Super Summer’s eternal impact lasts beyond weeklong camp

By Megan Young 
Associate Editor 

CLINTON — Walk onto the campus of Mississippi College during the first week of July any given year, and you’ll notice a kaleidoscope of color. It’s a familiar scene that has taken place for decades, as hundreds of high school students from around the state gather for Super Summer. 

Begun in 1987, Super Summer is a weeklong conference designed to provide spiritual growth and help develop student leadership within Mississippi churches. This is accomplished through a curriculum focused on leadership, evangelism, apologetics and discipleship. 

Students are placed in color-coded schools — based on the number of years they have attended and their age — which are led by Servant Staff made up of church student ministers and leaders. Within each school, community and discipleship are fostered through smaller family groups, led by a college student or young adult team leader (TL). 

Super Summer’s teaching and structure have remained consistent through the years. That’s something Zach DePriest, student ministries consultant at the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board, has worked to preserve. 

DePriest, a longtime participant, began attending Super Summer as a student. He later served as a team leader, joined the Servant Staff, and for the past two years has worked on the planning team. Now in his first year with the convention board, DePriest is leading Super Summer. 

“Super Summer at its core is designed to help students be leaders in the church as a whole, leaders in their classrooms at school,” DePriest said. “We talk about things with leadership, but also evangelism and apologetics and discipleship — to help students see how all aspects of those four things have a role in their life wherever they are. That is the core of what Super Summer has been from the time it started several years ago; that’s really what we’re trying to see happen in students today.” 

That solid foundation is what keeps students and leaders coming back each year. In 2025, 965 students participated in the July 8–12 camp, along with 146 team leaders, 127 Servant Staff members, and 115 adult chaperones. 

“From a student pastor perspective, it’s cool to see the community of college students and youth pastors and others come together to all work together to do this for God’s glory, to help disciple students,” said Austin Mathis, associate pastor of high school ministries at Brandon Church and a third-year Servant Staff member. 

Super Summer is not intended to be a standalone experience. Each year’s curriculum builds on the previous year’s, creating a long-term discipleship journey that equips students for life and ministry well beyond the camp. 

“Super Summer is part of a yearlong process of growth and discipleship — it’s not just signing up for a one-week experience,” DePriest said. “We get to come alongside student ministers and students and help them hopefully grow in their discipleship year after year.” 

Students know they will be challenged. They’re expected to arrive with a desire to grow spiritually and actively share their faith with others. 

“I’ve seen where it’s challenged them in their own faith, as far as leadership, to step up to things that before Super Summer they wouldn’t have considered before,” DePriest said. “And then because of how the Lord spoke to them through Super Summer and through the sessions and through follow-ups after Super Summer, it’s been incredible to see the steps that many of these students have taken to pursue things that the Lord has called them to do. As you go into the fall semester, you’re seeing fruit from Super Summer.” 

At the heart of the experience is the sense of community fostered throughout the week. Like-minded students from across Mississippi have the opportunity not only to learn together but also to worship and have fun. 

“I think what’s so unique and amazing about this camp is that it is a group of just Christian leaders and you get to spend so much time in the Word in your school sessions and in the main message,” said Anna Adkins, a third-year student from First Church, Jackson. “You get to spend time in small groups with other Christian leaders around your age who are walking through the same things. You also have amazing TLs who have done it before and can counsel you and it’s just really cool.” 

“One of the most unique and most beautiful things about Super Summer is the aspect of community,” Mathis agreed. “You see it during free time, just students from all different churches coming together around a table and playing cards or worshiping together even outside of the main services. 

“We do our own schools throughout the day and then we come at the very end of the night to celebrate together and to worship together. Collectively as the church being under one roof together, lifting up the name of Jesus. It’s just such a beautiful sound. And to me it’s like a glimpse of heaven, what heaven will sound like.” 

Just like in decades past, when the first week of July rolls around next year, hundreds of Mississippi students and student ministry leaders will once again pour onto the campus of Mississippi College to continue the Super Summer tradition of shaping the next generation of Christian leaders. 

“My favorite thing has been seeing the Lord’s faithfulness through years of Super Summer and how he’s continued to use Super Summer to impact students’ lives and how they leave changed,” DePriest said.