Burnout Is Not Inevitable (What the Data Tells Us About Protecting Staff Well-Being)

Camp has always been demanding work. Long days, deep emotional investment, constant presence – the demands come with the territory. But the 2025 UMCRM Summer Staff Impact Study makes something clear: Burnout is not just a personal issue, it’s a structural one. The good news is that the same data that reveals the risk to summer staff also points toward real, actionable ways to reduce the factors that lead to burnout at camp.

How Common Was Burnout in 2025?

At the end of the summer, staff were asked to reflect on their overall state of being, spiritually, physically, and emotionally. The results were sobering:

• 40% of summer staff reported feeling exhausted or burned out in at least one of those three areas by the end of the summer.

• Burnout was not limited to one role, gender, or age group. Burnout appeared across counseling staff, support staff, and leadership staff.

It’s important to note that burnout didn’t mean staff had a “bad summer.” Many still reported growth and impact. But it did affect how deeply camp shaped them and whether they wanted to return.

Why Burnout Matters More Than We Might Realize

The study found that staff who experienced burnout showed significantly lower outcomes in nearly every area measured. Compared to staff who did not report burnout:

• Burned-out staff agreed less strongly that they were strengthened in their personal faith

• They showed less growth in self-confidence

• They were significantly less likely to feel a sense of calling toward ministry or church-related work

• They were less likely to express a desire to return to camp in the future

In contrast, staff who did not experience burnout showed statistically significant growth in self-confidence and in their openness to vocational discernment.

Burnout doesn’t erase impact, but it does diminish it.

Three Factors That Strongly Predict Burnout

The research identified three factors that were most strongly associated with end-of-summer exhaustion and burnout.

1. Lack of Sleep

Sleep emerged as one of the clearest predictors.

• 52% of staff reported averaging less than 7 hours of sleep per night during the summer

• Staff getting fewer than 7 hours of sleep were 2.5 times more likely to report burnout than those averaging more than 7 hours

This finding held true regardless of role or prior camp experience. Sleep wasn’t just a comfort issue. Sleep was a formation issue.

2. Incoming Mental Health Challenges

Staff entered the summer with a wide range of emotional and mental health realities. Based on four indicators measured at the start of the summer (overwhelming anxiety, feeling very down or hopeless, thoughts of self-harm, and dissatisfaction with life):

• 40% of staff had no mental health indicators

• 41% had one or two indicators

• 19% had three or four indicators

Staff with one or more indicators were twice as likely to report burnout at the end of the summer. Importantly, many of these staff also reported feeling supported at camp—suggesting that support helps, but cannot fully offset exhaustion without structural care.

3. Low Support & Agency

As we explored in last week’s blog post, support and agency were the strongest overall predictors of staff experience. When it came to burnout specifically:

• Staff in low support/agency environments were 2.5 times more likely to report burnout than those in high support/agency environments

• Low support was associated not only with burnout, but with declines in faith-related outcomes over the course of the summer

Burnout was far less common among staff who felt valued, supported by supervisors, and connected to the mission of their work.

What This Means for Camp Leaders

Burnout is a signal, not a failure. The data invites us to shift how we talk about burnout. It is not a sign that staff are weak, but rather a sign that systems, schedules, or support structures need attention. Camp will always be intense. But intensity without margin leads to depletion, and the data shows that depletion directly impacts formation, faith, and retention. Preventing burnout doesn’t require eliminating challenge, it requires designing for sustainability. Here are three places to start:

1. Treat sleep as mission-critical

When half of staff are sleep-deprived, the system (not the individual) needs adjustment. Small schedule changes, protected off-time, and clearer night-duty rotations can have outsized impact.

2. Normalize mental health care

Nearly 60% of staff entered the summer with at least one mental health indicator. Clear pathways for support, proactive check-ins, and permission to ask for help are essential, not optional.

3. Build support into daily rhythms

Burnout drops dramatically when staff feel supported by peers and supervisors. Support doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does have to be consistent.

Try This This Month

Review one week of your typical summer schedule and ask two questions:

• Where is rest protected?

• Where is it assumed?

Then ask returning staff what actually helped them recover during the week and what didn’t. Listen carefully. The data suggests their answers matter more than we realize.

Up Next in the Series

When S'more Mail returns in January, our Raising Leaders blog series will take a deeper look at staff training. We'll specifically highlight where staff felt most prepared and where the data revealed clear gaps, especially around faith leadership and conflict management.

Until then, thank you for the ways you continue to care for your teams with wisdom, humility, and courage.

Want to explore the full research behind these findings? You’re invited to dig into the complete 2025 UMCRM Summer Staff Impact Study Findings Report.