Monday Morning Checklist – Conduct a Space Inventory

A critical issue for any event is space. Whether your church campus is made up of just a few rooms or hundreds, finding ample space for VBS can be challenging.
Since building a new building between now and VBS is probably not an option, you have two choices: allow the space to dictate the size of your VBS, or look at the space you have with new eyes.
Just as so many church goers are in the habit of sitting in the same pew or chair Sunday after Sunday, VBS leaders can fall into the habit of using the same rooms year after year. As long as you have an abundance of space there is no problem, but when you start outgrowing your traditional rooms it is time to look at the space you have with new eyes – or at least with a new perspective.
At this stage of VBS planning you should still be setting goals and dreaming possibilities such as adding classes for language groups or age groups (students and adults) which have not been previously reached.
Reaching more people will require more space so grab a note pad and camera and conduct a space inventory. You might be surprised at how much usable space you find.
In addition to rooms typically used by your kid’s ministry consider the following spaces:

• Student and adult classrooms
• Choir room
• Library
• Offices
• Parlor
• Foyers/lobbies
• Chapel
• Rooms that could be used for multiple groups at once such as a fellowship hall and the auditorium
• Covered porches
• Shade trees
• Play ground and the front lawn
• The junk room that has needed cleaning out for years

During your tour make notes and take pictures of each space. Identify challenges that could make the space unsafe or unsuitable. By conducting the inventory in February you have ample time to discuss the possibilities with church leadership as well as time to address the majority of the identified challenges.
Now that you have expanded your space, bring your leadership team together to dream the possibilities of expanding your ministry opportunities.