Our Mission

Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the exposition of Scripture and personal relationships in order to equip the Church to impact this generation.

Snowbird aims to make known the authority and supremacy of Jesus Christ in all things, to all peoples, at all times. We strive to:

  1. Profess Christ as the One who conquered death, hell and the grave for the salvation of man to the glory of the Father.
  2. Reveal man’s need for redemption by the blood of Jesus Christ.
  3. Point students to the hope and sufficiency of the Gospel found in Jesus alone, for the salvation of the lost and sanctification of the believer.
  4. Preach the Word through spoken means, daily in Gospel-focused worship services and relevant breakout sessions.
  5. Offer creative means by which the Word is reinforced, using drama, media, and interactive prayer stations.

We believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, written by men and divinely inspired by God. It is the utmost authority by which we:

  1. Teach and preach, making the main point of the text the main point of the message.
  2. Teach staff and students to study through Scripture in its own context and to its original audience.
  3. Use Scripture as a foundation for our everyday lives, knowing it is applicable to all peoples for all times.
  4. Offer daily worship services centered on the Word of God.
  5. Equip students to pursue Jesus fervently and faithfully.
  6. Affirm biblical theology and its application, trusting the Holy Spirit to deepen godly affection by proclamation of truth.

We strive to engage students through biblical, relational ministry. We do so through:

  1. The shared experiences afforded by top-tier, high-adventure recreation.
  2. Maintaining low ratios of staff to students.
  3. Intentionally assigning staff to work with individual church groups.
  4. Daily discipleship group meetings.
  5. A staff modeling biblical community.

We are passionate about coming alongside student pastors and churches for the spread of the Gospel. We believe this happens by:

  1. Serving alongside the local church to provide tools and resources to aid in student ministry.
  2. Offering year-round retreats and conferences, tailored to impact students, men and women, marriages, families and ministry leaders.
  3. Providing teaching sessions, podcasts, session curricula, worship music, videos and one-on-one conversations that all point back to the Gospel.
  4. Partnering with local churches for long-term ministry effectiveness and discipleship.

We believe the Great Commission is non-negotiable and that to fulfill this biblical mandate, we must continually train up and empower this generation. It is essential that we:

  1. Equip students by equipping parents and leaders in the local church.
  2. Teach students the importance of the daily study of the Word of God and how to do so.
  3. Challenge students to be on mission at home and abroad.
  4. Intentionally cultivate a Christian worldview that is unwavering in an increasingly hostile environment.
  5. Realize the command to “go and make disciples” encompasses the local church, our communities and the ends of the earth.
  6. Train students to become godly men, women, husbands, wives, parents, and leaders.
  7. Love people well and desire to see the Church planted among all peoples.

“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” Colossians 1:28-29


Our Core Values

Gospel-driven — It is our desire that the Gospel will drive every aspect of the ministry at Snowbird (SWO). We measure everything we do on whether or not it is serving the mission that Jesus gave us before He ascended into heaven. Every role in this ministry is working toward the advancement and application of the Gospel locally and globally.

Servant heart — Jesus told His disciples to emulate the way in which He served them. This is a command that deserves to be taken seriously. At SWO, we will strive to serve others as brothers and sisters and make it our goal to prefer others and treat them as more important than ourselves.

Relational — God created human beings in His image and for relationship with each other. Unfortunately, because of sin our relationships have been broken. But the good news of the Gospel is that God has reconciled us not only to Himself, but has also opened the door for reconciliation with each other. Not only this but he has provided the perfect context for this in the body of Christ. We commit to treat others in light of the inherent value that God has given to each of us as eternal souls, created in His image and to strive toward reconciliation with God and man.

Hard-working — The Christian ethic requires us to live all of our lives for the glory of God. This includes the way in which we work. Christians need to be setting the standard for what it means to work hard. We need to see our jobs and vocations as offerings that we are giving to God in worship and do whatever our hands find to do wholeheartedly to the Lord.

Positive — Our outward attitude is an open display of our inner disposition. Not only does Scripture command us to work hard, but we are commanded to do so without complaining or grumbling. At SWO we are committed to being positive and striving to have a Christ-like attitude in all we say and do.


No Sanity Required

Where did our mantra begin? And, what does it mean? Listen to the podcast episode below to learn more about the vision of Snowbird’s leadership. Also, subscribe to the No Sanity Required podcast in Apple Podcasts or Spotify to learn more about what makes us tick.


Students in service at snowbird fall retreat

History of Snowbird

Brody Holloway first shared the vision of Snowbird with his father-in-law Steve Coleman in 1995, while working in camp ministry in central Virginia. The Colemans and Holloways committed to developing a high-adventure student camp focused on making disciples. Biblical discipleship happens through personal relationships, under the authority of Scripture, so that would be their mission. Preparations began on family land near the base of the Snowbird Mountains in Andrews, N.C., and Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters was created.

Over the years, Snowbird has grown from a 50-person to a 654-person housing capacity. Its year-round discipleship weekends and 10 weeks of summer camp serve 13,000 people annually. Snowbird now operates with a 50-member year-round staff, including our Snowbird Institute team. The Institute is a year-round program created to equip college-aged students to grow in their faith and make disciples. During the summer, Snowbird hires an additional 120 college-aged adults to serve as small group leaders and recreational staff. We also train and disciple over 30 high schoolers under the LMNT Servant Team program every summer.

1998 – First Year of Students

During its first year of operation in 1998, Snowbird offered a 50-person capacity in its three housing facilities and had nearly 200 junior high and high school students visit its campus.

The following year, Snowbird offered its first seven weeks of summer camp and six retreat weekends with a staff of six. Camp attendance advanced to more than 600 students that year. The next several years brought about many additional facility and recreational changes. Our founding staff team built Snowbird’s first kitchen, bathhouses, additional housing, the 3-Man Swing, and a variety of other recreation options.

As Snowbird developed, the organization’s leaders established specific ministry programs to meet the ever-growing needs of churches.

2020 – Snowbird North Campus

In 2020, Snowbird purchased more property three miles from the main campus. This North Campus property provides an expanded worship facility, recreation, and housing. The Lord continues to grow the ministry of Snowbird and by His grace we will continue to make disciples through preaching the Bible expositionally and building personal relationships.

2021 – Main Campus Expanded

God provided even greater property growth in 2021, by enabling us to purchase a 37-acre section of land next to our original Main Campus. Our board of directors is praying and planning how to best develop this property. This flat pasture area will provide plenty of room for future growth. Join us in prayer for how this property can be best used to partner with more churches—to make disciples that impact this generation.

2022 – New Goliath Swing

The Goliath Swing, SWO’s long-time favorite one-person swing, got upgraded and moved to a more central location in 2022. Our recreation crew attached it to the Aerial Park and situated near the 3-Man Swing to provide a central location for our high-ropes recreation.

2023 – New Slide

Our new year-round tube slide was opened right before 2023 Summer Camp and proved to be a hit with campers. Thanks to faithful donors and the hard work of the SWO team, our on-campus recreation got a big upgrade!


Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the exposition of Scripture and personal relationships in order to equip the Church to impact this generation.