Here’s a theory: Parenting is hard.
Not because you’re doing it wrong, but because you’re doing it right now, as in, the 21st Century (or at least, post iPhone launch). In the age of overstimulation and under-connection, you’re trying to balance work, school, sports, appointments, discipline, dinners, friendship, and sleep … while wondering: Am I winning at this? Or at least doing OK?
You’re not alone.
And the research backs that up.
- A Pew Research study found 62% of parents say parenting is harder than expected, and 4 in 10 worry about their kids’ mental health. 1
- Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt calls today’s kids “The Anxious Generation,” their childhood shaped by screens, loneliness, and overstimulation. 2
- The U.S. Surgeon General calls youth mental health “a national crisis,” citing isolation, digital overload, and lack of meaningful interaction. 3
- Sociologist Vern Bengtson’s landmark study shows that family rituals — like camping — are among the strongest predictors of a parent’s faith being passed on to the next generation. 4
You don’t need more “content.” You don’t need another article about how to balance screen time or how to make the most of bedtime routines.
You probably do that already.
You care.
You show up.
You’re trying.
So this isn’t another parenting “how-to.”
It’s an invitation.
This Labor Day Weekend (August 30–September 1), Family Camp returns to Crossroads Base Camp—and if you’re raising a preschooler or early-elementary-aged kid, this may be exactly the kind of experience your family didn’t know it needed.
At most church events, families split up: kids go one way, adults go another. But Family Camp is one of the few immersive spiritual experiences at Crossroads where parents and kids grow closer to each other—and to God—together.
It’s built for your actual family.
Not just your kid.
Not just your spouse.
Not that one Instagram-perfect family.
Your family.
The one where kids nap at different times, where someone forgets sunscreen, where one kid melts down at dinner, and the other wants to stay up stargazing.
Families, in other words, like ours!
That’s exactly who God wants to meet in the woods.
Why This Works
We live in a world where almost everything is disconnected. And we definitely don’t get many chances to slow down and be spiritually filled up alongside our kids—at the same time, in the same place.
So Family Camp is designed for connection: real, embodied, screen-free connection—it exists to help you resist. Everything, from a half-pipe water slide to prayer trails, campfires, and fun, scrappy worship, is structured to help your family see each other the way God sees you.
Sounding good yet?
Picture this:
Splashing down a slip-n-slide together…
Cracking up at a hilarious game under the big tent…
Building fires together and sharing stories under the stars…
Singing in a tent and laughing in a bounce house…
Put away the phones.
Put away the agenda.
Just a new, unforced rhythm of play, rest, and worship that opens up something spiritual in kids and parents alike.
This isn’t about being impressive. It’s about being immersed.
What Families Are Saying
Last year, my wife, Kari, and I brought our kids to Family Camp. We camped with a couple of other families from our site.
Our friends asked their kids to share their favorite memory of the year.
They’d gone to the amusement park Kings Island. Hit the beach. Even flown across the country.
But their answer?
“Family Camp! Definitely Family Camp.”
And go figure: most of my kids’ time was spent playing exhilarating pickup games of baseball on a grassy hillside.
But it’s more than unstructured fun. I’ve personally seen families grow closer to God and one another. Some parents say it’s the first time they’d ever prayed out loud with their kids that wasn’t at bedtime or in crisis. At Family Camp, it was around a campfire. With s’mores.
That’s not just nostalgia. That’s transformation. (Over slightly-burnt hot dogs.)
This Isn’t Just a Weekend—It’s the Future of Church
At Crossroads, we’re trusting God to lead us into a vision to build a church that lasts for generations. That doesn’t mean bigger auditoriums or flashier screens. It means creating moments where our kids encounter God in ways that stick.
The 5-year-olds you’re buckling into a car seat today?
They could be leading worship, directing Camps, or discipling others in just a few years.
I, for one, don’t want to miss that opportunity.
It starts now—with experiences that root them in joy, truth, and togetherness.
What You Can Expect
- A simple, unplugged reset that refuels your family’s soul
- Tangible memories: campfire laughs, shared worship, and playtime with meaning
- Other families just like yours; walking the same road
- Spiritual moments that don’t feel forced – just fun, sacred, and real
Spiritual moments don’t have to be heavy.
Sometimes they look like cannonballs in a muddy pond, napping on a picnic blanket, or a quiet breath taken while your kid lifts their voice to sing to God.
Just show up.
You don’t have to have it all figured out.
You just have to come.
Sign up for Family Camp 2025.
Disclaimer: This article is 100% human-generated.
Research:
1 Pew Research Center, Parenting in America, 2023
2 Haidt, Jonathan. The Anxious Generation, 2024
3 U.S. Surgeon General, Protecting Youth Mental Health, 2023
4 Bengtson, Vern L., Families and Faith, Oxford University Press, 2013
