How to Build a VBS Kids Worship Team
One of my favorite parts of VBS is the music. I may say goodbye to the decorations and theme when the week is over, but the songs stay with me and the ministry for months, sometimes years, afterward.
4 Ways to Partner with Other Churches for VBS
We're not in competition with the churches around us. We're all working toward the same goal: reaching people in our communities for Jesus. Making your VBS stand out can seem antithetical to that ethos.
But I don't see it that way. We want to run excellent events, and excellence is what makes them stand out. That doesn't mean we can't also cheer on what other churches are doing and work alongside them.
Making Your VBS Stand Out
If you live in the South as I do, it’s easy to drive down the road and pass all the churches hosting VBS this summer. It can be overwhelming. And honestly, disheartening when you see so many other churches doing the same theme as you. We never want to be in competition with other churches, but you do want to be different. You want to give a reason for that unchurched family to choose your VBS.
How to Handle VBS Registration
One of the biggest administrative tasks of VBS is registration. You have to collect each child's name, birthday, grade, gender, contact information, emergency contacts, allergies, and medical notes. Then you have to make all of that information easily accessible to the right people at the right time.
And that's just the beginning.
6 Real Questions to Evaluate Your Events
After our church's Egg Hunt this Easter, I sat down with my new kids' pastor to walk through the after-action meeting… These are the actual questions I used in our after-action meeting. They gave us a clear picture of the event, helped us find the wins and losses, and left us with actionable steps going forward.
How to Send your Kids To Camp: Part 3
Going to camp may be one of the best trips you can take in your ministry. I love Mark Batterson's quote: a change of place plus a change of pace equals a change in perspective.
Taking your kids to camp, away from screens, distractions, and the indoors, changes how they see their lives and, hopefully, their relationship with God.
How to Send Your Kids to Camp: Part 2 — Volunteers
My first summer as a full-time kids' pastor, my pastor told me I needed to take my kids to camp. I'd never been as a leader and had only attended once as a kid. I had no idea what I was getting into.
I did manage to get 12 kids signed up, paid in full, and transportation arranged. Then on a rainy Sunday morning I climbed onto the bus, and one of the parents called out, "Wait, is no one going with him?"
How to Send Your Kids to Camp: Part 1
There is one summer event that helps kids grow spiritually and make memories that last a lifetime. That event is Kids Camp.
4 Christmas Songs for your Kidmin
It’s almost Christmas time! While the world is ready for Mariah Carey to defrost, we in the kidmin world are busy getting ready for the season. One of the big questions for Christmas prep is what songs to sing.
Fall Festival Planning: 3 Steps to Success (Part 2)
Fall Festivals are an incredible opportunity to reach out to your families in your community. Many families are looking for a safe place for their kids to trick or treat. You can provide that with your church.
But if you want your guests to come back to your church, you need to have a well-organized event, a solid contact information collection plan, and great follow-up.
Fall Festival Planning: 4 Essential Steps Before the Big Day (Part 1)
One of the big three events almost every kidmin leader leads is a Fall Festival. While this event can be a lot of work, it’s never been as difficult as putting together a VBS. Planning a one night 3-hour event is far easier than a 5, three hour events in sequence.
5 Steps to Easy VBS Dismissal
You’ve had an awesome night of VBS. You had a ton of kids. More than you originally planned. Now all their parents are outside, and you need to get those kids to their parents safely, quickly, and efficiently.
Good luck!
3 Events to Transition Your Kidmin to the Next Grade
With the end of the school year upon us, so many kids pastors are asking the questions, “when should we move up our kids? What should we do to make it special?”
7 Steps to Resource Your VBS Volunteers for Success Part 2
In my previous post, I talked about the importance of having a strong volunteer team for your VBS. In order to have a strong team you have to work hard and fast to get them ready. You only have weeks, not months to get them ready.
7 Steps to Resource Your VBS Volunteers for Success Part 1
One of the biggest indicators of a successful VBS is the strength of your volunteer team. You can’t do this big event on your own. I’ve led many VBSs with hundreds of kids in attendance, and it’s my team that made it all happen.
3 Summer Priorities for Pastors
t was my first summer as a full-time kids’ pastor. I was so excited to have time and the budget to do all the things I’d been dreaming about but couldn’t do. I took my Junior Bible Quiz team to Nationals in Orlando (with a stop at Disney), then took my kids to camp for a week. Then, I spent a week getting ready for VBS. Followed by a week of VBS. Oh, and a Father’s Day Car Show in between.
By the time June was over I was exhausted.
An Egg Hunt Devotional: The ABC's of Salvation
You’ve planned your Egg Hunt, you have the whole schedule put together. You know people are coming and you want to tell them about Jesus. But you only have a limited space to tell them because of time constraints and attention span.
So how do you present the Gospel in a compelling way in just a few minutes?
Your Complete Egg Hunt Service Schedule
Egg Hunts can be so much more than just grab some eggs and go home. In fact, if that is all your event is, you’re missing out on a great opportunity to reach your community. I’ve run egg hunts for years. In They became family traditions for the whole neighborhood.
VBS Planning Calendar: 9 Steps to Success
If you’re in kidmin, Vacation Bible School can be one of the biggest events of the year. It takes a lot planning, organizing, recruiting, vision casting, prayer and so much more.
A 6-Step Event Follow Up Plan
Looking back, I realized that part of my problem was follow up. When learning to hit a ball, one of the main things you lean is to follow through. It’s the same with any outreach event. Once your event is over, you’re not done. You have to follow up with everyone who came, especially guests.
