Research confirms, they will come to VBS if you invite them!

Melita Thomas, VBS & Kid's Ministry Specialist for LifeWay shares new findings released as part of a massive research study currently being conducted on VBS. Baptist Press and Facts & Trends released the info last week.  (Go HERE for the research data) 

Melita writes:

There were two big takeaways for me:
(1) 6 out of 10 American adults recall going to VBS as a child and have largely positive feelings about VBS to this day (even those who did not attend VBS have positive views of VBS). Many of these parents want those same kinds of experiences and memories for their children. So VBS is still something parents want for their kids. That's good news for churches!

(2) Two-thirds of American parents agree they would encourage their child to attend VBS if invited by a friend. That's huge! This includes unchurched parents and parents from other faith traditions … not just Christian parents. Said a different way: 2 out of 3 parents would agree to send their kid to VBS if a friend asked. 

So if kids aren't coming, it might just be because we've stopped asking. (And IMO, mass appeals on Facebook or on the church website don't count. Nothing can replace a personal invitation.)

I thought you might find it interesting/challenging/encouraging. Hopefully, you'll find it helpful as you work with churches getting ready for VBS in just a few short weeks.

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Melita Thomas
VBS & Kids Ministry Specialist | LifeWay Kids