Post Camp Follow Up

Camp is a BEAST. You prayed, you went, and you SURVIVED! That’s a true miracle of summer camp right there. Right? At camp, you probably logged 20,000 steps per day, got dehydrated, smelled the boy from across the camp who refused to put on deodorant because his mom wasn’t there to remind him, told students to drink water at least 10x a day, called a mom because their baby got homesick, told your kids goodnight over the phone because they couldn’t come, squashed the drama from the couple that broke up on night 3 and even managed to roll an ankle going down the water slide. Congratulations. You made it.

And, in the midst of all of those incredible feats from above, you also encountered students confessing sin, speaking up to one another, seeing stronger relationships formed, and responding to the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives. And if you need the reminder, yes, it was all worth it.

Now that your eyes and focus begin to move toward that bus ride back home, you start thinking about what’s next. Is it a nap? Is it time to relax? Just as you get ready to take that deep breath and take a load off, you know that the work isn’t over yet. You start to think about your plans for what’s coming up after camp (and no, not the vacation one). Now, you’re thinking through questions like:

• How will I connect with those students from camp?
• What work needs to be done?
• Who needs to be followed up with?
• Who made a decision of some kind?

Camp isn’t the end of an opportunity; it’s really more of a starting point. But how? Here are some ideas to consider in your post-camp follow-up that help you capitalize on the 1 week that impacts the other 51. Let’s break it down into a few categories:

NEW BELIEVERS

Maybe you had students surrender to the Lord this week and proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord. Incredible! Don’t just celebrate it and leave that decision at camp. Shepherd it and steward conversations well.

• Send a personal text to that student. Let them know that you are proud of them, praying for them, and here for them as they journey through their new life in Christ.
• Set up a follow-up conversation. As you’re reaching out, move the conversation to an in-person 1:1 so you can have that needed follow-up if you weren’t able to have it at camp. As you lead this follow-up conversation, look for ways to keep their parents and small group leaders involved.
• Talk about next steps. After making that profession of faith, what’s next? Baptism? A new believer’s resource? Plug into small groups? Talk with that student about how they can continue to move forward in their faith and be there with them along the way. If you’re looking for a new believer’s resource, check out www.ym360.com/new.

ALL STUDENTS

All students deserve some type of follow-up. Like I said, camp has the potential to be 1 week that impacts the other 51. As you think about post-camp life, how do you, as the youth ministry leader, take camp from a memory to a movement?

• Send a personal text. What if every student got a personalized follow-up text from you? Nothing fancy. Just a way to acknowledge them, thank them and show support. Something like this:
• “Hey! I’m so glad you were part of camp. It was a joy to have you with us. Praying for you in the days ahead. Let me know if I can ever help you with anything.”
• Capture and share God at work stories. One of my favorite things after a week like camp is to hear how God was at work in spaces and places you weren’t able to see. Like how God spoke to a student during quiet time, how God used a leader to encourage a boy on the way to the rec field, or how God used a song to help a student understand the promises of God. Whatever those stories are, I’d encourage you to provide a time for students to share them. Maybe that’s in a post-camp share night at someone’s house or at church. But find a time and place where students can share out loud and process what God did. As you do that, look for ways to capture them. Maybe it could turn into a video that the entire church could see, or you can pick a few and share them at your next staff meeting. One tangible way to see your church be moved by the next generation is to hear how God is shaping them.
• Offer next steps. Another way to keep the momentum going for students is to give them some simple and easy ramps to what’s next. While you have their attention, look for ways to bring them into new ways for them to continue to grow, develop, and be used by God.
• Where can they serve? Can you provide on-ramps for students to explore how to serve in your church or in your community? This might require some front-end work from you to partner with other ministries in the church to help promote to students where and how they can serve.
• What about small groups? Another way might be to remind them about the importance of community and small groups, so you make sure they know about Sunday morning groups or a new Bible study group you’re having over the summer.

ALL PARENTS

YOU experienced camp, but THEY deal with it afterward…face to face. So, look for ways to allow parents to capitalize on what God did. How?

• The classic recap. An easy thing to do is to send that recap email. Highlight how God was at work and maybe even drip in a few stories. If you have the ability to make a fun recap video, be sure to send it. If you have a photo album of camp photos, share those with them.
• At home conversations. If you want to level up your parent engagement, provide them with an easy way to have faith-filled conversations about camp. This allows them to be intentional with conversations at home and helps you demonstrate an easy way to equip them. Some easy questions could be:
• What’s something God showed you this week that surprised you?
• Who is someone that encouraged you at camp? How?
• If you could hold on to one moment from camp forever, what would it be? Why?
• Based on your week at camp, what types of things do you want to prioritize to help you grow in your relationship with God?
• What’s something that stood out to you from one of the messages?
• How can I pray for you and support your walk with Jesus right now?
• Want to go the extra mile? Offer prayer prompts from camp for parents that are specific to what your group encountered throughout the week, and share the worship songs from camp that they can listen to in their car.

ALL LEADERS

Your leaders showed up. They gave up their own personal vacation time. Some gave up time from their family. Some got ahead on work or school, so they would take a week off. But you and I both know that camp doesn’t really happen without those key leaders or volunteers who come with you. Make sure that they know it.

• Say thank you. Don’t assume that they know you’re thankful. Tell them and tell them again. Take it one step further and thank them for some of the specific things you saw them do. If you have the budget or margin, maybe you can thank them by buying them a coffee at camp or when you get home, or my favorite is to buy them something from the camp merch table. That way, they can get it and show it off!
• Offer space for a debrief and feedback. I’m sure you want your camp experience to get better each year. An easy way to do that is to debrief camp with some key volunteers or offer them a space to provide feedback. Some helpful questions to consider:
• What went right?
• What went wrong?
• What was missing?
• What was confusing?
• What do we need to do now?

Those questions have helped guide me for years when debriefing or evaluating an event.

TRACK YOUR CONVERSATIONS

Your admin and organization matters. It may not be your strong suit, but you can do it! Stay organized in your follow-up. If you talk with a student about baptism, log it on your church database or spreadsheet. Keep note of when you met, how the conversation went, and if further action needs to be taken. These notes will guide you in the days ahead. Track the decisions, baptism interest, and follow-up conversations, and let that be a resource for you for ongoing ministry conversations. 

PRAY

Lastly, just like you were diligent in praying for God to move at camp, now you take time to keep praying for the seeds sown at camp. Thank Him. Praise Him. Seek Him.

Camp is such an incredible week of ministry. I love hearing stories about how God uses a week like this to impact the other 51 in the year. Be thinking now about how you plan to follow up with students, leaders, and parents after camp. It will help you carry the momentum from the week into the following days! 

Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

1. Do you have a follow-up plan for after camp? What is it?
2. Who else on your team of volunteers or staff can you invite in to help you with these efforts?