The NLOMA Application launches Wednesday, October 15 at 7am CST! Everyone who applies on October 15 will be entered in a drawing to win a $100 gift card!
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 | Position Information | Working at Camp | Summer Dates | Time Off | Salary | FAQ
How To Apply
Fill out a NLOMA Summer Service Profile by February 13 to be considered in our initial round of hiring decisions. (If applying for a Coordinator position, please make sure to ALSO fill out the Coordinator Application.)
Want to learn more about NLOMA? Click here.
If you listed Camp Luther 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 23 if your first choice camp has offered you a position.
If you require an earlier hiring decision, just let us know. If you have another job offer for the summer, we are totally 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 that we will have already finalized our hiring decisions for the summer.
That’s it - it’s 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 need to be at least a year out of high school to apply to be a camp counselor or coordinator. For specialty staff positions, you can apply even if you’re still in high school. If you haven’t ever attended camp at Camp Luther or aren’t a huge outdoor expert, don’t worry! Each summer we hire people who are brand new to camp.
Position Options
Our 45 summer staff are divided between three different types of roles:
Camp Counselor positions work with a small group of campers in one of our summer programs each week of the summer. (The specific program may change from week to week!)
Specialty Staff positions serve behind-the-scenes in a variety of important ways at camp, including in the areas of kitchen, office, facilities, and float. Unlike our other summer staff positions which require you to be at least one year out of high school, these roles are available to anyone who is 16+ years old.
Coordinator positions help lead and coordinate different ministry areas of camp - these roles require a high level of leadership and the staff in these roles also help equip and support our summer staff team. Strong preference is given to applicants with previous Camp Luther staff experience or equivalent leadership experience.
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 Counselor - Open Positions
Camp Counselor x 26
Specialty Staff - Open Positions
Coordinator Staff - Open Positions
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 Healthcare 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 Information Should I Know Before Applying?
Staff Training:
All staff undergo two 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 May 24 - June 5, 2026.
Program Coordinator positions require an extended training time and begin staff training on May 18, 2026.
Start and End Dates:
May 18 - Program Coordinators arrive
May 25 - Counselors and Specialty Staff arrive
June 7 - First day of camp!
August 22 - Last day of 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.
Time Off
All staff receive an average of one day off per week. Counselors can expect to work five weekends throughout the summer (including our Staff Recharge weekend) and have the rest of their weekends off. In addition, all staff receive one hour off each day and all counselors receive an additional four hour block of time off each week.
Any additional time off requests are entirely dependent on the needs of the summer program. With that said, we work hard to be flexible with staff time off requests - if you need an early end date or an 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.
1st Year Staff Salary: $275/week
2nd Year Staff Salary: $300/week
3rd+ Year Staff Salary: $350/week
Additional bonuses for staff who are lifeguard certified, for staff who serve the majority of the summer , and for staff who help with our end of summer programs.
We also provide housing and meals for our summer staff for the entire summer.
Disclaimer:
You will work very hard if selected to a part of the Camp Luther 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 Program Coordinators and 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 a part of the rich and deep legacy at Camp Luther and gain a camp family that will last for the rest of your life. A summer at camp can change your life in a way 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 - I probably shouldn’t even apply, eh?
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 the other NLOMA camps. This means that when you apply to work at Camp Luther, your application can also be seen by the 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 Camp Luther, 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 Camp Luther 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 23 deadline if I’ve been hired or not?
If a situation comes up where you need a firm answer before that February 23 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 Camp Luther 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 towards the end of February. That is why most of the people we interview can expect to hear from us by Monday, February 23 as a part of that process.
If I’m applying for a Coordinator position, do I also need to fill out a NLOMA application?
Yes, please still fill out the NLOMA application! We ask people applying for our Coordinator positions to fill out a secondary application form in addition to the standard NLOMA profile because these are critical leadership roles on our summer staff team with specific responsibilities during the summer. But please make sure to still fill out the NLOMA profile as well.
Is there an age requirement to work at camp?
To apply to be a counselor or to serve in one of our coordinator positions, you must be at least one year out of high school. You must be 16+ at the start of the summer to apply for a specialty staff position (kitchen, office, float).
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 almost always 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 ahead of time.
When does the summer start?
For coordinator positions, staff training starts on Monday, May 18. For the rest of our summer staff, staff training starts on Monday, May 25. (We ask coordinators to arrive a week early because of the need for extra planning time for these positions, as well as extra training for their specific roles.)
When does the summer end?
Summer programming continues at camp through August 29. Each year we recruit an “End of Summer” crew to help us finish out the summer strong.
Where will I live while I’m at camp?
Our summer staff are housed in the Retreat Center, which provides 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, as well as two dressers to use to store your stuff. It's helpful to pack light and bring extra storage containers and organizers to help keep everything tidy. This is your room for the summer--it's your permanent place to store your stuff and where you'll stay during time off. During the summer, if you’re leading a group that is staying in one of our villages, you’ll stay out in the village with your group that week, but you’ll still have your Retreat Center room as your home base.
Can you give me some specific details of what my summer would look like?
Here’s the breakdown of what happens in the summer:
Staff Training: Your first two weeks at camp will be spent in training, where you’ll learn the ins and outs of what it looks like to serve at camp as well as forming incredible friendships with your fellow summer staffers.
Summer Programming: Following staff training, the next nine weeks of the summer will be spent doing camp! At Camp Luther, our main camp program each week is our residential youth camp programs (Pathfinder and Trailblazer) that consist of approximately 130 kids (Grades 3-8) split into different small groups. We also run the following programs that you may be a part of during the summer:
Quest, IMPACT, High School Week (Older Kids)
Explorer, Kindercamp (Younger Kids)
Family Camp, Family Weekends, Village Glamping (Families)
Confirmation Camps: In August, we lead two back-to-back sessions of 3-day long confirmation camps, where churches will bring their confirmation students and adult leaders to camp to get a jump start on their year in confirmation and have some incredible fun together.
End of Summer: As staff start to head back to school, we intentionally recruit staff to stay for our end of summer programs that take place during the back half of August. The week of our summer confirmation camp programs, we also intentionally spend a few days wrapping up the summer together as a staff community, through end of summer work projects, evaluation and feedback on the summer experience, and meaningful community time together. This summer, our community closure dates are August 13-15, and our end of summer program dates are August 16-29.
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.
Do you have internet up there in the Northwoods?
We do! It’s not the fastest, and we encourage our summer staff to intentionally “unplug” for the summer as a part of their time at camp, but we’re not completely cut off from the outside world.
I’m in! What do I do next?
Step one is to fill out an application! (And if you’re applying for a Coordinator role, don’t forget to fill out the Coordinator application form in addition to the main NLOMA profile.) Then wait for someone from Camp Luther to contact you to set up an interview.
On the fence, or just thinking about it? This is your challenge to start the conversation.
Even if you are not entirely sure about your summer plans, you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain by starting the conversation by submitting your application.
Have additional questions? Contact Kardia (kardia@campluther.com), Camp Luther's Director of Programs, with any questions or requests for additional information.