RBP VBS
is known as The Evangelistic VBS. Our approach to presenting the gospel is clear, consistent, and comprehensive. That’s why we are the only VBS endorsed by Child Evangelism Fellowship, the world’s largest evangelistic outreach ministry to children. As you might guess, we believe it’s vital to reach children with the gospel. So VBS evangelism is a big deal, but why? Shouldn’t we wait until children are older? And what about VBS programs that only church kids (or mostly only church kids) attend? We need to take a close look at these questions, because coming to the right conclusions is eternally important.
VBS Evangelism: Looking at the Issues
“Don’t do it! Don’t evangelize!”
We can’t look to the world at large for encouragement about evangelism. If anything, in our culture it is popular to think that sharing the gospel is morally wrong. Trying to change someone else’s perspective is not in vogue today. After all, the thinking goes, we need to “let you be you and me be me.”
This attitude has even seeped into the church. One Barna survey shows that almost half of millennials who are Christians—not atheists or agnostics, mind you, but Christians—think of evangelism as wrong . The you-do-your-thing-and-I’ll-do-mine philosophy doesn’t leave much room for the exclusive claims of the gospel.
Other Christians avoid evangelizing children because they think children are too young to truly understand. And others are afraid of children making superficial professions that can lead to false assurance as adults.
“Yes, do it! Evangelize!”
If it’s bad to evangelize any age group, statistics and our Lord’s commands don’t make sense. Data overwhelmingly show that childhood and youth are the most common stages at which people believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. And Jesus placed no age limits on the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19–20). If children are too young to believe, Jesus’ example of a child’s heart attitude is an odd one to apply to adults (Mark 10:15). Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me” (Mark 10 :14); He did not push them away or tell them to wait until later.
It’s essential to reach children with the gospel. The key is focusing on reality more than on decisions alone. Instead of using tactics likely to result in children merely following the crowd or trying to please adults, churches must aim for true saving faith to form in children. RBP’s VBS materials are designed to build gospel foundations so kids respond with true understanding and faith.
Many VBS programs are mostly made up of church kids. But does this mean that VBS evangelism is unimportant? Not unless we think all, or even most, church kids are genuinely born again. In truth, any group of children in a church represents various stages of gospel understanding. Some kids are truly saved, but others only have partial knowledge, are trusting in their families’ faith, or are confused—and the latter three are likely bigger categories than churches would like to admit. Many kids who grew up going to church never had the gospel take root. Therefore, presenting the same truths they hear from week to week—but in a unique way through VBS—could be what they need to have the gospel click in their hearts. A VBS with mostly church kids should still emphasize evangelism.
VBS Evangelism: The Benefits of VBS
VBS evangelism has many benefits. Here are four.
1. Barriers come down. VBS tends to break down some of the barriers to the gospel in kids because they’re having fun and enjoying themselves. It can make them more open to the gospel than they would be at other times.
VBS is often an entire week of focused gospel influence. That’s partially the reason barriers come down. A day of VBS may pique a child’s curiosity. Or children may resist at first, but over the course of a week they have the opportunity to watch staff members show the love of Christ, see how faith is real, have the foundations of the gospel built in their minds and hearts, and respond in true faith.
2. Attendance is easy. VBS is accessible to families because it’s held close to where they live and because if any cost is involved, it is usually minimal. So VBS makes the gospel available to a broad range of families. As P. P. Bliss wrote, “Whosoever will may come”!
3. Needs are noticed. VBS allows church staff and VBS leaders to become aware of the specific needs of specific kids. A parent’s job issues, familial drug or alcohol abuse, moving—a lot of factors impact children’s lives and can affect their faith formation. If a child comes to VBS, even for a day, a window into that child’s life has been opened. The church can then serve the child through that window.
4. Follow-up is logical. VBS offers potential for follow-up because the volunteers and church staff are well aware of what happened and what was taught in VBS. Some children may not accept the gift of eternal life during VBS, but seeds have been planted that can be watered through follow-up. Since those who served in VBS were an integral part of what children learned, they are well equipped to do the “watering” by following up with the kids.
VBS Evangelism: Tips for Success
Since the potential is great for reaching children through VBS evangelism, how do churches get the greatest benefits from VBS? Here are four tips.
1. Make your goal to have true faith taking root and growing. Decisions for Christ are wonderful, but you want those decisions to be real!
2. Pray fervently for kids to be saved. Spend time praying before VBS.
3. Really get to know the kids. Consider recruiting volunteers who don’t want to teach, lead games, or coordinate crafts, but who will sit with the kids and befriend them for the sake of the gospel.
4. Practice sharing the gospel beforehand. Use tools like a gospel bookmark, wordless book, a Good News beach ball, a Good News bracelet, or another evangelism tool. Rehearsing can help remove a person’s awkwardness when explaining the gospel. Practicing helps a person think through what to say before VBS offers that person a split-second opportunity to share the good news of salvation.
Yes, VBS evangelism is a golden opportunity for leading children to Christ! That’s exciting and important, since childhood is the stage when many people are most receptive to the gospel. Whether children have been attending your church for years or are new, VBS may be the glue that finally causes what they have learned elsewhere to stick, or it can be the impact that results in them believing on Jesus Christ.
