The Wilds Christian Association

The Wilds Christian Association, Inc.

Company type	Private
Industry	Camping Retreats
Founded	1969
Founder	Ken Hay
Headquarters	Brevard, North Carolina
Key people	Ken Hay Ken Collier Matt Collier Rand Hummel John Bott Steve Stodola Chris Anastos Willie Partin Joe Kopp Noah Smith Matt Taylor
Website	wilds.org

The Wilds Christian Association, Inc. is a Protestant Christian organization, based in Brevard, North Carolina, United States. The organization was founded by a group of Christians at Bob Jones University who recognized the need for a Christian camp in the Southeastern United States. In 1967, the group purchased a 1,000 acres (4.0 km²) property near Brevard, North Carolina and established The Wilds Christian Camp and Conference Center (commonly referred to as "The Wilds") about two years later. Today, The Wilds is one of the largest Christian camps in the United States. About 21,000 people attend annual retreats, while summer camp averages 1,100 to 1,200 campers per week.

The Wilds of the Rockies opened in 1987 near Kremmling, Colorado, though the property was sold in 2004 and converted to a residential development. A third camp, The Wilds of New England, was established in Deering, New Hampshire in 2009. Additionally, CampsAbroad was founded in 2001, which is an international program assisting Christian camping ministries in 40 countries. The Wilds Christian Association is supported by more than 300 churches, and more than 250,000 campers have attended its summer camp programs. The Wilds has a year-round staff of forty and a summer staff of about 270.^[1]