your best resource by Nate Stafford Space for Staff Connections
Every summer, our camps welcome seasonal staff — young adults who show up ready to serve, love and lead. We pour back into them with game nights, bonding excursions, small group devos — structured “community time.” But lately, I’m hearing something different from them: “Please, no more staff icebreakers.” That statement might sound like burnout
or disinterest, but it’s not apathy; it’s honesty. And it was spoken after the first night at camp! Summer staff aren’t rejecting community. They’re rejecting a version of it that feels forced, insecure or performative. In Christian settings, we oſten saddle “commu-
nity” with huge expectations: You’ll find your people here, you’ll grow closer together, you’ll feel seen and supported, this will be life-changing.
These may be true testimonies and beautiful
hopes, but when they’re presented as promises, they set young staff up for heartache. Instead, many of them experience something like this: “I came expecting community to carry me through the summer. But sometimes, commu- nity was what I needed a break from.” As full-time staff, it’s tempting to rush in
and fix it. We plan better bonding moments, improve team dynamics or throw one more community night on the calendar. But, maybe what our summer staff need most is space. Many staff have seen how the “community-
Tey’re not asking us to provide
community; they’re asking us to leave space for it.
building machine” works. They’ve run the games, led the cabin chats, been the warm-up act for emotional vulnerability. So, when it comes to their own relationships, they want something that feels unscripted and free from expectations. They say things like, “I’d rather sit on the porch with a few people than go to another planned event.” They’re not asking us to provide community;
they’re asking us to leave space for it. Less structure. Less agenda. More room to create community on their own terms with late-night card games, honest talks in the dark, shared silence on their phones (gasp!) after a long day. We don’t need to abandon our role; we just
need to shift from providers of community to protectors of space. We can stop programming connection and start modeling honest presence. Here’s what that might look like:
• Build in true downtime with no hidden agenda.
• Let staff lead their own moments of connection.
• Protect their spaces and find or create more as the summer unfolds.
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www.ccca.org November/December 2025
Photo courtesy of Covenant Cedars Bible Camp
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