Our Accreditations
Christian Camps and Conference Association
Driven by the need to solve common problems and gather new ideas, several regional groups of Christian camp and Bible conference leaders in the United States and Canada began to meet informally in the late 1940s and early 1950s. These independent coalitions later combined their efforts under the name Christian Camp and Conference Association International, and eventually incorporated in 1963.
As the association's influence spread around the world, the name was changed to Christian Camping International (CCI). In 2005, the leadership of CCI/USA decided to eliminate the often misleading term "camping" from the organization's name, and return to the moniker Christian Camp and Conference Association (CCCA). Today, CCCA is the largest of 18 autonomous associations on six continents.
Most major denominations and church associations, as well as many nationally recognized youth and adult ministries, are represented in CCCA. About half of the some 1,000 member camps and centers are independent organizations.
There is an incredible, healthy diversity among the CCCA constituency. Though they share basic values, no two CCCA members are the same in terms of program or facility.
Every year, nearly eight million people are involved in the programs of CCCA member camps and conferences, and tens of thousands come to faith in Jesus Christ through that experience. What's more, 120,000-plus churches in America are served by CCCA member organizations, and more than 420,000 adults are now involved in full-time Christian work as the result of decisions made at CCCA member camps and centers.
(Figures taken from the 2005 CCCA Industry Survey.)
Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability
ECFA is an accreditation agency dedicated to helping Christian ministries earn the public's trust through adherence to seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship. Founded in 1979, it is comprised of over 1,200 evangelical Christian organizations, which qualify for tax-exempt, nonprofit status and receive tax-deductible contributions to support their work.
ECFA's Standards of Responsible Stewardship focus on board governance, financial transparency, integrity in fund-raising, and proper use of charity resources.
Compliance with the Standards is monitored in three ways. First, all ECFA members must annually submit membership review information including audited financial statements, IRS Form 990 (if applicable), salary information, fund-raising appeals, board composition, changes in organizing documents, and much more to verify compliance with the Standards. Second, ECFA conducts on-site field reviews at over 10% of its membership each year. These field reviews serve to verify the information submitted in the annual membership review, confirm compliance with the ECFA membership Standards, and give support to the member organizations. To date, approximately 750 organizations have received an on-site review. Third, ECFA responds to complaints against member organizations. All such complaints are investigated thoroughly in order to determine possible noncompliance with the Standards.
ECFA provides several services to the donor public as well. Disclosure requirements enable donors to request and receive audited financial statements for all ECFA members. ECFA's website contains a membership directory with selected financial information of all its members, guidelines for giving, the Donor's Bill of Rights, and general information helpful to the giving public. In addition, ECFA staff provides information to donors on a variety of issues.
Through its publications and services, ECFA informs its members of current administrative, financial, fund-raising, legislative, postal, and promotional matters of common concern.