The Success of Vacation Bible School
Two-thirds (68 percent) of churches in America put on a vacation Bible school (VBS) last summer, according to a new Barna Group study, and it appears the summertime event for children will continue to be popular with churches in the years to come.
Eighty-one percent of churches offered VBS in 1997, and although the percentage has dipped slightly since that time, the majority of churches continue to put on such events each year.
"VBS remains a key way for churches to minister to their community-and not just to the kids, but to the parents as well," Clint Jenkin, vice president of research for Barna Group, said in a statement on the study's findings. "And VBS isn't just summer Sunday school. It can be more focused on unchurched families and offer a more intensive program that allows for greater flexibility in content and delivery.
