How VBS is for everyone

I have a confession to make. I am a former vacation Bible school hater. That’s right; the pastor you know who loves using costumes and dramatics to present the gospel was opposed to the very ministry program that does exactly that. For me, though, the problem was that I felt most people who are interested in VBS are really only interested in free childcare for a week. I know, it’s a bit cynical of me, but VBS is an entire different beast when you’re on the other side of it. Planning, preparing, setting up, running, and taking down a VBS program is a Herculean task. It is not for the faint of heart. When you put in that much work into something, you naturally want to see some considerable fruit to come of it. For me, int he VBS programs I had participated in, I just wasn’t convinced. I was even guilty of saying, “VBS is really just a free week of weeknight childcare for parents.” I will say that my perspective has shifted. It turns out that VBS may be the single most powerful community building program you can have in your church.

It Shows Kids That They Matter to The Church

Let’s start with the obvious, there is a real benefit for kids. Families now more than ever are spoiled for choices for summer activities for their kids. There are sports leagues, camps, vacations, clubs, and on and on. These activities tend to disrupt families’ church attendance. Now, I’m not one who necessarily thinks people need to be in the church every time it’s open, in fact, families could probably stand to spend more time together over the summer. That said, it’s still important that children build strong relationships in the context of their church communities. Wherever your kids spend most of their time, that’s most likely where they’re going to build their lifelong relationships. If that’s on the ball field, then your kid’s teammates will be their closest friends. If it’s with their friends on Fortnight, then they will be some of the most influential people in their life. If it’s at karate class, then the instructors and classmates there will be very influential in their lives. I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with your child’s baseball coach being able to pour into their life. I’m sure they’re a great person, but they probably are not as concerned about your child’s spiritual development or equipped to help them grow as the leaders in your church. If we want our church leaders to be able to minister to our children, then spending only eight hours over an entire summer in our church community is certainly not going to help. VBS gives kids the opportunity over a packed Summer to spend a meaningful week building relationships with their peers and also adults who may one day be important mentors in their lives. There is no better ways to communicate to our children that they matter than putting together a VBS program for them. After attending an entire week in which the entire worship center is decorated to look like a spaceship, it’s undeniable that their church cares about them.

It Shows Adults that Kids Matter to The Church

There’s also a real benefit to adults, too. There aren’t many people who regularly attend church who would disagree that children’s ministry is essential. Many people are onboard with the idea that kids should matter to the church. The thing is that most children’s ministries are often hidden away. Their classrooms are not as visible, and therefore the teaching of the kid’s ministry is not usually known to most adults who don’t serve in kid’s ministry. They may not be able to appreciate the effort kids volunteers put forward every Sunday to teach their kids about Jesus, not because they don’t care, but because they never have an opportunity to see it. VBS changes all of that. It gives people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to serve on a Sunday an opportunity to see that kids church really isn’t just “child care,” and actually serious spiritual formation. After working together to teach 80 kids about Jesus for three hours five nights in a row, it really gives everyone a new-found appreciation for those among us called to teach them on a weekly basis every Sunday. Adults in our churches need to understand that kids are just as important a part of our church community as anyone else. Parent’s also need to see that their church cares about their kid just as much as they care about anyone else. It’s easy for churches to parents that they should be responsible for their kids’ spiritual growth, often making those parents feel guilty or fearful that they won’t measure up. Instead, VBS tells parents that they are not alone. They have a community around them that is here to help them navigate the complexities of raising disciples in an increasingly hostile culture. Moreover, so what if it’s free childcare for the night? Just like I admitted earlier, I used to have this same attitude. Parenting is a high pressure and very demanding task to do well. If the local church can give parents a small break from that to focus on themselves, then great! Giving the parents in our churches more time to spend together is never a bad thing.

It is Intentionally Multi-generational

Nothing gets the entire church on the same page as VBS. The scope of work is simply staggering. There are decorations that need designing, scripts need writing, games need to be organized, snacks need passing out, and on and on it goes. VBS simply doesn’t happen without dozens and dozens of volunteers. In fact, I’m fairly certain that for us, VBS actually requires more volunteers than any other event we put on at our church. While it’s easy to see this as a downside, I believe it’s actually one of the strongest arguments for VBS. This year, as I watched the many volunteers serve the kids, I took note of the range and variety of those serving. There were high schoolers working with people old enough to be their grandparents. Young married couples were serving alongside couples who had been married as long as they’ve been alive. New parents were teaching bible stories alongside empty nesters. As someone who has been beating the “multi-generational discipleship” drum, I experienced a sort of epiphany at that moment. This is what I had always been urging people to find. I’ve said before from the pulpit that one of the greatest tragedies of the church today is that some of the greatest wisdom of our faith is dying out because we’re failing to pass it on in time. People of all ages tend to naturally be attracted to others around their age. This isn’t inherently a bad thing, but it definitely presents some problems for the Kingdom. The older and wiser among us need opportunities to pass along the many lessons they have learned. The young and more passionate among us require opportunities to spread hope and vision to those who are older. I have often advocated for small groups to be multi-generational for this very reason. Turns out that VBS is the very vision of what I have been saying. It’s a beautiful opportunity for people from all walks of life to come together in the life of the church and share life together.

VBS Blesses the Entire Church

It’s safe to say that in light of everything I mentioned above, I have come around on VBS. I used to see it as a tremendous investment of time, effort, and money only for too little payoff. After all, kids can just come on Sunday to hear the gospel, right? I admit that my views on VBS were a bit short-sighted. It’s not simply about teaching kids the gospel, although that’s always a good thing, but it does so much more than that. It shows kids that they matter and are part of the church community. Not only that, but it tells parents that their church has their back and is committed to helping them raise disciples. It’s also one of the few ministries that is intentionally multi-generational. The benefits of VBS go so much deeper than showing the gospel to school children. It’s the church living out the gospel. That’s why I am so thankful for VBS, and that is something I never thought I would say.