Missionary

SERVE WITH PURPOSE

Missionaries play a vital role meeting our Campers' physical, emotional, and spiritual needs for a week. Every summer, thousands of Missionaries from all over the United States join us to serve.

Missionary Roles

Camp counselors standing back to back and smiling

Counselors

Age: 15-29

(AKA "1:1 Buddies," or "Missionaries") are our greatest need each year. These incredible individuals experience the week side-by-side with their Camper while providing unconditional love and care for all of their needs during the week.

Camp counselors posing as a group with trees in the background

Barnstormers

Age: 13-14

Barnstormers have a servant’s heart and great work ethic. They keep camp in tip-top shape by serving food and tidying up during the week. Barnstormers enjoy building relationships with their bunkmates and create lasting memories while earning 70 service hours per week

Note: Depending on our needs, some Barnstormers may be asked to move up to a 1:1 Buddy role.

Cabin parent staff at camp barnabas

Cabin Parents

Age: 29+



Cabin parents play a big part in cheering on Missionaries and Campers. By providing support and guidance, Cabin Parents facilitate problem-solving and growth for their cabin—all while having a blast. Although this role is titled "parent," adult leaders are encouraged to take a step back during the week and support their youth as they serve.

Camp counselor sitting on a couch reading the bible with a camper

Apostles

Age: Entering junior year of high school or older



The Apostles Program is designed for Missionaries seeking additional leadership training and service beyond one week at camp. It includes rigorous times of service, caring for individuals with special needs, and leadership training. Apostles get the opportunity to fundraise for support* for their position, which demands high expectations and standards, but our leadership members will walk beside you and invest in you throughout the program.

Over the course of three weeks, apostles will spend time serving different areas of camp as directed by their immediate leaders. The program includes bible studies led by our leadership as well as community time with others. The program is ideal for graduating sophomores and juniors in high school.


*Donations for the apostleship program are nonrefundable if an apostle cancels, and will be contributed to the Camper scholarship program.

2023 Missionary Weeks

Man wearing a tuxedo T-shirt with a camp counselor putting his arm around him

Legends

Date: June 3rd – June 9th

Ages: 18+

Diagnoses Served: Intellectual/Developmental disabilities and/or autism. This week is focused on campers who do not require one-on-one assistance.

Camp counselor and camper smiling with group of people in the background

Heroes

Date: June 10th – June 16th

Ages: Ages: 16+

Diagnoses Served: Intellectual/Developmental disabilities and/or autism

Two summer campers smiling and drawing with markers

Young Friends

Date: June 17th – June 23rd

Ages: Ages: 7 – 18 (Siblings can attend)

Diagnoses Served: Intellectual/Developmental disabilities and/or autism

Camp counselor smiling next to a camper in a wheelchair

Adventurers

Date: June 24th – June 30th

Ages: Ages: 16+

Diagnoses Served: Physical Disabilities

Camper and counselor smiling with sunglasses on

Soaring Hawks

Date: July 8th – July 14th

Ages: Ages: 7+ (Siblings can attend)

Diagnoses Served: Blind, chronic diseases, deaf/hard of hearing. Campers with Intellectual/developmental disabilities, autism, and/or physical disabilities are also welcome.

Bridge Builders

Date: July 15th – July 21st

Ages: Ages: 7 – 18 (Siblings can attend)

Diagnoses Served: Intellectual/developmental disabilities, autism, and/or physical disabilities

Summer camper and counselor smiling with trees in the background

Explorers

Date: July 22nd – July 28th

Ages: Ages: 16+

Diagnoses Served: Intellectual/developmental disabilities, autism, and/or physical disabilities

Summer camper with counselor smiling with glasses

Champions

Date: July 29th – August 4th

Ages: Ages: 7+ (Siblings can attend)

Diagnoses Served: Intellectual/developmental disabilities, autism, and/or physical disabilities

Summer camper celebrating with his hands up

Celebration

Date: August 5th – August 11thAges: Ages: 18+Diagnoses Served: Intellectual/developmental disabilities, autism, and/or physical disabilities. This week is focused on Campers who do not require one-on-one assistance.

Cost

As a Missionary, not only do you play a very important role by serving our Campers, but you also help sustain our ministry by covering the cost of your meals, lodging, and a background check.

Your missions investment also covers programming, activities, adaptive measures, safety resources, and much-needed medical supplies. Any remaining amount goes to our camper Scholarship Fund to further aid our campers with special needs.

Registration includes a non-refundable $100 registration fee.

Early Registration:

$275

When you register by Aug. 31st

General Registration:

$295

When you register between Sept. 1st and Dec. 31st

Late Registration:

$320

When you register after Jan. 1st

Need an extra boost to attend? We encourage any Missionaries or groups who are interested in tuition assistance to download our Fundraising Packet or apply for a Missionary Scholarship. Need help setting up a payment plan, click Set Up a Payment Plan. For more information contact Caleb at [email protected]

Cancellation Refund Policy: requests received prior to March 1st will result in a full payment refund minus the non-refundable registration fee of $100. Cancellations occurring March 1-May 1 will allow for payment transfer to another week within the summer or toward registration for the following summer less the registration fee of $100. After May 1, all funds are forfeited. All cancellation requests must be in writing and sent to [email protected].

2024 Weeks and Registration

Legends

Date: June 1 – June 7

Ages: 18+

Diagnoses Served: Intellectual/developmental disabilities and/or autism. This week is focused on Campers who do not require one-on-one assistance and have been to camp before

Heroes

Date: June 8 – June 14

Ages: Ages: 16+

Diagnoses Served: Intellectual/developmental disabilities and/or autism

Young Friends

Date: June 15 – June 21

Ages: Ages: 7 – 18 (Siblings can attend)

Diagnoses Served: Intellectual/developmental disabilities and/or autism

Adventurers

Date: June 22 – June 28

Ages: Ages: 16+

Diagnoses Served: Physical disabilities

Soaring Hawks

Date: July 6 – July 12

Ages: Ages: 7+ (Siblings can attend)

Diagnoses Served: Blind, chronic diseases, deaf/hard of hearing. Campers with intellectual/developmental/physical disabilities and/or autism are also welcome.

Bridge Builders

Date: July 13 – July 19

Ages: Ages: 7 – 18 (Siblings can attend)

Diagnoses Served: Intellectual/developmental/physical disabilities and/or autism

Explorers

Date: July 20 – July 26

Ages: Ages: 16+

Diagnoses Served: Intellectual/developmental/physical disabilities and/or autism

Champions

Date: July 27 – August 2

Ages: Ages: 7+ (Siblings can attend)

Diagnoses Served: Intellectual/developmental/physical disabilities and/or autism

Celebration

Date: August 3 – August 9

Ages: Ages: 18+

Diagnoses Served: Intellectual/developmental/physical disabilities and/or autism. This week is focused on Campers who do not require one-on-one assistance.

FAQs & Testimonials

Although we do not require proof of a negative COVID test or vaccination, we ask that you not attend if you have been exposed to someone who has recently tested positive for COVID or if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms. We hope you will be able to join us but understand if based on risk, now is not the right time and we look forward to having you attend future Barnabas events.

All Camper families will need to create a new username/password (this can be the same as their old one). If they have already registered for 2023, then they can click the "reset password" button.

Absolutely. Every Camper deserves to have a life-changing week at Barnabas! They also have a right to a safe and healthy week. In order to make sure your Camper is well taken care of we do have a few general extra medical care need protocols we have to follow:
First, contact our Health Services Director to discuss your Camper's needs in detail prior to camp. Second, if your Camper requires overnight medical care, we require Camper families to provide a private nurse during their time at camp. Third, if your Camper has a trach or utilizes a vent, we require Camper families to provide a private nurse as well.
We have a dedicated team of doctors and nurses that stay on camp grounds at all times throughout the summer. Members of this team are in charge of administering daily medications, tube feedings, health checks, etc.

At this time, our registration process is done completely online. If you do need help with registering your Camper please feel free to contact our Camper Registrar.

You can email your request to our Camper Registrar. We cannot guarantee that your request will happen but we will do our very best to honor it.

Requests received prior to March 1st will result in a payment refund minus the non-refundable registration fee of $100. Cancellations occurring after March 1st will allow for payment transfer to another week within the summer or toward registration for the following summer less the registration fee of $100. We request that all cancellations are given at least 10 days before the start of the session. Any Camper/Missionary who is a no-call, no-show for their session will not be eligible for a refund or transfer of funds. All cancellation requests must be in writing and sent to our Camp Registrar.

“Barnabas is a place where kids like my daughter can come and feel accepted. We have watched her work really hard to fit into the real world. But when she comes to Barnabas, it’s her world and everyone else gets to step into it.”

—Camper Parent

“It’s like when you throw a rock into a pond and it ripples out; Camp Barnabas is blessing people connected to that Camper. You are giving someone back home a break. You are allowing a sibling back home time with mom and dad that they don’t get when the Camper is at home. I don’t think a lot of people understand that. Thank you.”

—Camper Parent

“Camp Barnabas means freedom to me. I was able to enjoy Camp without limitations or fear for the first time in my life.”

—Camper

“Camp is a safe place to make friends, learn about Jesus, and be around other people just like me.”

—Camper

“Camp Barnabas is a place where you can be free of judgment, of your insecurities... you can just let go and have fun and you’re able to be who you wanna be.”

—Camper

Although we do not require proof of a negative COVID test or vaccination, we ask that you not attend if you have been exposed to someone who has recently tested positive for COVID or if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms. We hope you will be able to join us but understand if based on risk, now is not the right time and we look forward to having you attend future Barnabas events.

Counselors are 15-29 years old. Barnstormers are 13-14 years old. Cabin Parents are 30 years old and up.

Yes, we do. For more information about missionary scholarships click here.

Click here for the different roles of camp.

Click here

and get ready for a life-changing week at camp!

“I credit Camp Barnabas for my confidence because it is a safe haven for Campers and Missionaries and anyone who is lucky enough to walk through those gates. Because of Camp Barnabas, I am now a certified and licensed interpreter and constant advocate for everything Camp Barnabas is and does.”

—Missionary

“When the camper’s faces light up... there’s nothing quite like that.”

—Missionary

“Camp Barnabas is an amazing place for people with disabilities to feel the love of God, and to see that in action through the Missionaries and the Staff.”

—Cabin Parent

“Camp Barnabas is a great place for joy, and for hope. Joy because of what the Campers get to experience, and hope for what we see happening in these young people’s lives.”

—Cabin Parent

“You need to come. Everyone needs to come and experience what God is doing here. Everyone needs to come and experience something that will change your life.”

—Missionary

Although we do not require proof of a negative COVID test or vaccination, we ask that you not attend if you have been exposed to someone who has recently tested positive for COVID or if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms. We hope you will be able to join us but understand if based on risk, now is not the right time and we look forward to having you attend future Barnabas events.

With the support and guidance of our Director of Health Services, physicians care for the wide range of medical issues that can arise during camp sessions. Physicians are available around the clock to evaluate Campers, Missionaries and Staff, supervise medical procedures, and prescribe medications.

Camp nurses are responsible for the daily dispensing and documenting of Camper medications, providing treatments and procedures (infusions, nebulizers, feeding tube, urinary catheter and central venous catheter care, etc.) and responding to Camper and Staff drop-in visits for everything from splinters, fevers, and tummy aches to other serious accidents or illnesses. Support and supervision are provided by the Well House and Health Services Director and volunteer physicians.

To learn more about what roles we have on our Medical Team, click here.

Medical Team members arrive on Saturday between 2:00 and 3:00 pm and leave on Friday at 10:00 am.

Not yet, but we promise that we are looking into it.

“I loved every minute of serving as a volunteer nurse. It has been the most rewarding and fulfilling part of my life. The Campers have touched my heart and made me smile in so many ways. They have taught me more than a nursing textbook ever could.”

—Med Team Member

“Camp Barnabas is the most wonderful place in the world. Volunteers and staff work together to make the Camper’s week the best of the year... It is a life changing experience in a piece of heaven on earth.”

—Med Team Member

“Safe-haven is probably the best word I can use to describe Camp Barnabas, because my son can enjoy the things that I can’t offer and I don’t have to worry about it.”

—Camper Parent

“It just feels like a privilege, to have the trust of parents, who I’m sure have concerns and reservations. Every parent of a kid with complicated, out-of-the-ordinary needs would want us to feel for their child. To be there for them, not just in some sort of sterile clinical capacity, but to be a part of a human encounter with a person that is loved and valued by God.”

—Med Team Member

“It is an opportunity for Christian formation for our whole family, and I see our children having known and loved their brother, bringing the empathy that they’ve been trained up with to camp. I love it, I just feel like Camp Barnabas makes our whole family more holy, more grounded, and more Christ-like.”

—Med Team Member, Camper/Missionary Parent

Although we do not require proof of a negative COVID test or vaccination, we ask that you not attend if you have been exposed to someone who has recently tested positive for COVID or if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms. We hope you will be able to join us but understand if based on risk, now is not the right time and we look forward to having you attend future Barnabas events.

Counselors are ages 15-29 years old. Barnstormers are ages 13-14 years old. Cabin Parents are 30 years old and up.

Yes, we do. For more information about Missionary scholarships click here.

Click here for the different roles of camp.

Click here

and get ready for a life-changing week at camp.

“I send my kids to Camp Barnabas because it teaches them something you can’t get in a service, altar call, or Bible study. It is putting the Bible into practice intensely for a week. It is showing the love of Jesus, not just experiencing it or reading about it.”

—Youth Group Leader

“Compared to other summer camps, a week serving at Camp Barnabas is half the cost and twice the experience! Students who serve at Camp Barnabas discover that being a contributor to ministry is far greater than being a consumer of ministry. Together, we learn about the joy of selfless service, the beautiful, God-given value of every human life, and the community-building power of shared experiences. Serving Christ at Camp Barnabas is one of the most impactful things we do as a ministry.”

—Youth Group Leader

“This mission trip is a tangible opportunity to experience the light of Christ. My youth don’t come back and revert to the way they always were. Their ability to love and serve is different because a piece of their life has been changed forever.”

—Youth Group Leader

“There is no life change that I’ve seen in our students like a week at Camp Barnabas.”

—Group Leader

“I think Camp Barnabas has challenged me to not just serve individuals with special needs just one week out of the year but look for opportunities all around me in my context to be the hands and feet of Christ.”

—Group Leader

Although we do not require proof of a negative COVID test or vaccination, we ask that you not attend if you have been exposed to someone who has recently tested positive for COVID or if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms. We hope you will be able to join us but understand if based on risk, now is not the right time and we look forward to having you attend future Barnabas events.

That is completely okay, and this does not eliminate you from being a potential Barnabas staffer! We have a whole week of training before any Campers arrive to train anyone who has never worked with an individual with special needs before.

Camp Barnabas is located in Southwest Missouri, specifically Purdy.

To be on Summer Staff you need to be at least 18 years old, or have graduated high school. Not quite 18? We have other incredible serving opportunities! Learn more here!

All Summer Staff are paid per session. Email our Staff Director to find out deets.
As an added bonus, we can help you secure internship credit for your hours. See Internship FAQ below.

As long as you can still bust dance moves in it, yes.

“This place is where the different becomes normal, and the impossible is obtained.”

—Summer Staffer

“I think we model servanthood here. It’s gonna push you, it’s gonna make you uncomfortable. Camp is always pushing you past yourself where you are no longer capable of doing it, and that forces you to rely on God and rely on the people He’s put in your life.”

—Summer Staffer

“Our camp couldn’t exist this long if we weren’t all sharing the gospel and pursuing Christ, and I think that is truly what makes us different. It is a glimpse of heaven on earth. Each day, people are leaning on Christ and creating a space that is safe for anybody with a disability or just anybody at all to come to.”

—Summer Staffer

“This summer is going to change you in such incredible ways that you aren’t even expecting, and so you’re going to experience immense growth here. You will grow most in those places of un-comfortability.”

—Summer Staffer

“God’s love is very evident at camp. One of the things I love most about camp is that you get to love on people that don’t get to experience God’s love everyday.”

—Summer Staffer

You can see the way we figure our prices here.

Our Teas Trail location can hold 500 people.

Yes! We are more than happy to cook for you and your group. Our price quotes always include us cooking and serving meals for you.

Absolutely. We want you to be able to keep your family happy, because that makes ministry or event planning ten times easier. See our lodging page for images of some our rooms that can accommodate families. We have a few mini fridges that we can move around to keep baby formula cold.

Yes, we have Wi-Fi access in our camp office. We try to limit the amount of time people spend on the internet because our Wi-Fi is naturally slow and gets slower as more and more people connect to it.

Cell phone service is available yet limited depending on your carrier. Most of the Barnabas staff have AT&T or Verizon and our service is fine. We also have landlines that you can use if needed.

Got questions about Camp?

For further questions about camp, registration, and missionary work, please complete the form. You can also callor email Caleb Brandt, our Missionary Coordinator.

Young man smiling for the camera with trees in the background
Name