Church Partnership
Stronger Together
Camp Nebowa has always been a ministry built around the local church.
Churches send campers, provide volunteers and leaders, support the ministry financially, and help make camp possible year after year. Nebowa provides a place where those churches can work together to reach and disciple young people in ways that can be difficult for any one congregation to do alone.
But our goal isn't to replace the ministry of the local church. We want a week at camp to strengthen it. Campers have opportunities to learn from God's Word, build relationships with Christian adults and other believers, and be challenged to take their next step with Jesus—then return home to continue growing within a local church.
Whether your church has partnered with Nebowa for generations or you're just discovering camp for the first time, there's a place for you here.
Already Involved with Nebowa?
Find forms, promotional materials, dean information, and other practical tools in the Nebowa Resource Center.
There's a Place for Your Church at Nebowa
Church partnership doesn't look exactly the same for every congregation. Some churches have been involved with Nebowa for generations. Others begin simply by sending a few campers or encouraging someone from their congregation to volunteer.
A church does not have to be a Member Church to send campers or begin getting involved with Nebowa. There are many ways to participate in the ministry.
Send Campers
Encourage children, students, and families in your church to experience a week at Nebowa.
Provide Volunteers
Send adults and young leaders to serve in the kitchen, lead small groups, help with recreation, worship, maintenance, and other areas of camp life.
Help Families Attend
Churches can help remove financial barriers by sponsoring campers and helping families who may not otherwise be able to attend.
Support Camp
Financial gifts, supplies, projects, and other practical support help Nebowa keep camp affordable and continue improving the ministry.
Pray for the Ministry
Pray for campers, volunteers, deans, churches, and the ministry that happens at Nebowa throughout the year.
United Around What We Believe
Nebowa welcomes opportunities to work alongside churches that share our commitment to Jesus Christ and the authority of Scripture.
We recognize that churches may differ on some matters of doctrine and practice. However, the ministry we share at camp must be grounded in biblical truth.
The following statements express the beliefs that guide Nebowa's teaching and ministry.
Our Beliefs
We believe God is the Creator of all things and intentionally created people for a reason.
Acts 17:24–28
We believe the Bible is the inspired word of God and the final authority on all matters of faith.
2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20–21
We believe there is one God, yet a trinity of persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 3:16–17; John 14:9–10
We believe Jesus, God's only son, is fully God, was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and died on a cross.
Galatians 4:4; Philippians 2:6–8; Hebrews 4:15
We believe that all have sinned and can be saved only by the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ.
Romans 3:23; Romans 5:8; Hebrews 9:14; Ezekiel 18
We believe that those accepting Christ should repent of sin, confess their faith, and be baptized (immersed) into Him.
Acts 2:38; Romans 6:1–7
We believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:3–7
We believe in the literal return of Christ and the coming judgement as promised in God's word.
1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; Matthew 25:31–46; Romans 14:12
We believe God created humanity as male and female, and that marriage is a covenant established by God between one man and one woman. We believe God's design for sexual intimacy is within that marriage covenant.
Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:18–24; Matthew 19:4–6
Helping Kids Get to Camp
One of the most practical ways churches partner with Nebowa is by helping make camp affordable for families.
Many churches choose to sponsor part or all of a camper's registration cost. That support can make the difference for a family that wants to send a child to camp but needs financial help.
Nebowa's goal is to keep camp affordable while still providing a safe, meaningful, and high-quality experience. Church sponsorships are an important part of making that possible.
Many churches choose to receive a customized discount code for their congregation. Families use that code when registering, reducing the amount they pay for camp. The discounts used by their campers are then totaled and billed to the church at the end of the camp season.
Churches can determine the level of support that works best for their congregation and the families they serve.
Interested in sponsoring the students your church sends to Nebowa? Reach out to austin@nebowa.com for more information about getting started.
More Than Sending Campers
We love seeing campers come to Nebowa, but a successful week of camp isn't the end goal.
Nebowa is at its best when camp is part of something bigger. A camper may hear God's Word in a new way, ask an important question, make a decision about their faith, or build a relationship with a Christian leader while they're here. When camp ends, they need people who can continue walking alongside them.
That's why the local church matters so much.
We want campers to return home to churches where they can continue learning, worshiping, serving, asking questions, and growing in their relationship with Jesus. We also want the relationships built at Nebowa to help connect campers and families more deeply with Christian community where they live.
Nebowa isn't a replacement for the local church. We want camp to be a tool churches can use as they disciple the children and students God has entrusted to them.
Supporting Nebowa as a Mission
The registration fee a camper pays does not cover the full cost of providing their week at Nebowa. Keeping camp affordable is intentional.
For generations, churches have helped make that possible by supporting Nebowa beyond the registration fees paid by the campers they send. Their generosity helps provide the facilities, staff, equipment, maintenance, and ministry resources that make camp possible while allowing us to keep registration costs within reach for more families.
When a church supports Nebowa financially, it isn't simply helping pay for its own campers. It's investing in a shared ministry that serves children and students from churches and communities throughout our region.
Camper Sponsorship
Helps reduce the registration cost paid by campers and families from your church.
Mission Support
Supports the broader ministry of Camp Nebowa and helps us keep camp affordable for every family we serve.
Consider Making Nebowa One of Your Church's Missions
Whether through monthly support, an annual gift, or a special offering, regular support from churches gives Nebowa a stronger foundation for ministry. We invite churches that believe in what God is doing through Nebowa to consider including camp among the missions and ministries they support.
Support NebowaMember Churches & Supporting Churches
Churches can be involved with Nebowa without becoming a formal Member Church. We value every congregation that sends campers, provides volunteers, prays for the ministry, or supports camp financially.
For churches that want a more formal relationship with Nebowa, we recognize two types of church partnership.
Member Churches
Under Nebowa's bylaws, Member Churches are independent Christian churches that identify with the Restoration Movement and meet the requirements established for membership.
Member Churches have a formal role in the life and governance of Camp Nebowa.
Supporting Churches
Supporting Church status provides a way to recognize congregations that actively support and participate in Nebowa's ministry but are not Member Churches.
A Supporting Church might send campers and volunteers, sponsor campers, financially support Nebowa, or participate in other areas of the ministry.
You don't have to become a Member Church—or even a Supporting Church—to begin participating at Nebowa. If your congregation shares our commitment to pointing people toward Jesus and would like to explore a relationship with camp, we'd love to start a conversation.
Interested in becoming more connected with Nebowa? Contact austin@nebowa.com to learn more about Member Church and Supporting Church relationships.
Stay Connected Throughout the Year
Church partnership at Nebowa isn't limited to the summer. Throughout the year, we want to stay connected with church leaders, strengthen relationships, and find ways to serve alongside local churches.
Area Ministers Meetings
Pastors and ministry leaders from churches connected with Nebowa gather regularly during the year for Area Ministers Meetings. These meetings are an opportunity to hear camp updates, discuss upcoming ministry needs and plans, and strengthen relationships between Nebowa and the churches we serve alongside.
If you're a pastor or ministry leader whose church is interested in becoming more connected with Nebowa, contact us. We'd be glad to talk with you about the ministry and whether an upcoming meeting would be a helpful opportunity to connect.
Church Leadership Retreat
Each spring, Nebowa hosts a retreat designed to encourage and equip church leaders. Churches are invited to bring leaders from their congregation for time away together to worship, learn, connect with other Christians, and invest intentionally in the health and leadership of their church.
Your church doesn't have to already be connected with Nebowa to participate. If you're looking for an opportunity to invest in your church's leaders, we'd love to have you join us.
Invite Nebowa to Your Church
One of the best ways for Nebowa and a local church to get to know one another is simply to spend time together. Our Camp Director would love to visit with your pastors, elders, staff, or other church leaders to talk about Nebowa and explore ways we can partner in ministry.
We're also happy to visit your congregation on a Sunday. Whether that's sharing a brief camp update, speaking during Sunday School or another gathering, or preaching during a worship service, we'd love the opportunity to introduce your church to Nebowa and share what God is doing through camp.
Interested in scheduling a visit?
Contact
austin@nebowa.com.