6 Reasons to Enlist Key VBS Leaders Now

VBS is months away and the holidays are rapidly approaching. With so many other things on the to-do list, why worry about enlisting leaders for VBS so early? Well, here are six reasons you should enlist key VBS leaders before the holidays: 

1. You have a team to join you in prayer. It’s never too early to begin praying for the hearts that will be transformed during VBS 2025, and it is never too early to begin praying for the people and resources needed to conduct VBS. 

2. You have a team to help you dream and explore possibilities. I love to dream about the possibilities of ministry events. “What would we do if money were not an object? How can we decorate? How are we going to motivate church members to volunteer and the community to attend? How can we reach more kids and families than ever before? How are we going to intentionally connect with unchurched parents discovered during VBS?” 

3. You have a team to help you with planning responsibilities. Now is the time to plan budgets, dates and schedules, and the number of volunteers needed. Now is the time to create a planning calendar with bite-size action steps for each month leading up to VBS. (Here is one we created to help you get started!) By enlisting key leaders early, you not only have a team to help with planning but also implementing the plans. You have the freedom of  making assignments and delegating responsibility far in advance of the crunch of VBS. 

4. You have a team to help you promote and enlist congregational support. VBS is a ministry opportunity for the entire congregation, not just the kids ministry. It takes team effort to persuade every member of a congregation to not only acknowledge VBS but to take on ownership of it. 

5. You have a team to help you begin enlisting other volunteers. We are all busy and our calendars fill up quickly. Waiting until after Easter to begin enlisting volunteers will most likely result in disappointment and frustration as potential volunteers decline due to previously scheduled commitments. By making enlistment a team effort, and beginning early, you have a greater chance of hearing “Yes!” and discovering new volunteers along the way. 

6. You have a team to join you for VBS Preview and other training opportunities. Believe it or not, VBS 2025 training is already in full swing! Many national and regional training opportunities are scheduled for January and February. By enlisting key leaders now, you can participate in training as a team. The earlier the leadership is trained the more potential there is for equipping the rest of your volunteer team well. 

Speaking of VBS Preview, we would love for you and your team to join us in January for one of our VBS Previews in Tennessee, Texas, or North Carolina. You can turn the weekend into a team road trip. Just think of the dreaming and planning you can accomplish while traveling as a group! 
 

Join the conversation: What benefits have you realized by enlisting your leadership team early?