This week has been a wild one at our church. It has been VBS week. We have partnered with two other churches in our area to reach out and provide this great ministry to children in our community. We have seen some really good things happening. I thought that I would pose the question and give my answers to it.  The questions: “How important is VBS?”

For those that may not be familiar with the terminology, VBS stands for Vacation Bible School. This is typically a week-long event that includes singing, Bible studies, games, crafts, and more. I know that some churches have gotten away from the name “VBS.” That is okay. I don’t see the name “VBS” anywhere in the Bible, so you can call it whatever you like. I have been a part of churches that called it various things but the overall goal was the same.

I raise the question of how important is this type of ministry is from the direction of evaluation. I believe that it is important to constantly check and see if what we are doing is the most effective way to accomplish the goal. I know that there are those who think that because something was done 50 years ago then it needs to be chunked. I do not believe that to be true. It may need to be tweaked and updated some, but just because it was used by our grandparents does not mean that it should be thrown by the wayside.

Here are some valuable things that I have seen from VBS this year:

• Teamwork. There is no way that VBS could happen with just one or two people involved. It takes the work of many people to come together to make this happen. In our situation, we live in a rural area of north Mississippi. We had three churches in our area come together and pool our resources to make this happen. It was a beautiful picture of cooperation in a time when (sadly) we see many congregations “competing with one another.”
• Freshness. This might be my favorite point in this list. VBS is a chance to make the timeless message come to life in a brand new way. Our VBS has been telling the story of Joseph from Genesis. We have seen the children respond to seeing pyramids, palace guards, and the Nile River in a great way. It is not just reading it to them while they sit in seats. The message of the gospel must never change but the methods of sharing it have to as Ed Stetzer shares in an article. 
• Recruiting. In church work, we are always looking to recruit new people to join the team. Most churches run on the work of volunteers. It is important for believers to find their gifting and jump in where God is leading them. When churches have people that refuse to be their part of the team, the mission suffers greatly. VBS has proven to be a great way to let people get their feet wet with serving. It gives a leader the opportunity to see where some people can serve even when you never thought they would do it.
• Reality-Check. I have found that VBS can be a great reality check for churches. With so many things pulling our attention in various directions, it is easy to let some things slip from where they should be. It may not be intentional, but it happens. VBS can remind a church that the younger generations are important. If we do not pour into them when they are younger, then the possibility and opportunities to do it decrease with every passing year.

With all of that said, I believe that is clear of what my views are on VBS. I’m so thankful to the countless people who made VBS possible at our church for the first time in over a decade. May it bring a new day and new focus.