Camps have their own liability insurance policies, and your church should, too. Check your policy with your administrators or legal counsel to verify your coverage. Remember that while liability insurance can keep you from losing your church, using your own common sense can go a long way toward keeping you from getting sued. Start by keeping all of your activities within the camp context. It’s far easier for a parent to understand and accept a zipline injury, for example, than an accident or injury that happens off camp property or from a homemade bungee jump off the cabin roof.
Randy Rainwater’s foundational rules are 1) Don’t be mean; and 2) Don’t be stupid. “We try really hard not to do stupid things,” he says. “There is no late-night swim in the lake, those kinds of things, even though that would be fun. We just don’t do that. We wear life jackets, all those common sense things.”
In addition to letting parents know of any injuries right away, he always offers to cover their insurance co-pay. Most don’t take him up on it, but it’s a big help to some such as single mothers.
Want Help?
Learn more and find a camp at CCCA.org, site of the Christian Camp and Conference Association.
