Six Ways to Do an Adult VBS
by: Bethany Brown
Production Editor | Lifeway VBS
Have you ever thought of inviting adults to VBS … as participants? Adult VBS is one of my favorite, and one of our more under appreciated, resources!
The Adult Starter Kit is brimming with extra material. The Leader Guide has rich biblical commentary for each day, coupled with simple teaching plans for engaging adults with the content. On the CD-ROM, you’ll find adult-friendly recreation, crafts, snacks, and tips for leading a fruitful Bible study. Bonuses include articles from Biblical Illustrator, which relate to the day’s topic, and a five day Parenting Seminar!
But how do you use all these resources? First, meet with your senior pastor and any leaders of adult ministries to gauge their interest in Adult VBS. Suggest ways it could be done:
- Have adult VBS on five Sunday or Wednesday nights during winter for leaders who will teach kids in your summer VBS. This will show leaders appreciation, train them on the biblical content, and prepare them spiritually for sharing the gospel with kids.
- Hold a weekend men’s or women’s retreat using Bible studies from adult VBS. Add some recreation ideas as icebreakers or team building activities.
- Plan an outreach to college students or young adults in your community. Consider the beginning of the school year as a good option for students who are new to the area.
- Use Sunday or Wednesday services (or a combination) leading up to VBS to spiritually prepare your church for the coming kids’ event and lead church members to pray.
- Present adult VBS alongside kids’ VBS on your church campus or at a mission site or housing project. Invite the parents of kids who come to VBS to participate.
- Hold a parenting seminar for parents of kids who attended VBS—especially ones who do not have a church home. Most parents want to do a good job of raising their kids and this is a great avenue to continue connections with parents after VBS is over.
Is your church doing Adult VBS next year? How will you do it? We’d love to hear all about it in the comments.
This past year we held adult VBS for a Sunday night through Thursday night 6:00-8:00. We had supper and we played a few games during this time. I did encourage the kids teachers to attend and they did and it worked out perfectly. ❤️😇🙏🏻
The last few years I have offered the Adult VBS as a Bible study for any VBS workers interested on Sunday nights the weeks before VBS. I have also used it in the College and Career class in the month of June. I have several VBS leaders that look forward to the study each year!