How to Disciple Kids (and Families) after VBS
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You’ve spent months planning VBS—crafting the curriculum, organizing games, coordinating snacks—and it paid off. New families visited, kids heard God’s Word, and many responded to Christ. It’s tempting to start planning next year immediately, but while the momentum is fresh, it's the best time to build on what happened. The excitement and energy that accompany VBS doesn’t have to be limited to one week a year. Post-VBS is a prime opportunity to equip parents to keep the conversation going at home and encourage spiritual growth year-round.
Why Is Discipling Kids after VBS Important?
VBS, for many, is a “mountain top" faith experience. Surrounded by fellow brothers and sisters in Christ with dedicated time in God’s Word, it’s easy to get swept up in worship and praising the Lord. VBS offers a “quick hit” of biblical truth that can lead to an invitation to accept Christ, ignite a fire for missions, and inspire investment in a lifelong relationship with Christ—all good things! But, it’s not practical to carve out two to three hours every day to study the Bible, spend time in prayer, learn about missions, and serve our communities. Day-to-day life is busy, there are many distractions, and our spiritual gusto quickly turns into spiritual apathy.
To prevent this from happening, churches need to continue investing in children and their families after the week is over. My youngest daughter recently accepted Christ. She said, “Wow! I thought that would be hard, but saying 'yes' to Jesus was an easy decision!” She’s absolutely right, and this concept can apply to VBS too. Saying yes to coming to VBS isn’t difficult for most. But, a daily commitment to discipleship, a dedication to growing in God’s Word and godliness, that’s the hard part, that takes work! And for many families, especially those who came to VBS as visitors, a support system is needed. They need a church community to come alongside and provide tools, strategies, and partnership in building on the faith foundations from VBS.
What Are Some Effective VBS Follow-Up Strategies?
Families are busy, and a Barna survey found that only 1 in 10 spend time reading God’s Word together. As a mom to three girls ages 12, 10, and 8, I get it! It feels like we are always running out of time; spending even a few minutes a day as a family to study the Scriptures takes effort. That’s why weeks like VBS are vital to spiritual growth and renewal, but ultimately, to grow our faith, we can’t just depend on a one-week event—it’s a lifelong learning process. Here are a few ideas for how we can continue the conversations from VBS within families, so that they not only maintain but also deepen their faith.
Create a follow-up family devotional that expands upon the Scriptures and principles covered in VBS. Many VBS curricula have resources for purchase, or your church can create its own. We want to help families engage with the Scriptures together, so they understand not only what the Bible says but also how to apply it to their lives. Make sure there are plenty of discussion questions and tangible ways to live out the message's truth.
Many churches take summers off from Bible study; this would be a great time to host a family discipleship class. Once a week, again, building and expanding upon themes and digging deeper into Scripture covered during VBS. Create an opportunity for both parents and children to study God’s Word together within the context of the church community.
Start a group on social media, a messaging app, or a text chain for parents. Church leadership can use this opportunity to share additional discipleship resources and to allow parents to ask questions and be encouraged as they share prayer requests and experiences.
The Role of Parents/Families in Post-VBS Discipleship
While the role of the church is vital in aiding our children’s spiritual development, Christian parents were never meant to outsource the discipleship of their children—not to the church, not to a school, not to a podcast, and not to their child's peer group. That responsibility belongs at home, in conversation, in the everyday moments where faith is either passed on or quietly lost.
As long as our children are under our roof, our primary job is to protect and guide them. But they will not always be under our roof. Our job is also to prepare them—to send them into the world not just knowing what they believe, but knowing why, and knowing how to stand in it with confidence and grace.
Scripture is unambiguous about this calling. From Deuteronomy 6 to Psalm 78 to Proverbs 22, the command to pass down faith to the next generation runs like a thread through the entire biblical narrative. The generational blessings of faithfulness and the sobering consequences of silence are both on full display throughout Scripture—and they are just as relevant today. So, as a church, you have an opportunity to help these parents disciple the next generation.
Tips for Connecting VBS Visitors to Your Church
VBS is a great way to reach out to the community, encourage wayward Christians to return to church, or introduce someone to the faith. It’s uplifting to see a wave of new faces in God’s house. However, churches often struggle to bring visitors back to join in Sunday worship and other activities.
One tip for getting visitors to connect with your church is to offer an adult VBS alongside your children’s event. This is an opportunity for parents and guardians to engage with the same biblical content as their children, which will naturally help them foster conversation and connections outside of VBS. The church can also use this opportunity to get to know these visitors on a personal level, introduce them to discipleship classes and ministries based on their season of life, and provide tools for family discipleship after VBS.
Another way to encourage visitors to connect with your church is to host a family night at the end of VBS. Nowadays, most people are not interested in filling out a paper card but are more than willing to scan a QR code and enter their information digitally. Offering a giveaway is a great way to incentivize visitors to fill out the connection forms. Once VBS is over, church leadership can plan to reach out to these visitors by phone, text, and handwritten letters to inform them about services and upcoming events. Side note: sending postcards and magnets with dates is a great reminder for people, since they are typically more likely to place them on their fridges. It’s a permanent reminder that the church cares about them and desires that they be part of the family!
Simple Next Steps for Discipling Kids after VBS
I know that while you desire to make the most of your VBS, both during the week and long after, it can feel a bit overwhelming. Let me leave you with three things that will help simplify your post-VBS discipleship strategy.
First, look for a VBS curriculum that can serve your church beyond a week. Do they have lessons that can be incorporated into Sunday School? Is there a follow-up devotional that can be sent home with the kids? Is there anything for parents and guardians to help them better connect with what their child is learning during VBS?
Second, make sure you collect the phone numbers and addresses of the kids attending VBS so you can check with their parents, provide supplemental materials, offer to pray for their families, and inform them about ways to get plugged into the church.
Third, pray. I know, it seems too simple. Yet, think about Jesus’ words in Matthew 9: 37-38, “Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.'” Jesus is not commanding His disciples to go out and do more work; instead, He encourages them to pray over the work they’ve already done.
Start with these steps, trust God with the outcomes, and keep investing in kids and families—one conversation, one prayer, one week at a time.
She lives in Upstate South Carolina with her husband and three young girls, where she serves as director of women's ministries at her church. Her passion is teaching the Bible to women, equipping them to live with an eternal perspective. Invite Laura to speak at your next event or learn more: www.LauraRBailey.com