Transcript VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL REACHING CHILDREN

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
REACHING CHILDREN
• Matt 19:14 Jesus said, "Let the little
children come to me, and do not hinder
them, for the kingdom of heaven
belongs to such as these.”
• Vacation Bible School is one of the most
effective ways to fulfill this command of
Christ.
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
REACHING CHILDREN
• The most important part of VBS isn’t
cookies and crafts. The most important part
is the built-in evangelistic opportunities.
– To build relationships with children who need
Christ
– To be able to present the gospel in terms and
ways they will understand
– To make VBS a fun-time where the children
will feel good about God and the church
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
REACHING CHILDREN
• As many as one fourth of all baptisms in
Southern Baptist churches can be tied
directly to VBS conversion experiences
• In a recent study by the Barna Research
Group data from churches showed the
probability of someone accepting Christ
after age 14 dramatically drops.
• We must reach the children with the Good
News and VBS is one effective way.
SOME KEYS TO AN
EVANGELISTIC VBS
• Plan VBS at a time to reach the most
children
– Monday - Friday during the day
– Monday - Friday at night
– Consider a weekend VBS - Friday night,
Saturday morning and afternoon, Sunday
afternoon and evening.
– Consecutive Wednesdays or Saturdays
– Other options?
SOME KEYS TO AN
EVANGELISTIC VBS
• Publicize
– Use many ways to get the word out
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Banners outside the church
Direct mail
Fliers delivered to homes in target areas
Newspaper and radio ads
Billboards
Posters in businesses
What are some other ideas?
SOME KEYS TO AN
EVANGELISTIC VBS
• Train VBS workers in evangelism
– Teach them about the importance of providing
an atmosphere that conveys Christ.
– Stress the importance of praying for the
workers and for the children everyday.
– Specifically train the teachers of older children
how to use an evangelistic tract written
especially for children.
SOME KEYS TO AN
EVANGELISTIC VBS
– Some evangelistic tracts to use:
– Bridge to Life - Navigators, P.O. Box
35001, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80935
– Steps to Peace with God - Billy Graham
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American Tract Society
P.O. Box 462008
Garland, Texas 75046
1-800-548-7228 or www.atstracts.org
SOME WEB-SITES FOR
CHILDREN
• www.kidzplace.org - an interactive site
about salvation. Excellent site.
• www. netministries.org - click on the Kid’s
Link - there are multiple sites for children
• www. jesusvideo.org - The “Jesus” video
can be viewed online.
SOME KEYS TO AN
EVANGELISTIC VBS
– Provide opportunities during VBS for
presenting the gospel to a large group as well as
to individuals.
– Encourage children to bring their Bibles to
VBS. Give Bibles to children who don’t have
one
– Take the last two days of large group time to
share a simple gospel presentation with the
children. This is normally done by the pastor.
SOME KEYS TO AN
EVANGELISTIC VBS
– Give an opportunity for the children to respond
to Christ during the large group time.
– Encourage the children to talk to their teachers
about salvation.
– Train some workers to talk to the children who
have questions about salvation.
– Be sure that every child who responds is talked
to one-on-one with someone trained to explain
salvation.
SOME KEYS TO AN
EVANGELISTIC VBS
– Lead every child who is wanting to be saved to
pray the sinner’s prayer.
– Don’t manipulate the children. The Holy Spirit
will do the convincing and convicting.
– Do follow-up in the home of every child
explaining to their parent(s) about their child’s
decision.
– This is a great time to talk to the parents about
their own faith.
SOME KEYS TO AN
EVANGELISTIC VBS
• If the children won’t come to us at church,
we must go to them.
• Consider having a mission VBS somewhere
in your area or in another area of Ky to help
reach children for Christ.
• Use youth and older children in this
outreach effort and make them missionaries
SOME KEYS TO AN
EVANGELISTIC VBS
• If the children won’t come to us at church,
we must go to them.
• Consider having a mission VBS somewhere
in your area or in another area of Ky to help
reach children for Christ.
• Use youth and older children in this
outreach effort and make them missionaries