Top 10 Tips for Planning VBS!

While VBS is “only” a weeklong event, the impact of this program reaches far and wide. The coolest part? This reach may ultimately have eternal impact! Here are some quick tips to help you prepare for VBS season.

1. Pray

Make it a priority to establish a prayer base for your VBS. Enlist a team of people who otherwise may not be involved.

2. Plan

Gather a team of people who are willing to walk this journey with you and create a timeline of tasks. Everything from evaluating and ordering materials, recruiting and training, promoting, buying supplies, registration, decorating, etc. should be on this timeline.

3. Explore

After you’ve established your VBS goals, you can begin the process of reviewing program options. Themes are always fun to explore, but as you evaluate, you will want to consider theology and quality as main priorities.

4. Decide

It’s time to choose! This decision isn’t just about what program you buy, but what resources you want to purchase and use as well.

5. Develop Develop what the days will look like and make specific plans for how they flow. Take the time to walk through the week and note important things to remember, especially instructions for your team.

6. Recruit

There are numerous volunteers you will need: decorators, music leaders, sound staff, kitchen staff, group leaders, teachers, security, buddy system teammates, custodial workers, and more. Look to include the youth group for this event. Their high energy will be great for your program.

7. Empower: Training, Vision-casting

One of the most important parts of leading your VBS will be empowering your team to do what they came to do: Serve kids! Enable your volunteers to take ownership of the areas you’ve given them.

Train your team on what’s expected:

-Let them know the role they will play.

-Give them guidelines.

When vision-casting for your team, remember to:

-Align your vision with your church’s.

-Reevaluate along the way.

8. Promote

Get people excited! One fun and easy way to get the word out is to post on social media and encourage your volunteers and church families to share. Also, put a sign in front of your church that announces your summer program to the community.

9 Prepare

As you prepare for VBS, you need to get ready for the unknown that can happen. Some simple things to be prepared with:

-Intake forms.

-Security

-First Aid.

-Special-Needs Friendly Spaces.

10. Pray More

It is so important that with everything we make sure we are serving God in His will!

It’s time. You have prepared, trained, and prayed. You are ready to love on and introduce kids to Jesus, and He is definitely ready to accept them. “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these’” (Matthew 19:14).

Read the full article at MinistrySpark com/vbs-planning

by Michele Baird and Courtney Weaver