The Christikon Staff Community
Located in the Rocky Mountains just north of Yellowstone National Park, near the heart of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Area, you’ll be in some of the loveliest country in the world.
There are youth sessions for senior high, for junior high, and for fourth through sixth-graders (the optimum camp size is 65-75 campers). There are also sessions for developmentally-disabled kids, for families and adults, and a half-week session for developmentally-disabled adults.
What is Christikon to me?
- a community of the gospel, a community called into being, nurtured and shaped by the word of God in Jesus Christ. We are part of and servant to the church. As such, we are inherently a community of worship, study, and prayer; and those dimensions are essential in our life together.
- a community of alternate vision. Together, we seek to shape an experience where the world’s brokenness might be transcended in a vision that anticipates the coming Kingdom of God. In such a vision, to become weak for others is to be strong, to become a servant is to be free, to give life away is to find it.
- a community of the table, where meals and food and eating together anticipate our sharing with each other at the communion table and with all Creation at the great feast in Paradise, and provide the opportunity to model sharing, fellowship, humility, responsible service, and gratitude.
Where Will I Fit In?
Within the larger Christikon community, staff people function as a community of service and leadership. Together with the Director, they shape the entire Christikon life. As staff people, we all speak and act on behalf of Christ and his church in this particular place, among this particular people. When you are a Christikon staff member, it is important that you be open to being grasped by this vision of life together…that you try to pattern your personal life accordingly…that you be willing to accommodate your individual goals to help build a community of this broader vision, so that those who come to join us at camp may find with us a fresh perspective on life lived towards the coming Kingdom.
Do I have to be Lutheran?
No! People of several denominational backgrounds have served with us. At the same time, we note that our ministry is both unapologetically Christian and explicitly trinitarian. Most of the campers we serve are of Lutheran background; and as we work to witness faithfully to the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are significantly shaped by the Lutheran tradition in which we stand. Staff people need to be comfortable working in this context.
For Christikon staff, we need people who come to camp not simply because they love the mountains and the outdoors, but also because they love Jesus Christ, and they are committed to serving his people, in the context of the Christikon life.
What else does Christikon look for in staff people?
Maturity: Staff people carry a great deal of responsibility during the season, so maturity of judgment and character are essential.
Health: To carry out staff responsibilities adequately, you need to be in appropriate physical condition for a summer of vigorous living, hiking, and backpacking. If you have special dietary or medical needs, you must discuss those with the director during the application process so that we can determine our ability to meet those considerations.
Character: As a Christikon staff person you will work closely with campers and other staff people in an intense community setting. So you need to be open, sensitive, and able to adapt to a wide variety of people and situations. At the same time, you need to have a good sense of who you are and what’s important to you. And, as with most areas of life, a sense of humor never hurts.
Skills and Interests: General camping and backpacking skills are often helpful but are not necessary prior to the summer. Christikon provides you with three weeks of training (two weeks on-site and one week on a backpack) to prepare you for providing leadership in the Christikon life. At the same time, your participation is enhanced by the special skills, interests, and certifications you bring to camp with you (e.g., in ecology, geology, plant/animal identification, art, music, drama, crafts etc.).
CPR and Wilderness First Aid: In order to comply with American Camp Association (ACA) standards, all staff is certified in CPR and Wilderness First Aid (we provide you in both during staff training). But if you already have those certifications prior to coming to Christikon, you will receive a salary bonus (see the information on compensation).
A word on food: Eating together is a significant part of the Christikon life, and the meal is a chief metaphor in the way we shape our life together (see comments above). Staff participation in meals also has a programmatic impact, embodying the responsible use of food and gratitude for the giftedness of the meal. All our meals are served family style and offer a nutritious and well-balanced diet. We do seek to accommodate allergies or other medical limitations that prevent sharing in certain foods. We ask that you be willing to accommodate your preferences when necessary for the good of the whole (i.e. participate in the meal even if the menu item wouldn’t normally be your first choice).
Application Process:
ONE:
Fill out the online or the PDF application form and submit.
TWO:
Download and give the Confidential Reference Questionnaire form (in PDF format) to three people who can make a statement on your behalf concerning your qualifications for a position on the Christikon staff.
You can download the form in PDF format directly from our website and give the Confidential Reference Questionnaire form to the three people. Ask each person to return the Questionnaire directly to the Christikon office (it’s courteous to provide them with a stamped, addressed envelope, too).
For references, select people (other than friends or relatives) who know something about you in the areas covered on the Questionnaire, such as employers, a teacher, your pastor, etc. If you have previously worked at another camp, your former camp director or immediate supervisor there must be one of your references.
THREE:
Download and fill out the Voluntary Disclosure form (in PDF format) and mail it to Christikon’s office address as indicated on the form.
FOUR:
Participate in an interview.
See the interview schedule for places and dates. If an in-person interview is not possible, you may arrange for a telephone interview at your expense by writing or calling the Christikon office (406 656-1969) to arrange a mutually convenient time.
2023 Interview Schedule
In 2023 interviews will be via Zoom/Facetime/Skype by appointment.
MIDWEST:
- Moorhead, MN — January 25th — Concordia College
- Valparaiso, IN — February 2 — Valparaiso University
- St. Peter, MN — February 7 — Gustavus Adolphus College
- Northfield, MN — February 8 — St. Olaf College
- Decorah, IA — February 17 — Luther College
- Sioux Falls, SD — February 27 — Augustana University
WASHINGTON:
- Tacoma, WA — February 15 — Pacific Lutheran University
WEST:
- Billings, MT — Any time: call our office at 406 656-1969 to make an appointment
- Bozeman, MT — TBD — MSU Christus Collegium
- Missoula, MT — TBD — Emmaus Campus Ministry