A July 2020 study from Barna suggested one in three practicing Christians has stopped attending church during COVID-19. Specifically:

• 1 in 3 practicing Christians is still and only attending their pre-COVID church.
• 32 percent of practicing Christians have stopped attending church altogether during the pandemic.
• Half of practicing Christian millennials are not viewing services online.

Those are staggering and sobering statistics! The research took place over a two-week period at the height of U.S. social distancing measures during the pandemic (late April–early May 2020), so the findings have likely shifted. But it does point to a trend that many churches are experiencing as in-person gatherings resume—only about one-third of the congregation has returned. So what has happened to the remaining two-thirds of our otherwise active and engaged church members? Perhaps more importantly, what will it take to get them to come back?

Some have suggested that the two-thirds who have not yet returned should be treated as “prospects” rather than merely as absent members—at least in our approach to outreach and efforts to enfold them (back) into the life of our congregations. Experts suggest it will take that level of effort—the same amount of effort, the same frequency of contact—to win them back. There are many good and legitimate reasons people feel uncomfortable returning to “business as usual” at church. I am not suggesting they have all become complacent or lazy church members. But I do believe the reality of a slow return to “normal” will require extra effort. And I believe it has several implications for Vacation Bible School this summer.

First, a hesitance to return may impact your volunteer pool for VBS. You may not be able to count on some of your “go-to” volunteers to automatically sign up without needing to be actively recruited. It may take a personal phone call (or two), a personal ask over coffee, a reminder of the big picture and the importance of VBS to your church’s evangelism and discipleship strategies in order to get some volunteers to say YES to VBS. You’ll need to inspire them with the “heart” behind VBS and impress upon them the urgency of the task at hand. You’ll need to share your passion for the gospel and why we cannot afford to push it off until a time when it may feel more convenient. You’ll need to convince them that the job you want them to do during VBS is kingdom work and that it cannot be done by anyone else but them. 

VBS is a great opportunity to attract people back to church. It’s a short-term commitment with measurable results that also provides opportunities for literally anyone and everyone to serve. Don’t feel comfortable being on campus yet? No problem; you can be in charge of online registration! Don’t want to be around kids yet? No problem; you can help prepackage snacks the week before! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to reacclimate your congregation to serving. Use VBS as a way of strategically enfolding adults and teens back in as they volunteer for VBS.

Secondly, if two-thirds of your church are not attending regularly and/or are not yet coming back, you may need to change the focus of your VBS this summer. As the largest evangelistic outreach event of the year for most churches, VBS is typically a community-minded event. This year, however, we may need to shift focus slightly to target our own church members first, and the community second. That is not to say we abandon the evangelistic mission of VBS. Rather, we use VBS as a strategic opportunity to reengage with kids and families who have not yet returned (and who may have missed out on VBS last year) and challenge them to bring an unchurched friend or family with them. Plan to follow up with each family after VBS (treating members the same as unchurched prospects) and use VBS as a springboard for enfolding that family into the broader church family.

Finally, we need to take a look at our strategy and adjust our plans as necessary. Many churches have already committed to an approach for VBS this summer—whether on campus, in a park or neighborhood, online, or a hybrid combination. That’s great! It’s important to commit early and make a plan. But as you do so, keep in mind the statistic about millennial’s engagement in online church activities. If 50% of millennials (these are the parents in your ministry) are not tuning in for church, can we realistically expect that they will tune in with their families for an online VBS? While a virtual VBS is certainly convenient (though no less work) and perhaps necessary for families who still need to remain safely at home, we need to keep in mind that these are temporary solutions that do not provide the same kind of engagement as in-person gatherings. If you’re planning an exclusively virtual VBS this summer, ask yourself: “What can we add or do to provide intentional opportunities for relationship-building and engagement through our VBS?” Look for ways to provide families more than just something else to watch. Create engagement and community—not consumers. Consumers will watch if they feel like it, don’t if something better comes along. Consumers don’t feel the same level of commitment or the longing to be part of what’s going on. Remember that the best way to share the gospel is in the context of relationship. Regardless of which direction you go for VBS 2021, look for ways that will allow relationships to develop naturally and draw people first to Christ, then back to His Church.

By Kayla Stevens 

I remember it like it was yesterday. Sitting on a wooden pew with the morning sun streaming through the stained-glass windows, I listened to my pastor and some friends of mine engaging in a panel discussion about what it means to love your neighbor. I wiggled uncomfortably (as you often do on wooden pews) and heard two questions that continue to echo in my mind over a year later.

• Do you love your neighbor?

My first answer comes to my mind on autopilot. Yes! Of course I love my neighbor. Jesus said this is the second most important command in all of the Bible. What kind of Christian would I be if I said I didn’t love my neighbor? Next!

• Does your neighbor know that you love him?
  
  

My actual neighbors—the people I live next to with the political bumper sticker, the moms I pass as I walk around the block. Do those people know I love them? My answer did not come as easily as I wanted.

Love in secret is not really love at all.

Our children are growing up in a culture that is polarizing, difficult to navigate, confusing, and has more hardship and suffering than we care to acknowledge. And yet, God has called us in exactly this time and in this culture, to love people. Even more, He has called us to teach our children to love: to love people who disagree with them, to love people others overlook or ignore.

At the end of the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus asked, “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” “The one who showed mercy to him,” he said. “Then Jesus told him, “Go and do the same.” (Luke 10:36-37 CSB)

As disciple-makers within our homes, we are called to “go and do the same”—to teach our children how to love as Jesus loves. This month, consider ways you can leverage opportunities to teach your children to identify and love people as Jesus calls us to love.

Love with humility. Oftentimes when we consider how to love people who believe differently than we do, we approach conversations as if we are standing on opposite sides of a fence. But the picture of the gospel is not people opposing and arguing with one another. That’s what the Pharisees did. The reality is we are all on the same side; we are all people in desperate need of Jesus. We need Jesus to save us, and we need Jesus to sanctify us. Recognizing our sin and our need for Jesus leads us to a posture of humility. And humility is a beautiful place for love to grow.

As you go:

• Lead your kids to look for opportunities to love others. Challenge them to identify people they know who seem difficult to love and encourage them to explain why they think this is.
• Invite them to talk about what it means to recognize their own need for Jesus. How does this help us stand on the same side of the fence?
• Discuss how we can approach other people with gentleness, remembering our own need for forgiveness and asking for God’s help to love others with the same love He has for us.

Distinguish between people and ideas. We are called to love and respect all people because they are made in the image of God. As we love people around us, help your child recognize the difference between loving a person and embracing his or her ideas. The two are not equal. We are commanded to love people and show compassion, care, and respect to everyone. At the same time, we can help our children recognize differences in what God says is true in His Word from other ideologies in our culture.

As you go:

• Watch an ad that is age-appropriate with your child and discuss the main point the advertisers want you to believe.
• Consider if the idea is true (and can be verified in Scripture) or false. What is attractive about what they want you to believe? Why?
• Guide conversations about how we can disagree with ideas that don’t align with God’s Word and still show love to people who hold those ideas.

Love with authenticity. Let your neighbors know that you love them in appropriate ways (aka: don’t be weird). No one likes to be thought of as a project, but everyone wants to be seen, known, loved, and respected. As you look for opportunities to demonstrate genuine and authentic love to others, model these moments for your children. Identify ways your family could show love and care to someone in a way that he or she would feel seen, known, and authentically loved.

As you go:

• Read the parable of the Good Samaritan as a family. Talk about what it looks like to show mercy. Invite your kids to share who they think your family can show love and mercy to this month. Identify one or two people your family can take greater steps in demonstrating love toward in the coming weeks.
• Begin praying for that person on a regular basis and asking God to give you opportunities to love him or her with humility, respect, and authenticity. 
• Brainstorm different ideas with your family of how you can demonstrate love in ways that person will feel seen, known, and loved. Make a plan to show love to that person in tangible ways as a family. 

Patterning God’s love is the greatest lesson we teach. We do this with authenticity and with no expectations. If we are to teach our children to love, let us be bold in our faith, gentle with our words, and kind in our actions toward others. May it be said of our families that we will “go and do the same.”

Kayla Stevens is a Content Editor for LifeWay Kids. She is a graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and William Carey University. Kayla lives in Nashville, Tennessee and has served in Kids ministry for over 10 years.

Recently, I took two road trips spanning 5 states and traveling a combined 3,000 miles. One trip was over familiar roads, and the other route required smartphone navigation. Both journeys necessitated planning (you can’t take a road trip without snacks) and preparation. I needed to know my departure time and my estimated time of arrival.

I also had a purpose for both trips. One was to visit extended family and the other was to provide transportation for my immediate family. I didn’t wake up one morning and think, “I need to drive over 1,000 miles to another state today,” and then jump in the car and head out.

However, that’s often how we make curriculum decisions. We think, “I need to find something to teach the kids at my church this week.” And we ask ourselves, “I wonder what other kidmin leaders are doing?” But, is that the best route to take?

Here are three reasons why we need to know where we’re going when we teach kids, even in the midst of a global pandemic when churches are not meeting consistently and families are quarantining:

1. Kids haven’t stopped learning. A mentor taught me a long time ago that children are always learning. Much of what they learn is up to us. Therefore, we need to keep teaching preschoolers and kids the whole Bible, and part of teaching is knowing the destination and the purpose of the journey.
   
2. Satan hasn’t stopped tempting. The battle is real and sometimes feels as if it is intensifying. Kids need to be equipped for spiritual warfare with solid biblical truth that builds on previous truths they have learned, not with cute churchy sound bites.
   
3. Jesus hasn’t stopped rescuing. This is the hope we must convey to children. They live in a topsy-turvy world. However, we still have a responsibility to introduce preschoolers and kids to the One who saves–Jesus. We can do this by engaging kids with an intentional Bible study plan that points to God’s redemptive work throughout biblical history.

The temptation to forgo following a Bible study plan is especially attractive during a global pandemic. Afterall, we’ve never been down this road before. For that precise reason, preschool and kids ministries need a logical curriculum plan to provide us the necessary navigation.

_________________________

Landry Holmes is the Manager of Lifeway Kids Ongoing Bible Studies and Network Partnerships, Nashville, TN, and is a graduate of Howard Payne University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The author of It’s Worth It: Uncovering How One Week Can Transform Your Church and a general editor of the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids, Landry is a church leader, writer, workshop facilitator, and publisher. He teaches kids at his church in Middle Tennessee, where his wife Janetta is the Preschool Minister. They enjoy spending time with their two adult sons and their wives, and spoiling their five grandchildren.