Baptist camp directors respond to safety requirements 

In response to the tragic loss of life during the July 4, 2025 Camp Mystic floods, Texas summer camps are now required to adopt regulations based on House Bill 1, Senate Bill 1, and Senate Bill 3, which established new requirements for camps to help mitigate safety risks in the case of natural disasters. These measures became effective Sept. 5, 2025.

Regulations include prohibitions on new cabin construction in FEMA-designated floodplains, emergency preparedness training, installation of end-to-end fiber-optic internet, and more.

Due to logistical and financial constraints, there was hope the deadline for the fiber requirement would be pushed to Sept. 1, 2027, in response to a letter by coauthors of HB 1 sent to the Texas Department of State Health Services. However, no additional time was given. DSHS requires implementation of these new policies now.

Camp directors have raised concerns that fiber-optic internet access is not readily available due to some of their remote camp locations. Installation is also expensive, with estimated costs ranging from $75,000 to $1.5 million. Camp licensing fees will also increase significantly. 

Failure to comply with the internet requirements forces the Department of State Health Services to deny or suspend a camp’s license.

Installation challenges

Adam Harris, executive director at Plains Baptist Camp & Retreat Center in Floydada, described the challenges of installing fiber optic internet at his remote location:

“We are required to have fiber optic [internet]. We are in Bronco Canyon in West Texas, and have been unable to secure fiber optic [internet].” 

According to Harris, installation of fiber optic internet “is not increasing camper safety … [this] will be a real challenge for a lot of camps. At the beginning … there were 150 camps in the state of Texas that did not have fiber optic. We are part of a 20-camp injunction to see what we can do to stop this fiber optic requirement.” 

In a letter sent by a DSHS executive team member to the Health and Human Services Commission executive council, DSHS described fiber optic installation as benefiting public safety by enabling campers to attend DSHS-licensed youth camps and increasing camper safety. 

DSHS also requires camps to install a secondary internet connection through a broadband service distinct from the first. These requirements exist as part of SB 1 and HB 1. 

Cost estimates not feasible 

Plains Baptist Camp & Retreat Center has had no official bids or quotes provided for installation of fiber optic internet, putting additional burden on the camp. 

“No one can provide us a quote for [installation], but the initial estimate was $1.5 million for us to have redundant internet service, one of them being fiber optic. That is not a feasible number for us, and it really isn’t for any other camp, either,” Harris explained. 

Rhonda Roberts, who has been the executive director of Heart of Texas Camp and Retreat in Brownwood more than 25 years, expressed some of her concerns about increased financial obligations:

“The new requirements and the financial price tag gave us the option of either raising camp fees after we have already announced them, or asking for donations from our churches and supporters,” she said. 

Camp licensing fees have also seen an increase by as much as 4,000 percent, with some overnight summer camps paying as much as $19,500 per year to renew their state licensure.

Before the proposed 2025 and 2026 hikes, the original start-up licensing fee for youth camps in Texas was $250 for day camps and $750 for residential camps. 

Roberts said she has to pay “an annual license fee of over 2,000 percent increase from previous years.” Her camp license fee was raised from $464 to $13,500. 

Roberts stated she aims to respond to the requirements with compliance in order to renew the camp’s license to operate.

Some of the major steps Heart of Texas Camp and Retreat is taking to comply include working to obtain fiber internet connection, installing a weather station to procure accurate weather data, installing ladder access on dormitory roofs, and increasing lighting on pathways. All of these new requirements were finalized in January 2026 to be implemented before summer.

The American Camp Association website has a full list of state regulations.

Growing attendance trends

Despite these new requirements, camp directors report growing or steady attendance trends, with most weekends fully booked. 

“We are blessed to stay very busy,” Harris said. “Year round, December is slow, and January can be slow. Our peak season will start in summer … [around] May 26, [and ends] August 1. During retreat season, we average two groups each weekend.” 

Plains Baptist Camp & Retreat Center sees many regular groups, including many nonprofit organizations and schools: 

“We are an hour away from Lubbock. So, we have a ton of Texas Tech groups that come out. … We [even] see people from New Mexico and beyond the [Caprock Plains Baptist Association], and campers from Austin,” Harris said. 

Camps record how many campers attended during each camping season, how many campers committed their lives to Christ, and more. 

“There’s some things that are very hard for us to measure. … [In some ways], our success is very clear, and in some ways, we will only know in eternity,” Harris said. 

Flexibility is key

Roberts noted flexibility as one of the most important skills a camp director should have:

“[A] key skill needed for running a camp is flexibility. For me, the biggest challenge is not being able to plan ahead the way that many people do in their work. … One small thing can change the trajectory of the day.”  

One challenge is having the right staff or volunteers at the right time: “Sometimes project priorities will shift depending on the skills of the staff or volunteers who are available,” she said. 

Angela Smith, director of operations at Camp Copass in Denton, emphasized the importance of camp staff: 

“A campus like Copass requires about 45 summer staff. … In a Baptist camp, there is a need for the staff to be on mission. It is important to hire Christians who are following Jesus. There is a balance of work ethic development and spiritual development that must happen with a camp staff.”

The camp calling 

Camp directors view their work as a calling—one rooted in hospitality and ministry. 

“We are a hospitality ministry. … A lot of people think of us as a ministry, [but feel confused] when you call camp ministry a hospitality ministry. [But] Jesus was hospitable in a way. We see that in Scripture. … Even though he had no home, he had a spirit of hospitality, and people were drawn to him,” Harris said. 

“That’s what we are shooting for here, especially for me as director, to have a spirit of hospitality, and that while we juggle all [of our obligations], we … care for people,” he continued. 

Smith described how you can “feel the presence of the Holy Spirit at work [at a Baptist camp.] It’s energizing and exciting. It’s refreshing to see the campus full of people who have come either unexpectedly or expectedly meeting with Jesus and growing in their faith.”

Harris, emphasizing the historicity of Texas camp ministry, called people to action. “[Our camp] was built in 1949. … [Mt. Lebanon Camp] was built in 1945. These camps were started right after World War II, and people got together, and they worked shoulder to shoulder to build these camps.” 

“They came together with their finances and their resources and their efforts to build this place. That’s the story all over the state of Texas and really all over the country, but definitely in Baptist camp life,” Harris continued. 

“We need to encourage the next generation of stewardship toward our Baptist camps. … It’s time for a new generation to step up, to grab a paintbrush, to do some carpentry, and make sure this campus is here for the next generation. Stewardship will be what gets us through.” 

Readers who want to support Baptist camp ministry can visit www.texasbaptistcamps.org.