Not Just Camp: Leadership Lab Transforms Lives and Builds Christ-Centered Leadership
Building Leaders at Leadership Lab
Equipping leaders for the Church of today—and the Church of tomorrow.
The journey from Phoenix to Rock Island, Illinois might seem like a long way to travel for a week of summer programming. But for seven churches from the Grand Canyon Synod, the destination was worth every mile. Leadership Lab, housed on the campus of Augustana College, became home to something extraordinary this summer—a living laboratory where faith meets leadership, where tradition embraces innovation, and where young voices discover their calling.
Leadership Lab isn't your typical church camp. It's an intentional space where participants connect and Christian leadership takes shape through hands-on experience, collaborative worship, and the kind of deep spiritual reflection that leaves lasting marks on hearts and minds.
More Than Summer Camp
Step into Leadership Lab and you'll find an active learning environment that takes the word "lab" seriously. Here, youth, young adults, and adults don't just talk about leadership—they practice it.
With programming designed for different stages, Leadership Lab creates space for everyone from incoming high school sophomores to seasoned adults, each group diving deep into collaborative leadership experiences that stretch far beyond the week in Rock Island.
Stories from the Lab
Sixteen-year-old Cailee arrived at Leadership Lab with the typical experience of a small youth group—everyone knows everyone, routines are comfortable, and leadership often falls to the same few people. But Rock Island changed her perspective entirely.
Placed in a small group tasked with planning complete worship services, Cailee discovered what collaborative, creative leadership could look like. The experience pushed her beyond familiar territory into something both challenging and exhilarating. "I don't get to do this kind of creative, cooperative leadership at home," she reflected.
The week's highlight came during Messy Day, a program designed for incoming sophomores and juniors to explore faith's beautiful messiness through symbolic, muddy activities. For Cailee, it perfectly captured what made Leadership Lab special—moments that were simultaneously deeply reflective and joyfully chaotic.
But perhaps most transformative was simply meeting people from around the world, expanding her understanding of what Church could be beyond her hometown's borders.
Anna, also sixteen and from Phoenix, found in Leadership Lab something she didn't expect: perfect balance. The program managed to weave together fun and faith, self-reflection and community celebration in ways that felt both inspiring and energizing.
Her favorite moments came during Celebration—worship gatherings held twice daily that featured music, storytelling, and student testimonies. Hearing authentic stories of faith and struggle from her peers proved both powerful and affirming, helping Anna gain clearer vision of who she is and who she's becoming in Christ.
The program's emphasis on vulnerability and mutual support created what Anna called a culture where "people felt safe to be who they really were, and everyone supported each other, no matter their story."
Nineteen-year-old Wren from Las Vegas participated in Crossroads, Leadership Lab's program for older participants. Their week involved planning events for the entire Lab community while volunteering throughout the Quad Cities area—experiences that stretched their leadership skills in practical, community-focused ways.
For Wren, the most meaningful moments came not during the high-energy activities but in the quiet depths of small group discussions, where participants explored personal struggles and discovered how God meets them in those difficult places.
"I love the community that gets built," Wren explained, "not just in your small group, but with the entire Lab family. Plus, it's a wonderful break from my normally hectic life."
Tuscon's Layra found Leadership Lab's blend of practical and spiritual development particularly impactful. Through planning youth events and learning collaborative teamwork, she developed concrete leadership skills. But the program also taught her something more personal—how to channel emotions constructively and connect them to biblical wisdom.
Like Anna, Layra found worship and devotional times most moving, moments that helped her think deeply about emotions while growing closer to God. And like Cailee, she cherished Messy Day's lessons about finding comfort in discomfort—both literally and spiritually.
The Leader's Perspective
Daniel, a thirty-one-year-old from Las Vegas, has spent four summers serving Leadership Lab as drummer in the House Band. His role involves more than musicianship—he fosters relationships with students and staff while encouraging everyone to share their unique gifts with the community.
This year, his most meaningful moment came watching the Lab Junior House Band lead worship independently. Seeing young musicians he'd mentored not only perform confidently but invite others to join them exemplified everything Leadership Lab represents.
"I love the community, the connections, and the intention of growing leaders grounded in Christ's love and kindness," Daniel shared. "Every year, I learn something I can bring back to my home congregation."
Building Tomorrow's Church
These stories reveal Leadership Lab's deeper purpose. This isn't simply about creating future pastors or professional church leaders—though it accomplishes that too. It's about cultivating faithful and compassionate connections with others; and the courage to lead wherever God places them, whether in churches, schools, communities, or beyond.
The young people who traveled from the Grand Canyon Synod to Leadership Lab returned home with more than memories. They carried back expanded visions of what Christian community can be, practical skills for collaborative leadership, deep connections with others, and renewed confidence in their own calling and purpose.
In a world that often questions the Church's relevance, Leadership Lab stands as powerful testimony that faith communities are very much alive, growing, and preparing thoughtful leaders for whatever comes next. The future of the Gospel, it turns out, is in very good hands.
Learn more about Leadership Lab at www.leadershiplab.net or follow @ELCAleadlab on social media. Save the date for 2026: June 22-27.
