Summer Staff | Lakeview Ministries

The 2027 Summer Staff Application is OPEN.

(Are you a HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT? Apply for Junior Staff instead.)

Why work at camp this summer?

IT’S DIFFERENCE MAKING.

Few experiences are as profound or impactful as a summer spent on mission at camp. Step into a job that’s filled with purpose and gives you the opportunity to make an incredible difference in the lives of kids.

IT’S LEADERSHIP EQUIPPING.

We have a passion for developing and training leaders who can make an impact. Gain marketable skills through foundational training and extensive leadership experience. Join a close-knit community of people led by full-time staff committed to your personal development and support.

IT’S LIFE CHANGING.

The life that changes just might be your own. Joining our summer staff means diving into something that’s real, that immerses you in what it means to love Jesus and love like Jesus. It’s kingdom ministry that’s intense, deep, and life changing.

How to apply I Po sition INFORMATION I Working at Camp I Summer Dates I Time Off + Salary I FAQ I Contact us

How To Apply

Fill out a NLOMA Summer Service Profile by February 1st to be considered in our initial round of hiring decisions. (Want to learn more about NLOMA? Click here.)
If you listed Lakeview as your first choice camp, we’ll get in touch with you to set up an interview within one week of receiving your application.
Interview.
Wait patiently.
Find out by February 17 if your first choice camp has offered you a position.

If you require an earlier hiring decision, please let us know. If you have another job offer for the summer, we are willing to work with you to allow you to fairly weigh all your options.

The earlier you apply, the better. We will continue to accept applications after the deadlines listed above but will make the majority of our hiring decisions at these cutoff points. The later in the year we receive your application, the more likely it is we will have already finalized our hiring decisions for the summer.

That’s it. Pretty simple. Hit us up with any questions!

WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

We want people who love Jesus, love kids, and are willing to put their faith into action to serve in outdoor ministry. You also need to be at least a year out of high school to apply for summer staff. If you haven’t ever attended camp at Lakeview Ministries or aren’t a huge outdoor expert, don’t worry! Each summer we hire people who are brand new to camp.

POSITION OPTIONS

We hire 55 summer staff divided between our two sides of camp: Camp Lakeview and Lakeview Villages. At Camp Lakeview, we run our elementary-age programs and at Lakeview Villages we run our middle and high school age programs. We place staff based on where they can best serve camp.

Our summer roles are divided between Counselor and Specialty roles:

Counselors work closely with a small group of campers each week, leading and guiding them through their camp experience.
Specialty Staff help lead and coordinate different ministry areas of camp, including in the kitchen, office, facilities, and activity areas.

On your Summer Service Profile you will be able to list your top three position choices, as well as any other positions you may be interested in. We may ask you about serving in a position you did not put as one of your top choices. Positions offered are:

Camp Lakeview:

Camp Counselor x 14
Assistant Program Director
Crafts Specialist
First Aid Specialist
Junior Staff Specialist
Kitchen Specialist x 2
Maintenance Specialist x 2
Media Specialist
Program Specialist x 2
Waterfront Specialist x 2
Wrangler x 2

Lakeview Villages:

Camp Counselor x 14
Assistant Program Director
Crafts Specialist
First Aid Specialist
High Ropes Specialist x 3
Junior Staff Specialist
Kitchen Specialist x 2
Maintenance Specialist x 2
Media Specialist
Program Specialist
Waterfront Specialist x 2

CAMP CAN MEET YOUR INTERNSHIP NEEDS

Pursuing a degree that requires or strongly encourages an internship? We have arranged internships for summer staff in a wide range of degrees and areas, from Media to Communications to Engineering to Hospitality Services to Culinary Arts to Ministry and more. Working at camp is a huge experience that boosts your real world skills in so many different ways. If your degree requires an internship, talk to us and let’s see if we can make it happen here at camp!

WHAT OTHER INFO SHOULD I KNOW BEFORE APPLYING?

All staff undergo 1.5+ weeks of intensive staff training, covering a variety of topics, including ministry leadership, faith formation, child and youth development, facilitative leadership, program planning, and risk management. This time is also focused on personal formation and community development. Staff training is required for all staff and is from May 19-28, 2027.

Specialty Staff positions require an extended training time and begin staff training on May 17, 2027.

Start and End Dates:

May 12: Assistant Program, High Ropes, Junior Staff, and Program Specialist roles arrive
May 17: Remaining Specialty Staff arrive
May 19: Counselors arrive
May 30: First day of campers!
July 30: Last day of campers!
August 1: Last day at camp

If you can only work part of the summer, don’t worry! We’ll work with you to provide additional time off, early end dates, and flexibility around other summer conflicts to still allow you to be a part of our staff team. What we need most of all is willing hearts to live out the ministry of the gospel – let us worry about the details.

Have some extra time in August? Extend your contract through Aug 6th to help with school and group retreats and end of summer projects.

Time Off:

All staff receive an average of one day off per week. Staff can expect to work 5 weekends (which includes one during staff training and our mid-summer “Staff Unity” weekend) and have the rest off. In addition, all staff also receive one hour off each day and two evening breaks each week.

Any additional time off requests are entirely dependent on the needs of the summer program. With that being said, we work hard to be flexible with staff time off requests – if you need an early end date or extended block of time off during the summer, we encourage you to still apply!

Salary

We recognize that finances can be a stress point and an obstacle that prevents people from following the call of Jesus to serve at camp. If you’re looking to maximize your earnings, working at camp is probably not the right fit. But if you’re looking for one of the most impactful, formational experiences in ministry and leadership that you will ever have the opportunity to be a part of—this is it.

Base Staff Salary: $375/week
Additional bonuses for staff who are returning for a summer and for staff in key leadership roles.

We also provide housing and meals for our summer staff for the entire summer.

Disclaimer:

You will work very hard if selected to be part of the Lakeview Ministries staff team. Staff work from early in the morning to late in the evening, with very little personal time. Counselors spend nearly every hour of the day with their campers, while Specialty Staff have grueling and unglamorous duties to fulfill each day.

All that being said, this is the hardest job you’ll ever love. You’ll get paid to do things like swim, zip line, dance around the campfire, roast s’mores, and talk to kids about Jesus. You’ll wake up every morning knowing you get a chance to make a difference and experience the rhythms of a life centered around faith and fun. You’ll become part of the rich and deep legacy at Lakeview Ministries and gain a camp family that will last for the rest of your life. A summer at camp can change your life in ways that not many jobs can.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

I have a super early end date or have to miss a large chunk of time in the middle of the summer – should I even apply?
If you feel God might be calling you to serve at camp this summer, please apply! We want to work with you to make this summer a possibility – in past summers we have worked with staff to provide additional time off, early end dates, and flexibility around other summer conflicts to still allow them to be a part of our staff team. What we need most of all is willing hearts to live out the ministry of the gospel – let us worry about the details.

Why am I applying through the NLOMA website? What is this NLOMA thing all about?
We are a partner camp of the National Lutheran Outdoors Ministry Association (NLOMA), an awesome organization made up of 20+ Lutheran camps across the country. We share a common application with other NLOMA camps. This means that when you apply to work at Lakeview Ministries, your application can also be seen by other NLOMA camps. We all work together to find awesome staff to serve the ministry of camp in the summer.

If we aren’t able to offer you a position here, your second and third choice camps will be the first to see your application. You can explore the many different camps that make up NLOMA by going HERE.

Even if you have your heart set on working at Lakeview, we really challenge you to consider being open to serving at a different camp. You never know what God is going to do if you give Him the opportunity. And there are awesome camps just like Lakeview that may need someone like you to give them a chance. God will use a summer at camp, ANY camp, to grow you in incredible ways.

What if I need to know before the February 17 deadline if I’ve been hired or not?
If a situation comes up where you need a firm answer before that date, please just let us know and we will be happy to work with you – we understand sometimes opportunities come up where you need to be able to make a firm commitment one way or the other.

Because Lakeview is a part of a joint association of camps (NLOMA) that work together to hire staff for the summer, we typically make the majority of our hiring decisions at the annual NLOMA conference, which takes place in February.

Is there an age requirement to work at camp?
In general, we require our summer staff to be at least one year out of high school. If we still have open positions after the initial February deadline, we expand that age requirement to high school seniors. If you are a high school senior and interested in working at camp for the summer, it never hurts to reach out and let us know – but we recommend applying for Junior Staff initially while waiting to see if there are any open positions after February.

My family goes on vacation every year in the summer. Can I have time off to go?
We understand that life doesn’t stop in the summer and work hard to be flexible with staff time off requests. Although your availability is a factor in our hiring decisions, if you let us know about planned time off right away, we are frequently able to work with you to make those requests happen. Prior to the summer, staff will receive access to a Time Off Request Form that you may use to request unscheduled time off during the summer.

What happens if I need an earlier end date than what is listed?
We totally understand that you may have school or life related responsibilities that conflict with working through the end of our summer season. Although your availability is a factor in our hiring decisions, each summer we will have multiple staff who need an early end date for a variety of reasons. We are happy to work with you to accommodate an early end date as long as that need is communicated with us prior to hiring.

When does the summer start? When does it end?
For certain leadership roles, staff training starts on Wednesday, May 12. All Specialty Staff begin training on Monday, May 17. All Counselors begin training on Wednesday, May 19.

Our staff’s final day at camp is Sunday, August 1st. If you are interested in extending your contract by an extra week (through Friday, August 6th)

Where will I live while I’m at camp?
Specialty staff live in modern dormitory-style housing with shared community bathrooms. You’ll share a room with 2-3 other summer staff members. Each room has two bunk beds, some hanger space, and a dresser to help store items. It’s helpful to pack light and bring extra storage containers and organizers to keep everything tidy.

Counselors live in a cabin for the summer, sharing this space with campers. Camp Lakeview counselors stay in the same cabin all summer, while Lakeview Village counselors rotate which cabin they stay in each week. Cabins have brushed concrete floors and wood walls, and the community bathroom is a short outdoor walk away.

All living spaces have air-conditioning and twin-size beds.

You can find pictures and descriptions of the lodging areas at camp HERE.

What happens on weekends at camp?
If you’re working the weekend, you’ll be helping with one of our family weekend programs (Tiny Tykes and Fun Days). If you’re off, you will be free from Friday evening through Sunday at 1:00 pm. Some staff will go home for the weekend, while others chill at camp, head into town, go on adventures with other staff, etc.

I have student loans coming out of my ears. Do I make any money off this camp thing?
We value our summer staff team a LOT and want to support you in as many ways as possible, including financially. But if you’re looking to maximize your earnings, working at camp is probably not the right fit. However, if you’re looking for one of the most impactful, formational experiences in ministry and leadership that you will ever have the opportunity to be a part of—this is it. Serving in camp ministry as a part of a summer staff community is an incredibly unique opportunity that most people will never get to experience once they graduate from college. If you feel like you’re being called towards a summer of ministry, consider what it looks like to trust God with your finances this year.

I’m in! What do I do next?
Step one is to fill out an application! Then wait for someone from Lakeview to contact you to set up an interview.

JUST DO IT.

Even if you are not entirely sure about your summer plans, get the process started by submitting your application. Have additional questions? Fill out the form below or call the camp office at 812-342-4815 for additional information.