With summer on the horizon, now is a great time to start planning for your church’s 2021 Vacation Bible School. It’s one of the most exciting times of the year for both kids and kids at heart. The children love spending time with friends and making new ones while playing, crafting, and learning about Jesus.
Organizing such an event can seem a little daunting, though. With so much to figure out and people and programs to align, we wanted to share four ways to help your church have a great VBS in 2021.
Plan
Planning is obviously the first step in creating a great VBS program. You can’t just wing it when it comes to kids—they’ll figure you out! Create a VBS leadership/planning team and brainstorm the goals your church has in hosting a VBS. Come up with a fun theme, like one centered around a specific Bible story or situations that kids deal with every day. Figure out the days, times, and location of VBS so this can be communicated effectively to the volunteers and congregation. Don’t forget to have a plan in place for your volunteers. (We’ll talk about recruiting those volunteers next.) Assign roles and tasks for leaders so they know exactly what they will be doing during the week.
Recruit
You can’t have a well-run VBS without great volunteers. And you won’t have great volunteers if you’re not recruiting. Be sure to start early and get the word out to gather VBS leaders. Use announcement slides, bulletin inserts, and email newsletters to spark interest. Communicate to those already serving in kids’ ministry, youth, and young adults. Ask parents to get involved and use this momentum as an opportunity to encourage those who haven’t found a place to serve yet to step forward while having fun and helping kids get to know Jesus.
Promote
Having a promotion plan in place for your Vacation Bible School is important because, well, you obviously want kids to attend. One of our partners, ShareFaith, has extensive resources to help you promote your VBS. Use beautifully designed posters, registration forms, and social media graphics. Share fun videos on Sundays or on social media to encourage parents to sign up their children. Make announcements to the kids in children’s ministry and during Sunday services to the adults. The more they hear about it, the more likely they will be to sign up.
Deliver
Now that you’ve done all the planning, recruiting, and promoting, it’s time to deliver! Enjoy the week with the kids and volunteers. Use videos, activities, crafts, games, and snacks to not only fill time but spread the good news of Jesus. Kids are full of energy, so varying the things you do each day and throughout the week is important. But remember to have a schedule to keep everybody on track and help the kids to know what to expect.
Hosting a Vacation Bible School can be a lot of work, but it’s worth it. The children will be blessed and so will your staff and volunteers. If you want more ideas and resources to have the best VBS yet, visit our partners at ShareFaith to get equipped with all that you need to have a great VBS in 2021.
