Pre-orders for my new book, Next Level VBS, launched this week. My hope is that it helps kidmin leaders like you reach kids for Jesus in your church and your community, no matter what curriculum you use. The following is the story of the first VBS I ever ran, and it’s how Next Level VBS begins.
After years of school and internships, I thought I was ready. My future wife and I were excitedly driving to our first ministry assignment as kids’ pastors in Clearwater, Florida. It was mid-May, and we were talking about what the summer was going to look like.
Vacation Bible School was big on our minds. We knew coming in halfway through May, we’d already be behind the 8-ball getting it off the ground. What’s more, we were planning our wedding in early August. By the time we arrived at the church, we’d decided that if our new boss/pastor asked us to do VBS, our answer would be an emphatic no.
I grew up participating in VBS. I’ve done daytime and nighttime VBS. Most of my experience is with Group Publishing, but I’ve also used Orange, MEGA Sports Camp, and Lifeway. During my second kidmin internship, I spent the entire summer prepping for a VBS that ultimately served 500 kids. I knew what it took to run a VBS.
Or at least I thought I did.
In my first meeting with my new pastor, he brought it up. Maybe it was my youth. (I was only 23.) Or fear. (He was an intimidating man.) But by the end of that meeting we were doing it… at the end of July… just one week before our wedding.
My fiancée was frustrated, but what was done was done. We got to work. We had 10 weeks to pull off a VBS for 100 kids. I pulled on what I knew, came up with a plan, and made it happen.
But to say that first VBS was a train wreck would be an understatement. We spent weeks decorating. We recruited and trained 30 volunteers. We advertised in the local neighborhood by knocking on doors and hanging flyers on telephone poles.
Monday came and I had a to-do list as long as my arm. By lunch, only half of it was done, and kids were showing up in 5 hours.
Thankfully, my pastor called the staff and helped me pull it all together.
Miraculously, around 5:30 p.m., everything was set, and kids started showing up. I threw my brand-new VBS t-shirt on over my work clothes and off we went.
Leading my first VBS
The thing about VBS is that no matter how many times I’ve led it, the first day is always pure chaos. I guess the problem is just trying to get momentum going. By Day 2 things are running smoothly.
I made so many mistakes in that first VBS. The schedule was a mess. Supplies were never right. I completely botched the preschool portion.
At one point, one of my volunteers cussed in front of a bunch of 4-year-olds, exasperated that she was going to the wrong room…again.
But we had 100 kids. Many of them were from the rough neighborhood my church was centered in. I’m not sure how many gave their lives to Jesus that week. I want to say 30, but those stats are lost to time.
I believe that reaching more for Jesus is what ministry is all about. I want to do everything I can to fulfill the Great Commission and help others do the same.
VBS is a great tool to reach your community and disciple your kids. It’s a microcosm of what kidmin leaders do every week, compressed into a marathon event. To be honest, I’ve had a love-hate relationship with it for years. But it’s an incredible tool to reach the lost, energize your volunteers, raise money for missions, and strengthen your systems.
And that’s why I wrote Next Level VBS. I wanted to take all my years of experience leading VBS large and small and put it into one centralized place. A place where kidmin leaders from all over can learn from my mistakes and use the systems and strategies I’ve developed to reach their community. Not to beat the big flashy church down the road. Not to see large crowds. Not to cover your walls in crepe paper (who loves doing that anyway?). But to reach one more for Jesus.
Studies show that a person is much more likely to accept Jesus before the age of 12. It plummets by the time they’re 18.
As Craig Groeschel frequently says,
We will do anything short of sin to reach people who don’t know Christ.
VBS is one of those things.
If you want to go deeper, I’m giving away the first three chapters for free. Share your email here and they’re yours.
And if you’re ready to get started even though summer is more than 6 months away, you can pre-order my book Next Level VBS today. It releases on January 12. Those who pre-order and join my launch team by December 29 get access to an early copy of my new book, $75 of VBS resources, and the audiobook for free on release day.
VBS is an event, yes. But more importantly, it’s an evangelism tool. Let’s get out into our communities and reach one more for Jesus.
Pre-order Next Level VBS today
Get the practical, step-by-step guide that will help you reach your church and your community for Jesus.
After years of school and internships, I thought I was ready. My future wife and I were excitedly driving to our first ministry assignment as kids’ pastors in Clearwater, Florida. It was mid-May, and we were talking about what the summer was going to look like.
Vacation Bible School was big on our minds. We knew coming in halfway through May, we’d already be behind the 8-ball getting it off the ground. What’s more, we were planning our wedding in early August. By the time we arrived at the church, we’d decided that if our new boss/pastor asked us to do VBS, our answer would be an emphatic no.