Vacation Bible School is likely one of the biggest events in the life of your church each year.
With hundreds of kids walking through the doors of your church, some of them for the first time, you have a rare opportunity to build connections with them that could be life-changing.
You have the chance to teach children about Jesus in a fun and exciting way! And engaging with them and their families isn’t something that is limited to just the few days they spend on your campus.
With 6 in 10 adults saying they attended VBS as kids, you have a unique opportunity to connect with parents who know exactly what an exciting week VBS can be. However, of those adults who didn’t attend VBS growing up, 31% say that they didn’t go because their families didn’t attend church.
Vacation Bible School is the perfect opportunity to engage with parents and give them a reason to bring their kids back every week so the next generation doesn’t grow into adults who missed out on getting to know Jesus.
Before VBS:
VBS may only last one week during the summer, but there are numerous opportunities to maximize your impact before the week starts.
One of the biggest pain points for parents in recent years is a lack of clear communication. They’re constantly inundated with information, but assuming that everyone knows the basics and accidentally neglecting to share what they actually need to know puts unnecessary roadblocks in the way.
These young parents want their kids to participate. But if they have to drag information out of you or spend excessive amounts of time just figuring out how to register their kids, they’ll likely just move on to the next thing.
Make sure in all of your communications, you clearly include the following (even if it seems like it should be obvious):
- The dates AND times for your VBS
- How old attendees need to be to participate (do you offer options for preschoolers, middle/high schoolers, and adults?)
- How to register (online, in person, walk-up, etc.)
- Where to go to check in (especially if you have multiple buildings)
Don’t limit yourself to inviting only those who are already involved in your church. VBS is typically one of the most successful outreach events in the life of a church. So take advantage of the registrations from previous years, the attendee lists from other events, and the connections you have in your community to bring people in who might normally decline an invitation. Reach out to them early and often, encouraging them to participate this summer.
Evaluate your communication plan before your event kicks off to ensure that you’re using every possible outlet.
You can:
- Mail personalized postcard invitations
- Email save the dates
- Text registration links
- Link to the signup page on your website
- Share previews on your social media pages
- Encourage your members to invite friends and family
- Put up flyers (with registration information) in public places around town
- Send a group door-to-door in the neighborhoods near your campus
Making it easy for parents and guardians to find information shows them that you value their time and care about their needs. If they feel like you’ve taken the time to eliminate obstacles and make their participation easier, they’ll be more willing to connect with your church.
Don’t discount the impact good communication can have on engagement and connection in the long run!
During VBS
While the week of VBS is absolutely incredible in so many ways, it can easily be overwhelming and exhausting. Don’t let the excitement and rush of the week distract you from connecting with the people walking through your doors each day.
In most cases, VBS is all about the kids. Even if your church offers options for older students or adults to participate as attendees, it’s still a week primarily about engaging with kids and teaching them about Jesus.
But it’s easy to forget that kids’ ministry is parent ministry. If you don’t prioritize the relationships with the parents in your ministry, you’re missing an enormous part of what it takes to successfully reach kids for the Gospel. The spiritual growth of a kid who’s on fire for Jesus is drastically impacted if their parents don’t want to bring them to church.
So when you have parents dropping off and picking up their kids for Vacation Bible School, don’t waste a second of the limited window you have to connect with them.
One of the best ways to maximize the time you have with the parents at VBS is to create a team of people focused on parent engagement.
You’ll likely only have a few minutes in person to connect each day. Putting people in place to chat with them for a few minutes or welcoming them specifically can make a difference in whether they return as a family after the week ends.
With an event geared toward children, don’t forget to acknowledge and greet the parents with excitement each day. And that goes for everyone, not just the parent engagement volunteers!
Making the parents and guardians feel seen, even for a few seconds while dropping off their kids, can be the catalyst you need to build relationships with the entire family. Simple conversations can lead to Gospel conversations, so don’t disregard the significance of letting the parents know you’re just as excited to have them there as you are to see their kids.
You can find other ways to encourage engagement throughout the week to build on the few minutes you’re able to spend each day actively developing connections with parents.
Sending home a newsletter at the end of every day is a great way to capitalize on the momentum of VBS and give something else to look forward to. Include an update on what their kids learned, what’s coming up for the next day, and information about events coming up after the week is over.
If you don’t have the time or budget to send home a physical newsletter, the same information works just as well in an email or text! The goal is to encourage families to continue investing their time in your church, so the method of communication here isn’t what’s important.
After VBS
There’s a common and very accurate phrase that says, “There’s no tired like VBS tired.”
You’ve likely spent months planning for this event and then another week riding the emotional rollercoaster that comes with it. But you can’t fall into the very tempting trap of letting follow-up wait.
Evangelism might not happen in a day, but it sure gets a lot harder if you let the excitement and energy surrounding VBS wear off before you reconnect with attendees.
You’re competing against dozens of things for the attention of the parents and kids you’re trying to connect with, so make sure you have a plan for follow-up in place before the week starts. If you don’t have a plan that can get moving as soon as the week is over, it’s that much easier to let follow-up fall through the cracks simply because you’re too tired to make it happen later.
Now, make sure you hear this: the follow-up plan does not have to include you! You should absolutely be involved in developing the plan and know who’s in charge of execution, but you do not personally have to manage or participate in the follow-up.
Rest is a vital part of discipleship, and after the chaos of VBS, you should allow your body, mind, and soul to take some time off. This is where a dedicated follow-up team comes in.
These people will be responsible for the steps laid out in your follow-up plan. You likely have people in your church who can’t or don’t want to volunteer during VBS but would love to help you connect with families afterward. These are the perfect people to head up your follow-up efforts.
Your plan should include:
- Thanking the kids for participating in a great week (and thanking the parents for bringing their children each day!)
- A recap of VBS (what they learned, the offering totals, etc.)
- An invitation to the next thing (a regular Sunday service, another event later in the summer, back-to-school kickoff, etc.)
You should already have specific ways planned for your follow-up team to connect with families. That includes purchasing any supplies and having them ready to go as soon as VBS is over.
- Are they going to mail cards to every kid?
- Are they going to send an email to the parents?
- Are they going to call or text?
- Are they going to stop by to personally check in?
Make each of these efforts as personalized as possible. There’s no quicker way to guarantee someone won’t read your message than making it look like a mass-marketing push that doesn’t really care about them.
Follow-up after VBS shouldn’t be a one-and-done kind of thing. Continue to have your follow-up team check in with your attendees in the weeks and months after the event. Building relationships often requires a series of small touches, but each of those moments can lead to the opportunity to share the Gospel with someone.
So, while VBS may be all about the kids, there are dozens of opportunities to establish life-changing relationships with the parents and guardians who trust you with their children. Make sure you’re using every second to point them to Jesus!
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