beyond the outdoor-driven fun, even as we differ in method, model, and even mission.

On this episode, we're joined by two members of the team at ACA that strategizes and implements Character at Camp. Brian Massey serves as Director of Innovation for ACA, and Dave Bollen serves as a Character at Camp Grant Success Manager.

These dynamic leaders will share where the initiative is now, where it's going, and they'll peel back the curtain a bit on what it takes to successfully be a part of this mission as Character at Camp moves forward, including some keys to submitting a compelling grant application.

Quick Links: Character at Camp Initiative, Character at Camp Grant Program, Wave 2 Application Information, Upcoming Webinars, Contact the Team, ACA Now Newsletter

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They're coming. And then, they're staying, and working, and playing, and praying, and connecting, and serving, and living this moment of their lives together at camp.

Your staff, when fully equipped throughout the summer with three things they need to thrive, will be a difference-making, camper-retaining, relationship-forging, joy-slinging force at your camp. This is true for "classic" summer youth camps with young adult staff and remains true for hosts and hospitality teams at camps or retreat and conference centers.

We're borrowing from educators in sharing 10 things in 5 categories: a person, place, thing, idea, and action. You'll find each of these 10 concepts actionable now, and able to get plugged in and/or contextualized for your community still before this summer.

Our #StatOfTheWeek reminds us how deeply summer staff tasks must be connected to your mission, and they should know it.

Quick Links: Summer Staff Findings, Holy Ground 2026, Downloadable Staff Resources, #StatOfTheWeek Graphic

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