Last week, I had the chance to spend a day with our friends in Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Network at their annual conference, and it was exactly the kind of experience that fills your tank in ways you didn’t know you needed. Being with camp directors, program staff and year round leaders who pour so much heart and creativity into their ministries reminded me again why outdoor ministry is one of the most important voices in the ELCA’s children, youth and family ecosystem.
There is something unique about camp. It is one of the few spaces in our church where young people get to step away from their daily routines and discover who they are in community. They learn to play again. They take risks in a safe space. They ask big questions. And they meet Jesus in ways that feel natural rather than forced. When you sit with outdoor ministry leaders, you know they carry this calling with a deep sense of purpose. Their work shapes faith and identity in ways that last a lifetime.
Throughout the day I was with outdoor ministry leaders, I kept hearing the same themes:
- Leadership is formed at camp. And young leaders step into ministry because their own lives were shaped at camp.
- Congregations rely on outdoor ministry to expand the work they cannot do alone.
- And families trust camps to be places of welcome, formation and renewal.
Outdoor ministry is not a separate silo in our ecosystem. It is one of the roots that nourishes the whole tree.
For the ELCA Youth Ministry Network, these partnerships matter. We hear again and again from youth ministers who first met their vocation at Bible camp. Many Network members point to a summer on staff as the moment when they first felt the stirrings of leadership, service or pastoral ministry. Camps raise up leaders for the whole church, and our congregations are stronger because of it. When we gather children, youth and family ministry leaders at the Extravaganza, the camp stories always show up. And when outdoor ministry leaders come to the event as participants, presenters or partners, their presence makes the whole gathering stronger.
I am grateful for the ways the Network and Lutheran Outdoor Ministries continue to walk together. Our partnership level is one way we formalize that relationship, but the real connection runs deeper. It is rooted in shared mission and a shared love for the young people we serve. It is grounded in mutual encouragement. And it grows out of a belief that when we collaborate, the entire church benefits.
To everyone who welcomed me at the conference, thank you. Your hospitality was warm. Your honesty about the challenges and joys of this work was encouraging. And your commitment to creating spaces where young people encounter God’s love gives me hope for the church’s future.
The camps of Lutheran Outdoor Ministries are doing holy, essential work. The Network is proud and thankful to stand alongside you, cheer for you and partner with you in every way we can. I left the conference grateful and inspired, and I cannot wait to see how our work together continues to grow.
In Christ,
Todd
Network is a Verb 