TITUSVILLE, Fla. (BP)–If churches focus just on reaching children during Vacation Bible School, they are missing out on their best evangelistic opportunity of the year, said Willie Dillenbeck, children and conversion specialist for the Florida Baptist Convention.
“The true focus of Vacation Bible School isn’t just teaching children about God; it’s leading families to Christ,” said Dillenbeck, who also is associate pastor of education and outreach at Westside Baptist Church in Titusville and director of Sunday school, VBS and education for Brevard Baptist Association.
Vacation Bible School is the only time during the year when a large number of unchurched parents take the initiative to bring their children to church, and the way that churches structure VBS should reflect that evangelistic opportunity, Dillenbeck said.
Since Westside Baptist Church in Titusville began leading evangelistic-based Vacation Bible Schools three years ago, the number of professions of faith in Christ from VBS jumped from 10-15 children a year to 60 children and adults the first year, and 30 people the last two years.
Key to the growth, Dillenbeck said, has been one-on-one presentations of the gospel in follow-up visits to children’s homes, where parents also have an opportunity to hear about Christ.
If churches aren’t doing one-on-one follow-up with children after they make public professions of faith during Vacation Bible School, they may be doing them more harm than good, he said.
“Praying as a group in an open assembly without follow-up can lead to someone not really understanding or experiencing salvation and thinking they’re saved when they are not,” Dillenbeck explained.
Instead of asking the children to walk the aisle to receive Christ, Dillenbeck recommends having an assembled group bow their heads and encouraging individuals to raise their hands if they are ready to make a decision. Teachers then take the names of those who raise their hands and later counsel with them on a one-on-one basis.
Other Vacation Bible School evangelism strategies include:
— Encouraging teachers to share the plan of salvation every day in class. Some children may only come to VBS for one day. Give them opportunities to participate and respond. Follow up with them individually.
— Avoiding church language and making sure you are speaking in words children can understand. Be more concerned with a child’s understanding than his age.
— Enlisting people of different ages to give short testimonies of their salvation experiences during VBS classes and worship times. Include opportunities for the listeners to receive Christ.
— Conducting evangelism training for VBS and Sunday school workers. Teach them how to share their faith geared toward certain age groups, specifically children. One resource is the booklet, “God’s Special Plan for Children,” to explain the plan of salvation in simplified terms children can understand. The North American Mission Board plans to release a new edition of the booklet this spring.
Other Vacation Bible School evangelism strategies include:
— making sure recreation and refreshments workers are trained in evangelism and are willing to share their faith with the students.
— recruiting a follow-through team trained in family visitation.
— enlisting a VBS intercessory prayer team. Pray specifically for people and needs, using daily updates.
— encouraging pastors to be present during VBS. The pastor’s presence is an evangelistic tool in itself.
— building relationships with parents as they arrive and depart with their children. Provide a waiting area with refreshments for the parents and interact with them.
