Students attending recent summer camps sponsored by Lifeway Christian Resources — Fuge, Student Life and CentriKid — collected more than $670,000 for missions.
Lifeway president Ryan Blackwell presented checks to Todd Lafferty, representing the International Mission Board, and Kevin Ezell, representing the North American Mission Board, during the opening session of the Sept. 21–22 SBC Executive Committee meeting in Nashville.
Dream of camps as pipeline
“I love the local church, and I believe in the local church,” Blackwell shared with EC members and others attending the meeting, his first as Lifeway president. “Lifeway exists to come alongside the local church.
“One way we come alongside our churches is our summer camps. … During the 2026 camp season, Lifeway hosted more than 120,000 campers [and] more than 4,000 of those students made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ.
“Over 1,000 students responded to a call to ministry or missions,” Blackwell said. “One of our dreams for camps is that camps will be part of a pipeline that raises up the next generation of pastors and church planters and missionaries that go around the world sharing the gospel. It’s for that reason our partnership with the North American Mission Board and the International Mission Board is so important.”
‘So more people can hear’
“Our goal in missions education is not just to tell students stories about others but for them to understand they can be part of God’s mission right now. They don’t have to wait until they are adults. One way we give them a tangible way to respond to the call upon their lives right now is to take up the missions offering,” Blackwell said.
“Students and kids gave $670,000 so more people can hear the good news of Jesus. That gives me tremendous hope for the future of our churches and the future of the Great Commission.”
