Staff

YOUR ADVENTURE AWAITS

Get ready for the best summer of your life. We’re not your average job or average summer camp. Help us create an unforgettable world for our Campers.

Answer the Call

Our Summer Staff is passionate about loving others while setting an example of their strong relationship with Christ for Campers and Missionaries alike.

Our Summer Staff brings the hype and energy to our Campers and Missionaries. Whether it's wearing crazy costumes at our nightly parties, cruising down the waterslides with Campers, or discipling a cabin through daily devotions, our Staff has a heart for loving and serving others.

Paid positions are available and will fulfill internship credit at most universities. Summer Staff positions last either four or eight weeks. Apply now to join the fun!

Staff

Positions

Summer camp cabin staff at Camp Barnabas

Cabin Staff

Age: 19+

Our Cabin Staffers have the opportunity to serve and love not only every Camper in their cabin but also every Missionary as well. No day is typical, but as a Cabin Staffer, you should expect to do various activities, lead a devotional time with your cabin, and have a blast at our themed parties. All Cabin Staff are trained on the various activities at camp, including rifles, archery, fishing, canoeing, and more! As the spiritual leaders of the cabin, Cabin Staff put aside their personal wants and needs to be the hands and feet of Jesus and guide their Missionaries in how to love their Campers well. A Barnabas Staffer is prepared to love and celebrate all Campers as children of God and ensure the Campers’ relationship with their Missionary is both safe and meaningful.

Camp counselors smiling, wearing hats

Core Team

Age: 17 – 18 (Must have completed senior year of high school)

The Core Team is made up of individuals who have just graduated from high school. These members not only get to SEE the many wonderful jobs of camp, but get to experience working in them as well! Core Team is a vital role at camp that requires flexibility and the willingness to serve wherever is needed. We value the Core Team greatly, and it is our hope that this position provides opportunities to grow and learn what it could look like to be a part of Summer Staff at Barnabas in the future.

Summer camp counselor holding a helmet with a zipline harness

Extreme Team

Age: 19+

This position is for individuals who love to stay active and be in the outdoors. Extreme Team has the opportunity to lead exciting activities such as the ropes course, lifeguarding at the pool, and guiding cabins through camping excursions. Members of this team also have the opportunity to lead activities and games at all of our themed parties! If selected to be a part of the Extreme Team, you will be required to attend extra Staff training at the beginning of the summer, followed by certification tests. Extreme Team members will live in cabins with Campers and Missionaries, and must be willing to help out with the daily functioning of the cabin as needed.

Summer camp counselor taking a photo

Media Team

Age: 19+

Members of the Media Team ensure that those special moments at camp, both big and small, are not missed or forgotten. These captured memories allow family to witness the joy and fun taking place all week long. Roles within the Media Team include Media Team Lead, Photographer, and Videographer. Media Team Lead is responsible for managing the Media Team, ensuring that all output is complete and timely, and managing all special projects as needed. Photographers will capture all of the camp activities and parties throughout the weeks along with cabin photos. Videographers will create both a mid-week and end of week video. All members of the Media Team will live in a cabin with Campers and Missionaries, and must be willing to help out with daily functioning of the cabin.

Office Assistant

Age: 19+

The role of the office assistant is primarily an administrative job. You will be responsible for handling all phone calls that come into the camp office, sorting and distributing mail, and answering emails. You will also assist the office staff in mail outs and other typical daily office duties. The office assistant will have plenty of opportunities to interact with the Campers during evening activities and meal times.

Summer camper with her daughter

Resident Assistant

Age: 19+

Many of our Full-Time Staff move their entire families out to camp each summer! In order to fulfill their duties at camp, they need Resident Assistants to care for their children each day. This is a special opportunity to serve the camp, build relationships with Staff and their families, and see camp from a unique perspective. Resident Assistants will live in a cabin with Campers, assist with the daily functioning of the cabin as needed, and be able to attend camp events with the children. Resident Assistants play a vital role in allowing camp to run efficiently, and is a unique opportunity to show the love of Jesus to incredible families as well as their children.

Summer camper with counselor wearing blue chef's hats in a cafeteria

Kitchen Crew

Age: 19+

Camp could not function without our Kitchen Crew! All food preparation, food ordering and distribution, and meal times involve the Kitchen Staff. These individuals are responsible for ensuring that enough food is prepared and distributed for every meal and for creating a positive environment within the Dining Hall and the Kitchen. Every day will look different, but the Staff should expect to have a hands-on experience with each meal in some capacity! The Kitchen Crew will also get the opportunity to work closely with our Adult Volunteers, Barnstormers, and the Barnstorm Staff!

Several of our Campers come to camp with specific dietary needs (ex. Gluten free, diabetic, lactose intolerant). It is the Special Diets Cook’s job to make sure every Camper’s nutritional needs are met. In this position, you will work alongside our Kitchen Manager, Barnstormer Leaders, and adult volunteers to provide Campers with safe, nutritious meals each day. This is a unique opportunity to serve and provide for the Campers that need additional needs met in order to attend camp. Special Diets cooks will be living in a cabin with Campers and Missionaries, and must be willing to help out with daily functioning of cabin as needed.

Barnstorm Staff

Barnstorm Staff oversee all roles and responsibilities of the Barnstorm Program. These individuals are spiritual leaders for Barnstormers while ensuring a clean camp environment. Barnstorm Staff get to pour into and love on the Barnstormers, volunteers ages 13-14, who serve camp in a unique way! The Barnstormers are getting to have a blast serving while learning more about Christ in the process!

Production Staff

Ready to put on a show? If there is a microphone, stage, skit, or party, our Production Team members are involved. Spend your summer bringing entertaining and engaging programming to our Campers. Daily responsibilities include meal time entertainment, rally, nightly parties, and wrap-up. Come be a part of the fun!

Staff Instagram

Check out all the fun our Staff is having and follow us to stay up-to-date on the latest Staff news and announcements! Follow @barnabas_staff

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 at [email protected] 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 stomach aches to other serious accidents or illnesses. Support and supervision are provided by the Well House and Health Services Director and volunteer physicians.

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.

We’re located in Purdy, Missouri. Fun fact: Extreme Home Makeover came to visit Teas Trail in 2005. We’ve added even more cool things to our camp since then and we can’t wait for you to come check us out!

“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

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

First, if you are a first time Missionary watch this registration tutorial or if you are a returning Missionary watch this registration tutorial.
If you could still use some help, contact our Missionary Coordinator, Caleb, at [email protected] or 417-597-3223 for assistance with registration.

“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.