Evangelistic VBS in a smaller membership church

I just posted a new article in the Pastor's area of LifeWay.com on Tuesday. It was written by our new director of Pastoral Ministries and Church Consulting at LifeWay, Dan Garland. I wanted to make sure you saw it.

Dan Garland believes that Vacation Bible School (VBS) is one of the most effective ways* to fulfill Jesus’ call to, “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). Dan says that the most important part of VBS is not cookies and crafts, but rather the built-in evangelistic opportunities to do the following:
  • Build relationships with children who need Christ.
  • Present the gospel in terms and ways children will understand.
  • Provide a fun time where children will feel good about God and the church.
As many as one fourth of all baptisms in Southern Baptist churches can be tied directly to VBS conversion experiences. In a 2003 study by the Barna Group, data from churches showed the probability of someone accepting Christ after age 12 dramatically drops. (George Barna, Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions, 34)

We must reach children with the Good News and VBS is one effective way.

Here are 5 keys to an evangelistic VBS in a smaller membership church.

*Almost 1-in-16 children ages 5-12 in America was enrolled in a Southern Baptist VBS, according to figures from 2006 (see article - Two million 5-12 year olds enroll in VBS)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Car Talk's "As The Wrench Turns" Premieres this Weekend

Image
My family is a huge fan of the NPR program Car Talk . So, I am stoked to see that they have an animated program featuring Click & Clack, the Tappet brothers. Here's a summary from the website: Tom and Ray Magliozzi, the didactic duo whose voices grace the NPR airwaves on the ever-popular radio show Car Talk, have moved themselves into the world of animation with the all-new primetime series Click & Clack's As the Wrench Turns . The program takes off from the hit NPR show and follows the on- and off-air escapades of Click and Clack, the Tappet brothers (alter-egos of Tom and Ray Magliozzi) as they try to fix cars, fend off disgruntled customers and seek out increasingly creative ways to goof off. Click & Clack's As the Wrench Turns is set at Car Talk Plaza, a fictional building that houses their radio studio and their famed garage in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. You'll have to check your local station for the schedule. Nashville's WNPT Cha...
Read more

Fireproof movie Garners Multiple Endorsements from Marriage Advocates

Image
ALBANY, Ga., March 27, 2008 - " Fireproof ," the new action/relationship film from the creators of "Facing the Giants" and "Flywheel," releases this September from Sherwood Pictures and Provident Films. Already the movie is uniting marriage advocates from across the U.S. National groups such as Focus on the Family, Outreach, FamilyLife, The Marriage CoMission, America's Family Coaches, AMFM, Marriage Alive Communications, and MarriageToday endorse the movie and are urging their constituencies to see it. Influencers such as marriage expert Gary Smalley and Bubba Cathy of Chick-fil-A are also working to spread the word. It's no secret that U.S. marriages are in crisis. The U.S. Census Bureau and marriage organizations vary on the stats but agree that nearly half of all weddings lead to divorce—with rates highest in the Bible belt. Some 25 percent of U.S. adults divorce at least once; and given the abundance of poor marriages, many couples skip it out...
Read more

Preaching through the Bible in a Year - 2 Plans!

Image
I'm reading through the Bible again this year using George Guthrie's Reading God's Story: A Chronological Daily Bible plan. In 2011, our entire church used the reading plan in response to the Radical sermon and small group series we did at the end of 2010. I'm was delighted to see Aaron Linne's Blog post about a new online resource with lists of sermons inspired by the Read the Bible for Life initiative. These lists from B&H Publishing are designed so that you can take a church through the Bible in a year. They currently have a plan prepared by David Platt (52 sermons) and Chuck Maxwell (50 sermons). Check the tabs at the top to switch between the two lists. Access the complimentary lists of sermons here ... Learn how to use this resource on your iPhone, Android, or tablet here ...
Read more