How to Follow up After VBS

We’ll assume that VBS was amazing, that you’ve issued an invitation for families to join you next Sunday at church, and that you’ve given them save-the-date postcards for next year’s Spy U VBS. But before that can happen (and definitely before a family becomes a regular attendee), you need something for families to come back to.

Invite Families to an Event

Events are tools you can use to invite families.

I know, I know. VBS is a massive event on your church calendar, and here I am suggesting you plan another event. Events are tools you can use to invite families. To invite families to join you at your next event, however, you need the event planned so you can pass out invitations at VBS.

Here are a few ideas you could use as a follow-up:

• Back-to-school bash
• Family game night
• End-of-summer water party
• Lego and lunch event
• Paint and praise party

Fall festivals, Easter egg hunts, and Christmas events can be good outreach opportunities, but I encourage you to put a family event on the calendar before then. Schedule an event within a month of your VBS to capitalize on the momentum you built from their positive experience at VBS.

What Does Your Weekly Programming Look Like?

You may or may not be the person in charge of weekly programming, but think about it. If you are inviting VBS kids to join you for church, what are you inviting them to? Is there a deep and meaty program that will disciple children? Does a normal Sunday attract families?

Before you can invite families back, you need to ensure that the Sunday morning programming is something families would want to come back for.

Follow-Up Starts Before VBS Does

Before VBS ever starts, you need to start your follow-up process. How can you keep parents informed of the amazing happenings or events at your church if you failed to capture (and keep) contact information?

Make sure you capture and organize parents’ contact information so you can issue invitations and send communications, both by snail mail and email. You might also consider ways to encourage VBS families to join your church’s social media page if you have one. And if it’s not currently active, who can you talk to about making it more robust and regular?

Discipleship Shouldn’t Happen Once a Year

Enter VBS not with a “this week only” mentality, but with a “first week” mentality.

Lots of your time and energy go into making VBS the most amazing week of the year. If we look at discipleship hours, it’s the equivalent of four or five months of Sundays. But there are 51 other weeks of the year outside of VBS week when your church could be discipling these kids. Enter VBS not with a “this week only” mentality, but with a “first week” mentality.

If VBS week is the first week of discipleship, what’s next?