From the Archives: What's Your Adult VBS IQ? (Part 1)

We’re celebrating 90 – that’s 90 years of providing the very best VBS curriculum, resources, and training – by going to the archives for ideas and advice that is just as relevant today as the day it was first printed.

WHAT’S YOUR ADULT VBS IQ?

• What is Adult VBS?
• How will Adult VBS help our church?
• Who should attend?
• How do we get adults to attend?
• How is adult VBS organized?

For person who always have thought that Vacation Bible School was mainly for children or that all available adults are needed to work with other age groups in Bible School, answers to these questions are crucial in considering whether your church should conduct Adult VBS. Adult VBS can be a fresh and exciting experience for adults who desire additional Bible study. Needless to say, Adult VBS is effective in reaching lost and unenrolled adults as well.

WHAT IS ADULT VBS?

Adult VBS is one of the best approaches for churches to use in reaching and teaching adults. VBS for adults is a Sunday School Bible teaching project consisting of up to five three-hour sessions. The Bible is central in Adult VBS, and curriculum material adults will study is based on the Bible.
Adult VBS is unique in that the study material is designed to be used in a variety of groupings. We call these groups “target groups,” which may include singles, young adults, senior adults, homebound adults, church leaders, and other groups of adults with similar needs and interests.
Another feature of Adult VBS is the mobility associated with the Bible study material. The resources are flexible enough to be used in a variety of settings, such as offices, homes, college campuses, and nursing homes, just to name a few.

HOW WILL ADULT VBS HELP OUR CHURCH?

Good question!
Adult VBS is a lot of hard work! So why bother? When you consider there are more adults around us then preschoolers, children, and youth combined, the value of Adult VBS is enormous. Look at Adult VBS as an outreach tool

• Adult Vacation Bible School can help your church:
• Reach new people who may not have been reached otherwise
• Eliminate (or reduce) attendance slumps during the summer (if Adult VBS is conducted during the summer)
• Organize new classes and departments
• Implement the VBS Transfer Plan
• Establish and/or update Sunday School prospect files
• Discover lost adults
• Take advantage of witnessing opportunities
• Develop a continuing ministry to unchurched adults and their families
• Revitalize the Sunday School outreach organization in adult classes and departments
• Capture a new growth spirit as your church penetrates your community with the gospel.

Take another look! Not only can quantity be affected, but also the quality of the ministry of your church can be improved. Remember, this is an IQ (Improvement Quality) test. Consider some additional benefits that Adult VBS provides:

• Greater learning exploration of Bible truths take place
• Church leaders who work with other age groups in Sunday School can be involved in Bible study with their peers
• Spiritual gifts can be discovered and demonstrated as people accept leadership responsibilities for the first time by working in Adult VBS
• Potential workers for Sunday School may be identified through this short-term Bible study approach
• New church and Sunday School members can be assimilated better, especially if Adult VBS results in new Sunday School classes
• Adult VBS enriches personal and family life as answers to complex issues may be dealt with and needs met
• Fellowship among adults is enriched.

Are you beginning to see the picture? A well-planned and well-publicized Adult VBS can enable your church to reap substantial benefits.
Part 2 will be posted Thursday, October 22, 2015.
Written by John G. McInnis, Jr., and originally published March 1989 in Adult leadership. At the time McInnis was an associate in the Sunday School Department, Florida Baptist Convention, Jacksonville, Florida.