Our Story

Bates Creek Baptist Camp was established in 1939 on land donated specifically to use as a church camp. The camp is jointly owned by Mineral Area Baptist Association and St. Louis Metro Baptist Association. When donated, there was just a farmhouse on the property. Campers slept on the porch of the house and had to bring their own utensils for meals.

Over the years, churches have built cabins on the property for campers to stay in, and other buildings have gone up to help facilitate camps and events. Some cabins are still owned and maintained by churches, but many of the cabins now belong to the camp.

The camp is governed by a board made up of equal numbers of members from each of the associations who own it. Each association runs their own children’s and youth camps every summer. The camp board rents out the camp during the times the associational camps are not in session. The board hires camp caretakers who live on the property to maintain the facilities and help with any issues that arise.