Ideas For Evangelism - Way of Life Literature

Vacation Bible SchoolVacation Bible School can be an effective outreachministry. However, effectively winning children to theLord and assimilating them into the church (i.e.discipling them) doesn’t “just happen” because a churchhas a VBS. Truly evangelistic VBS’s must be plannedwell in advance with a concerted emphasis on advertisingand repeatedly encouraging the congregation to go intothe highways and hedges and compel the lost to come in.Add to this the following and the potential for lastingfruit will be greatly increased:1. An effective VBS requires dedicated teachers whohave already demonstrated a burden and love for the ageswith whom they will be working. Churches too oftenassign teachers just because they are available with littleor no concern as to whether they are capable, whetherthey are truly the right people for the job. There are manyqualifications a church needs to look for in those whowould teach children and young people. First of all, theymust be godly, faithful Christian people. That seems toobasic to mention, but all too often the teachers who arechosen to do such work lack even this basic trait.Secondly, the teachers must genuinely love youngpeople. Thirdly, the teachers must be capable of openingup the Word of God to their students, of explaining andapplying spiritual things on the level of their students.Another requirement should be that the teachers have apersonal zeal to reach people with the gospel.2. The VBS curriculum should consist of interesting,biblically-sound lessons with the double goal ofstrengthening and challenging the saved and ofintroducing the lost to Christ. The teachers must112