The Power of VBS

As the summer begins, it is the season of VBS for many churches. This has been a program that many churches have used over the years to reach out to and minister to children. Memories of songs, Bible stories, games, and (of course) snacks – especially the red Kool-aid and animal crackers flood people’s minds when they hear those three letters.

I have thought that VBS is a good thing in and for the local church for a long time. I will have to be honest that at times it has been a little redundant. It seems like for the most part it is the same thing over and over again… the same Bible stories… the same crafts… the same snacks…

One thing that has made me scratch my head at times with VBS is how different churches in the same community would use the exact same format and materials, but just at different times throughout the summer. I always wondered why these churches couldn’t team together and do it at one time, but I’ll leave that for another post sometime.

This week is VBS week at the local church where I have the privilege of serving as Lead Pastor. I was eager to see how this congregation did things with this event. Would it be the same as so many that I’ve seen before? Would it be completely different? Would it be something that was enjoyed or dreaded?

The joy of the children

The first thing that I noticed was that the children were really excited about VBS. We had 90 children show up the first night, and each one of them seemed to be ready to go on the adventure that is VBS. It was apparent to me that there is an expectation that has been set that this is one event that the children want to be part of in this area. I believe that speaks to the hard work that the church has put into it. You could see smiles and hear laughter all over our facilities as the children went through the various stations.

The clarity of the gospel

I do not know of another “event” in the life of the church where the gospel of Jesus Christ is put on display at the level of a child than VBS. Every little detail is about pointing children to Jesus and the wonderful gift that He has for them. Our church’s mission statement is “Pointing People to Jesus”, and that is the sole purpose of VBS at our church – pointing children to Jesus.

The church stepping up

This is the first year in a LONG time where I did not have a specific role to play in VBS. I am able to visit around with each of the groups in various stations as they do their thing. The reason for this is that men and women (older and younger) have stepped up and taken the reins to lead this ministry. All of the pastoral staff at our church have been freed up to be available for whatever is needed.

When I think about the role that is given to the pastors of a local church, it can be hard at times. Ephesians 4:11-13 tells us that the job of the pastors of a church is to “equip the saints for the work of ministry” not do it all for them. Each Christian has a part to play in the ministry of a local church. It is easy to fall into the trap and follow the world’s idea of “let the professionals handle it.”

VBS is an opportunity to see Ephesians 4:11-13 put into play. At our local church, the leaders are members of our congregation stepping up and using their gifts, talents, and abilities to make sure that the work of the ministry that we have been entrusted with gets done. It is a beautiful sight. If you are looking for a starting point on getting the congregation of your church busy doing the work of ministry, VBS could be one of the best ways of seeing that come about.

VBS can (and should be) a vital ministry of the local church. It can easily become just “another thing that we do” if we let it. I would encourage you to take a fresh, new look at VBS and the opportunity that God has given you to point children and families towards Jesus.

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How important is VBS?

This week has been a wild one at our church. It has been VBS week. We have partnered with two other churches in our area to reach out and provide this great ministry to children in our community. We have seen some really good things happening. I thought that I would pose the question and give my answers to it.  The questions: “How important is VBS?”

For those that may not be familiar with the terminology, VBS stands for Vacation Bible School. This is typically a week-long event that includes singing, Bible studies, games, crafts, and more. I know that some churches have gotten away from the name “VBS.” That is okay. I don’t see the name “VBS” anywhere in the Bible, so you can call it whatever you like. I have been a part of churches that called it various things but the overall goal was the same.

I raise the question of how important is this type of ministry is from the direction of evaluation. I believe that it is important to constantly check and see if what we are doing is the most effective way to accomplish the goal. I know that there are those who think that because something was done 50 years ago then it needs to be chunked. I do not believe that to be true. It may need to be tweaked and updated some, but just because it was used by our grandparents does not mean that it should be thrown by the wayside.

Here are some valuable things that I have seen from VBS this year:

• Teamwork. There is no way that VBS could happen with just one or two people involved. It takes the work of many people to come together to make this happen. In our situation, we live in a rural area of north Mississippi. We had three churches in our area come together and pool our resources to make this happen. It was a beautiful picture of cooperation in a time when (sadly) we see many congregations “competing with one another.”
• Freshness. This might be my favorite point in this list. VBS is a chance to make the timeless message come to life in a brand new way. Our VBS has been telling the story of Joseph from Genesis. We have seen the children respond to seeing pyramids, palace guards, and the Nile River in a great way. It is not just reading it to them while they sit in seats. The message of the gospel must never change but the methods of sharing it have to as Ed Stetzer shares in an article. 
• Recruiting. In church work, we are always looking to recruit new people to join the team. Most churches run on the work of volunteers. It is important for believers to find their gifting and jump in where God is leading them. When churches have people that refuse to be their part of the team, the mission suffers greatly. VBS has proven to be a great way to let people get their feet wet with serving. It gives a leader the opportunity to see where some people can serve even when you never thought they would do it.
• Reality-Check. I have found that VBS can be a great reality check for churches. With so many things pulling our attention in various directions, it is easy to let some things slip from where they should be. It may not be intentional, but it happens. VBS can remind a church that the younger generations are important. If we do not pour into them when they are younger, then the possibility and opportunities to do it decrease with every passing year.

With all of that said, I believe that is clear of what my views are on VBS. I’m so thankful to the countless people who made VBS possible at our church for the first time in over a decade. May it bring a new day and new focus.

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The SBC and a Giant Cow

Our family returned the other day from the Southern Baptist Convention in St. Louis, MO. This was the first year that we took the whole family. We decided that it would be good for our boys to come along and experience the big annual meeting Of our denomination.

We noticed that there would be a camp-like event taking place during the time of the Pastor’s Conference and the Convention itself. We figured we would give it a try.

This event was hosted by Giant Cow Ministries.

I just wanted to say that our boys (ages 4, 6, and 8) had an amazing time at this event. They have not stopped talking about the games, music, and missionaries that they heard from.

I am so grateful to the people at Giant Cow Ministries and the SBC for having this wonderful and inspiring event for our children. I highly recommend these folks at Giant Cow Ministries.

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