Our Mission, Our Story, and Our Community

To reach people with the good news that Jesus has brought the Kingdom of God into the world and, through His death and resurrection, has provided salvation from sin, and life in His eternal Kingdom. We do this by introducing others to the value of knowing Jesus or reinforcing and strengthening their continuing relationship with Him. We strive to teach campers to not just know information about Jesus, but to actually know Him intimately through forming campers as Christ’s disciples.

The work of Rock River Bible Camp is to raise up healthy followers of Jesus who will take His light into their circles of influence. We recognize that we don’t exist in a vacuum, but that we occupy space surrounded by God’s will, presence, and people, and so everything we do is with an aim to partner with what God is already doing in our corner of the world through His people.

All this could be summed up in a simple phrase: We exist to know Christ and make Him known.

Encountering Jesus: At Rock River Bible Camp, we aim at cultivating an expectation of encountering Jesus in a broad community with diverse, yet connected perspectives.

Modeling Jesus: Our vision is to dynamically introduce our community and world to Jesus Christ as the one and only means of salvation, not just informationally, but to actually know Him; by modelling what following Jesus looks like.

Creating a Place to Discover Love: We work at creating a place for those who are experiencing all life can throw at them (joy, sorrow, confusion, and anything in between) to come as they are and discover the love of God and the love of His people.

Discipling Jesus Followers: This is done through focused training in discipleship, learning how to navigate the world through purposeful relationships, intentional and careful study, and by guided devotional experiences.

A Center for Christian Training: Ultimately, we see Rock River Bible Camp becoming a center for spiritual training that equips the people to 1) encounter Jesus; 2) learn who He’s created them to be; and 3) learn to live with Him leading their lives.

Love: We believe in creating an atmosphere at camp that is driven by love expressed in multiple ways: our love of God, first and foremost; our love for community; and our love for God’s truth (Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Matthew 22:37-40).

Trinitarian God: We believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:14).

The Authority of the Bible: Rock River Bible Camp is, unsurprisingly, a Bible believing camp; believing the Bible to be our final authority for faith and Christian living. We work hard at living out the truths we believe in tangible and visible ways. One of those ways is in creating a safe space for campers to unplug and experience distraction-free community, all oriented in God’s direction (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Unity With Christ: We believe in demonstrating the love of God through the love of God’s people; in showing that faith is more than just about behavior correction—but unity with Christ (1 Corinthians 1:10; 1 John 1:7; Colossians 3:13).

Salvation: We believe that Jesus Christ is the one and only way to salvation, and that there is no other name by which we can be redeemed, set free from the imprisonment of sin, and restored to relationship with God (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:9; 1 Timothy 2:5).

Relationships: We believe that relationships with others matter, and so we strive for intentional, purposeful interactions that operate from a position of grace (Galatians 6:2; James 5:16; Proverbs 17:17; Proverbs 27:17; Romans 12:5; Romans 12:16).

Fun: We also believe that serious things are not somber things; and so, we believe in having fun while living as the hands and feet of Jesus (Proverbs 17:22; 1 Thessalonians 5:11).

Affordability: We believe in keeping the experiences of camp affordable.

Accountability: We believe that accountability isn’t a thing to avoid, but a necessary part of living in community. We work to build each other up, mourn with one another as needed, as well as challenge each other to a consistent pursuit of Christ (Romans 12:15-16; Galatians 6:1-2; Proverbs 27:17; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).

The Church: All of these beliefs are centered in our love for Jesus and our desire to introduce others to Him, but then going a step further, and walking with them in their faith journey (Matthew 28:18-20; John 13:34-45; Proverbs 27:17; Ephesians
5:1-2). Part of how we do this is through staying connected with campers, and connecting them to a local church. We remind them that the walk with Christ is not something that only happens at camp, but throughout the rest of the year.

In 1946, the leadership of the Western Conference of the Evangelical Congregational Church envisioned a camp dedicated to discipling future generations. The first EC camps were held at Beulah Beach in Ohio from 1946 to 1950. By 1950, Camp Director Robert S. Wilson organized a second EC camp, this time on the south shore of Lake Geneva in Illinois. After moving between several locations, Rock River Bible Camp finally opened its doors in 1958. That summer, the camp held its first sessions: Senior Camp for ages 13-18 and Junior Camp for ages 8-12, with a registration fee of just $15.50. By 1962, the camp had grown to six weeks of programming, offering camps for kids as young as eight through adults, and hosting 240 campers. In 1977, the camp expanded further to include additional retreats and family camps.