Written by our friends at Amazing Life. This is a paid partnership.
Some statistics make church leaders want to panic. You’ve probably seen them. Stats about kids walking away from church. Stats about Gen Z and faith. Stats about families attending less often than they used to.
And honestly? Some of those numbers are sobering. They should get our attention. But they do not have to make us grasp tighter, panic more, or build ministries that are only focused on bolting kids to our church walls.
The story of faith is usually longer than one Sunday, one school year, one week, one ministry phase, or one church.
Faith formation is rarely a straight line. Kids grow. Families move. Students question. Young adults drift. Some return. Some find a new church. Some remember a song, a leader, a prayer, a conversation, a week of VBS, or a moment when they felt known by people who loved Jesus.
That means children’s ministry leaders are not just planning programs. You are planting seeds. And VBS may be one of the clearest ways your church gets to play the long game in a kid’s life.
The long game changes how we measure success.
It is natural to wonder, “How many VBS families came back the next Sunday?”
That is a good question. It matters. We should care about follow-up, connection, and inviting families into the life of the church.
But it cannot be the only question.
What if a kid comes to your VBS for one week, hears that Jesus loves them, learns the name of one safe adult, sings a worship song they remember for years, and then does not walk back into your building again?
Was that week still worth it? Absolutely.
Because your church may not be the whole story. Your church may be one chapter. That kid may end up at a youth group across town in middle school. They may visit a church with a friend in college. They may remember VBS years later when they are wrestling with who God is. They may become a parent one day and decide to bring their own child to church because somewhere deep down, church still feels like a place where joy, safety, and Jesus can be found.
That is the long game.
The long game does not minimize the local church. It expands our imagination for what the local church can do.
VBS is bigger than your building.
One of the beautiful things about VBS is that it often reaches families who may not be ready for Sunday morning yet.
Some parents will send their child to VBS before they will attend a worship service. Some kids will come because a neighbor invited them. Some grandparents will register a grandchild. Some families will show up because your church is close, the theme looks fun, or the week gives their child something meaningful to do during the summer.
That means VBS is a chance to be intentional and deeply strategic with how your church views your impact in a kids life.
VBS creates a low-pressure, high-trust doorway into the life of the church. It gives kids a week of Scripture, worship, relationships, imagination, and memory-making. It gives parents a reason to interact with your team. It gives volunteers a chance to use their gifts. It gives your church a chance to serve your community with open hands.
And sometimes, the most important thing your church gives a family is not a perfect first impression.
It is a person.
A leader who learns a child’s name. A volunteer who notices when a kid is nervous. A small group leader who says, “I’m glad you’re here.” A church that follows up with warmth instead of pressure.
That is what kids remember.
Partnership matters because no one church carries the whole story.
Paul gave the church a helpful picture for this kind of ministry: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.”
That is a freeing image for children’s ministry leaders.
One plants. One waters. God grows.
Your church may be the place where a child first hears the name of Jesus. Another church may be where that same child gets baptized years later. A camp counselor may answer their hardest question. A youth pastor may help them rebuild trust. A parent, grandparent, small group leader, or friend may water something your VBS planted long ago.
That means we do not have to act like every child’s faith story must begin, grow, and stay inside our walls in order to count. The goal is not simply that kids love our church. The goal is that kids know they are loved by Jesus and have a faith that can grow with them for a lifetime.
Three practical ways to play the long game this VBS:
1. Hand them a person, not just a place
A flyer can tell a family where your church is. A person can show a family who your church is. Instead of only sending families home with service times, make sure every child and parent has a real point of connection. Give them a leader’s name. Introduce them to a small group volunteer. Help them know who to ask for if they come back. The long game is built through relationships, not just reminders.
2. Follow up when they expect it – and when they do not
Most families kind of expect some kind of follow-up right after VBS. A thank-you email and an invitation to Sunday. Those are good. But what if you thought longer?
What if your team collected names, photos, and meaningful moments in a way that allowed you to follow up later with care? A birthday note months later. A “we’re praying for your school year” message in August. A handwritten card years later when a child transitions into middle school or high school. A simple “we always thank God for you every time we remember you” can become a powerful picture of God’s faithfulness.
3. Market beyond your four walls
If VBS is only promoted inside your church, it will mostly reach people already inside your church. But VBS has always had the potential to move outward.
Put the posters where families actually go. Coffee shops. Daycare centers. Schools. Libraries. Neighborhood Facebook groups. Sports leagues. Community centers. Pediatric offices. Apartment complexes.
This is not just event marketing. It is pastoral imagination. You are not simply inviting families to a week of programming. You are creating a doorway for kids in your community to encounter Jesus, build memories, and connect with people who care about their future.
That is one of the reasons we are so excited about VBS ALL IN with Dude Perfect. Yes, it is fun. Yes, it will grab kids’ attention. But more than that, it is designed to help churches create a week kids want to show up for—and a week they may remember long after summer is over.
You may never know the full impact.
Children’s ministry leaders live with a holy kind of mystery. You do not always get to see what grows from the seeds you plant. You may not know which worship song gets remembered. Which Bible story lands. Which volunteer becomes unforgettable. Which anxious parent feels relieved. Which child starts to believe church might be a place where they belong.
But that does not mean the impact is small. It may mean the impact is still unfolding.
VBS helps your church play the long game because it invites you to see every child as someone with a future, not just someone on this year’s registration list. Some kids will come back next Sunday. Some will come back next year. Some may not come back to your church at all. But by the grace of God, the seeds you plant may show up in their story years from now.
So plan the games. Print the signs. Recruit the volunteers. Prepare the snacks. Practice the motions. Welcome the families. Learn the names.
And remember: you are not just hosting a week of VBS. You are joining God in the long, patient, beautiful work of forming faith in the life of a child.
