5 Helpful Tips for VBS in a Small Church (pt. 2)
Last week, I talked about the ways I’ve seen a small church that’s close to my heart do a great job with VBS, despite a small size and more limited resources.
This got me to thinking about ways Lifeway VBS curriculum helps face those limitations in a small church, or just those doing VBS in tight spaces or with a tight budget. Here are a few things to remember when attempting to conquer those limitations:
1. A little goes a long way: if you have a small space and not much money to decorate it, things like the Super Duper Sized Backdrop can pretty much fill the backdrop of a Worship Rally space or even a Bible study room. It is complete in and of itself, or can connect to another backdrop to expand it, depending on the size of your space. It’s simple, doesn’t take a lot of volunteers to get it on the wall, and sets the mood since it was designed specifically for the VBS theme.
2. Big items like stand-ups, backdrops, and inflatables are easy to share among churches, helping cut the cost for each church that shares.
3. The leader packs often have all that’s needed to make the teacher look he or she really tried hard with visuals that help kids stay connected with that day’s Bible truths.
4. Clear outlines, information on how to prepare, and facts about the age group the teacher will be teaching help even inexperienced teachers prepare to succeed. I know that helped me when I first started teaching at Witt Baptist Church (see last week’s post) when I had little idea of what I was doing, but knew my church was in great need of volunteers. This helps might help you encourage a recruit who says they don’t know enough to actually teach a class, though they really do want to help.
These are just a few things I’ve noticed that can help small churches succeed with Lifeway’s VBS. What other helpful things have you seen? What else would be helpful to you as your prepare for VBS?
The whole idea of being willing to take part because we are needed, even if we aren’t sure how to do the job is a day brightener. Lots of little churches like ours could happily have a few like you, back then–or me, for that matter–with availability until the ability kicks in.
Small churches are often very good at VBS for the reasons you list as well as others. That spirit of coming together for somethings really big for the kids in a congregation that doesn’t have big things on a regular basis is a real motivator. Thanks for the good read.
Terry Reed
Small Church Tools