Summer Staff
Applications
Next summer will arrive quickly, so apply early! 2025 Summer Staff Applications open on November 22, 2024, at 9 AM, with reviews starting December 10 on a first-come basis. To be notified when applications go live, please contact us!
About
Serving on Summer Staff is a dynamic and rewarding experience that many return to year after year. These volunteers truly make it possible for campers to embark on life-changing adventures, and the position is everything but boring. Summer Staff will learn new skills and spend their Summer creating fun, safe, and challenging environments for campers to learn about Jesus.
After training is complete, a skills assessment will be given to determine abilities, interests, and growth potential. Responsibility, when given appropriately, is a tool that yields maturity. Full-time staff members at Camp Bighorn will help young leaders discover their giftedness and provide opportunities to practice these gifts within the body of Christ.
Two Commitment Options
Full Summer: June 1st - August 13th, 2025
Two Weeks of Training + Eight Weeks of Camps + Post-Summer Staff Retreat
Ages 15+
Partial Summer: June 1st - July 20th, 2025
Two Weeks of Training + Five weeks of Camps + Return for the Post-Summer Staff Retreat (optional)
Age 14
Summer Staff should arrive at Camp Bighorn on June 1st, 2025 and training will begin the following morning. This training is mandatory, as it is a key component in preparing Summer Staff for the weeks ahead. In order to be accepted, you must be available, committed, and fully present for the dates specified above. If your circumstances happen to change after being accepted, please contact Bighorn's Summer Camp Director as soon as possible (parents should report on behalf of minors). Some circumstances may include sickness, family emergencies, etc.
In some cases, applicants are unavailable for Staff Training due to school obligations, etc. These applicants are still encouraged to apply, but may be waitlisted. Please communicate in your application or with the Summer Camp Director if a few days of grace during the Staff Training schedule is required.
Finances
Summer Staff are responsible to fundraise $600 to help cover expenses while serving at Camp Bighorn. Asking for money can be vulnerable, and even scary, but this practice creates space for the Lord to meet our needs and ultimately build our faith. Past Summer Staff will agree; it's wonderful to see God provide and bring more people together as you step into a summer of ministry. Once accepted, an easy-to-share donation page will be set up in your name.
From our Summer Staff
Matthew — Age 14
Grace — Age 19
Alex — Age 17
Minimum REquirements
Age 14-24
Applicants must be 14 years or older before the first day of Summer Staff Training. If you are between the ages of 18-24 and are interested in greater responsibility, please consider applying to serve as a Summer Lead. Summer Staff who are younger than 15 years old may be onsite a maximum of 7 weeks (from the beginning of training through the fifth week of Summer Camp).
Spiritual Life
The mission of Camp Bighorn is to embody the love of Jesus and develop Christ-honoring leaders. Summer Staff will regularly engage in spiritual conversations with campers, helping others to develop godly character and grow to become leaders for serving churches and reaching communities.
As a result, applicants are expected to give clear evidence of faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and demonstrate spiritual maturity by a daily walk of faith and obedience. Summer Leads will encourage Summer Staff throughout the Summer. The same Lead will stay in a dorm room with 4-5 Summer Staff creating a small group for accountability, discipleship, and support.
Physical Health
The Summer Staff position is a very active, dynamic role, and volunteers must arrive in good physical health. Typical activities include hiking, belaying, swimming, climbing, lifting objects overhead, and carrying bulky equipment as far as one mile. While these activities are typical, volunteers may still be accepted even if they cannot perform one or more of these activities. For example, someone with good physical health might not be a confident swimmer. In this case, they might be accepted and asked to serve in land-based activities instead.
Applicants will also be required to complete a medical release form before arriving to Bighorn for Summer Staff Training.
Attitudes, Attributes, and Habits
Summer Staff play a vital role in serving our guests, from food service to adventure leadership to bathroom cleaning and more. Running an adventure camp is fast-paced, and schedules could change on a moments notice. Volunteers should maintain a servants' heart, receiving new responsibilities with humility, joy, and kindness. Good leaders also know how to listen well and understand the needs of their people. Key attributes include preparedness, promptness, discernment, caring for safety, working with integrity, and employing wisdom often.
Camper Safety
At Camp Bighorn, adventure means stepping into anything with an unknown outcome. For some, this means getting to the top of a climbing route. For others, it could mean putting on the equipment and attempting to trust it. "Challenge by Choice" is a baseline philosophy used to invite campers into challenge without forcing someone into fear or uncertainty. Creating a safe environment for campers is a top priority, and it is important to provide this opportunity for campers to try something new without coercing or pressuring them into it.
Beyond adventure safety, all volunteers 18 years or older will be required to complete a background consent form. Summer Staff spend a significant amount of time with minors, and this policy helps ensure all adults serving at Camp Bighorn are legally qualified.
We'd love for you to join our team
Submitting an application is the first step to discovering if a summer staff position is right for you. Within the application you will be able to share your desired role preference. Take the first step and apply now!
Roles
Two adventure blocks are scheduled for each day of camp. TACs provide support, and in some cases, lead these adventures alongside a Summer Lead or Bighorn staff member. Activities include white water rafting, rock climbing, standup paddle boarding, canoeing, kayaking, challenge course initiatives, and aerial adventure park games.
Everyone loves a good meal, and it is no small feat to prepare one for large groups of hungry campers. Every Summer Staff volunteer will serve at least one week on kitchen staff, helping to prepare food, setting the dining room, and washing dishes. This is a great opportunity to learn and serve behind the scenes.
This is your chance to wear out a good pair of work gloves. Spend the week doing lawn care, moving sprinkler systems, helping with repairs, and conquering anything else that needs to get done around camp. Basically, you get to ride in the back of a pickup with your crew all week while using sweet equipment.
All of our groups in the Summer either have a host or facilitator. Hosts get to meet-up with their group each morning and guide them through each day's lessons, adventures, meals, and evenings. Facilitators join their group by living in a cabin with them for the week and guiding them through the lessons, adventures, meals, and evenings.
Support a Volunteer
Want to support one of these volunteers? Their service adds to a long history of ministry, and fundraising is one of the ways people in their communities can join in, too.
Application Checklist
- Read the application thoroughly and answer every question.
- Sign the Camp Bighorn Statement of Faith, Staff Policies, and Staff Commitment Pledge.
- Provide your three references with a link to the Summer Reference Form (emailed to you after submitting your application).
- Commit to fundraising $600, due by May 1st, 2025 (easy-to-share donation link will be provided upon acceptance).
- Submit your completed application by March 1st, 2025 (late applicants may not be considered).
- Prepare for a follow-up email to schedule a phone interview.