This common phrase is one I’ve come to love — “That won’t work at my church because …” On the VBS team here at Lifeway, one of the things continually stressed is how important it is to consider multiple viewpoints when editing curriculum for churches. In a brainstorming planning session, there are people representing several types of churches from a church plant in a gym to a small country church to a large city church — and everything in between.
When we hear, “That won’t work at my church because …” it inspires us to try our best to imagine how material will be used and how we can set leaders up for success in their VBS ministry.
It’s also very encouraging to hear how you use Lifeway’s VBS, but make it your own by adjusting it to your church’s needs. Here are some ways we’ve heard that churches are tailoring VBS to their own community:
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A church serving full meals, instead of using snacks, because there are kids in their community who don’t get enough to eat during the summer.
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For churches that don’t have enough adult workers, some are doing a Student VBS during Spring Break, or a Disciple Now weekend, in order to train their youth to help with the kids’ VBS later that summer.
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Taking VBS or Backyard Kids Club on mission during Spring Break or during the summer and paring it down to simplify it for an international trip.
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Rather than having a central VBS, one church is doing only Backyard Kids Clubs at various homes in the community because it wants to touch more unchurched people.
There are literally as many different ways of using VBS curriculum as there are churches using it. And we love seeing and hearing about everyone’s creativity in ministry!
How do you adjust VBS to fit your church community or “think outside the box” to use VBS to reach wider and further? We’d love to hear your comments!
Bethany Brown is a Production Editor for the Lifeway Church Resources VBS Team. She is a member of Hermitage Hills Baptist Church where she works with preteens and Backyard Kids Club. Bethany has seen kids ministry in many different cultures growing up in East Africa as a missionary kid. She loves helping kids learn how much they are loved and valued by God.
