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.
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.
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 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.
4 Ways to Celebrate Kidmin Birthdays
I have a confession to make. I’m horrible at celebrating birthdays. Both personally and in the ministry. I don’t have excuses; it is what it is. But for kids, their birthday is one of the most important days of the year. Next to Christmas, there isn’t a day they look forward toward more.
Because the day is so special I had to make a change.
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.
The Essential Kidmin Events Calendar
Whether you’re just starting out in kidmin, or you’ve been in it for a while, you know there are events and a lot of them. But which ones should you be doing? Is there something you’re missing? What can you do that’s fun and impactful for your ministry?
Every church is unique and has its own set of events that works well for their community. That said, there are patterns we can follow.
4 Steps to Mastering Your Ministry To-Do List
One thing about ministry is that you’re busy. Depending on how small your church is you can find yourself doing a lot of things that don’t fit within your “job.” Even if you work at a large church you can look up at the end of the week and wonder where the time went.
5 Guidelines for Trunk or Treat Volunteers
Trunk or Treats are one of the most popular Fall outreaches. They’re quick, easy to set up, and easy to clean up. They can be a ton of fun or total drag. The deciding factor for the success of your event is the trunks. Your trunks are the main attraction. You can and should include inflatables, hayrides, food trucks and more. But that’s not what’s going to keep your neighborhood coming back year after year.
3 Fall Festival Ideas to Reach Your Community
It’s time to work on your Fall Outreach. It’s what I call part of the big three, Egg Hunt, VBS, Fall Festival. In the kidmin world it’s one of the biggest outreaches of the year.
4 Summer Outreaches that Aren’t VBS
With the end of the summer, we start to look at all the things we did and ask if they were effective. One of the biggest questions I see this time of year is “What are churches doing other than VBS?”
4 Follow-Up Ideas for VBS Success
One of the biggest questions I hear for VBS is “How do you get the kids to come back?” I had this same question myself. Actually, the first person to ask me was my pastor.
3 Tips for Creating Your VBS Budget
I often see questions from people asking their VBS budget. How many kids? How big is your church? How much do you spend? Those are all great questions because your budget will depend on those three things, the size of your church, the size of your event, and how important it is to the church’s outreach strategy.
