VBS—5 Tips for Getting the Whole Church Involved

Vacation Bible School is an exciting time for the children attending, the parents, and the volunteers—but how do you get the whole church excited and involved? Well, here are five tips for creating excitement and getting the whole church involved with VBS outreach.

• Let them know about it! This may seem obvious but make sure your church—not just the parents—knows this is happening. Decorate part of the church according to the theme, play promotional videos, host a “commits you to nothing” information evening, have volunteers from previous years share testimonies and their vision during announcements—get the word out!
• Be creative with volunteer opportunities. If you want to get the whole church involved, make sure they know they don’t have to commit to coming five days—many people can’t do that because of work or other commitments. But they can show up one Saturday and help make decorations, they can donate snack materials, craft supplies, or decoration items, or they can make décor items or get crafts ready at home and drop them off. And, of course, they can volunteer all five days during VBS week too!
• Recruit a prayer team. It’s vital you have people praying for volunteers, the kids, their families, the gospel presentations and teaching, and more. Set up a prayer team so people are praying before, during, and after VBS.
• Preach a topical sermon. If you’re a pastor, consider preaching sermons that tie in with the VBS theme so everyone is learning together and getting excited about what the kids will be learning. This year, with Mystery Island, our 2021 Answers VBS, kids will be discovering the attributes of God, and your congregation can join in with topical sermons (here are two sample sermon outlines: one for before VBS week and one for after).
• Recruit a follow-up team. Ask people to form a team to help follow up with families and children after VBS to build relationships and invite them to church. We even have resources, such as thank you cards, to help you easily do that.

VBS should be an exciting time for your church as you reach out to the children in the community and within your congregation with the hope of the gospel. Find resources to help excite your church at AnswersVBS.com.