Awaken • Nurture • Grow • Create

Join in the Christikon Life!

Since 1951, Christikon has been a special place for spiritual growth and renewal with friends, old and new; an intentional Christian community where all are welcome, chosen, cherished, loved, forgiven, redeemed, and made worthy by none other than Jesus Christ himself.

Worship begins and ends each day. We study the Bible together, take time to reflect and be alone before God. We work hard, play hard, enjoy time together and time apart, with time for worship & prayer, and time for silliness and song.

Christikon is a place of joy that lifts up God’s gift of life. A place for you. You don’t have to be Lutheran to be at Christikon. Come with your questions, your doubts, your challenges, and joys.

National Forest Permit area is located in the Custer Gallatin National Forest.

You Are Welcome Here.

Christikon seeks to provide opportunities for campers young and old to grow as the Body of Christ. We move towards a deeper experience and awareness of Christian community centered in worship, where all are sustained in the covenant of baptism and drawn more deeply into the lives of each other.

Pastor Mark Donald (playing guitar in photo below) is a native of San Diego, CA, and has lived in Minnesota, Washington and Montana. He holds a BA (History/English) from Gustavus Adolphus College, a Masters (Education) from the University of Minnesota, and a Masters of Divinity from Luther Seminary. His wife, Julie, is an educator in Billings, and they have two sons, Alec & Micah. Mark served parishes in Washington, Minnesota and Montana before starting at Christikon.

Embody the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Grounded in a Lutheran articulation of the gospel, we strive to share the grace of God with all, hoping for it to shape everything we do. We move towards a deeper experience and awareness of Christian community, centered in worship, where all are sustained in the covenant of baptism and drawn more deeply into the lives of each other.

Raise Up Stewards of Creation

We use our majestic mountain setting to encourage a greater appreciation of the natural environment, to develop a deeper sense of gratitude and responsibility for the whole creation of God. We explore the biblical story together, listening for God’s Word to us. We try to model Christian character as we face this world’s hungers and hopes.

Grow Leaders & Faithful Partners in Ministry

We try to strengthen the work and witness particularly of those who serve as our staff members, offering training and experience for leadership on behalf of the church. We try to maintain the connection between life at camp and life back home. We offer our mountain facilities for congregational retreats.

It is the Mission of Christikon
to awaken and nurture faith in Christ — exploring God’s creation
and the adventure of life together.

In carrying out Christikon’s mission, we seek to:

  • Embody the gospel of Jesus Christ. Grounded in a Lutheran articulation of the gospel, we strive to share the grace of God with all, hoping for it to shape everything we do.

  • Grow as the Body of Christ. We move towards a deeper experience and awareness of Christian community, centered in worship, where all are sustained in the covenant of baptism and drawn more deeply into the lives of each other.

  • Form faithful Christians. We will force no one into the faith. But we want people to recognize and grow from the foundation offered in the gifts and insights of those who have gone before us, so we might more clearly discern what God is doing in our lives and in our life together in this world. We explore the biblical story together, listening for God’s Word to us. We try to model Christian character as we face this world’s hungers and hopes. We seek out fitting shapes for faith’s witness in the world.

  • Raise up stewards of the whole creation. We use our majestic mountain setting to encourage a greater appreciation of the natural environment, to develop a deeper sense of gratitude and responsibility for the whole creation of God.

  • Grow leaders. We seek to strengthen the work and witness particularly of those who serve as our staff members, offering training and experience for leadership on behalf of the church.

  • Be a faithful partner in ministry with our congregations. We try to maintain the connection between life at camp and life back home. We offer our mountain facilities for congregational retreats. We seek to implement programs appropriate to our congregations’ changing needs in ministry.

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