What To Do After VBS

It’s the last day of VBS. The band’s finished their final song. All the games and crafts are done and the last kid just got picked up.

You’re left standing in the remains of a once great and proud VBS. You see some of your leaders heading out and you wish you could sneak out too but you know you can’t because even though VBS is “done” it’s not really done, is it?

So what should you do when VBS is done? Here are a few things:

Clean up
Remember those leaders trying to sneak out? Don’t let them go just yet. Grab some of them to help you pick up trash, put tables and chairs away, vacuum, and make sure everything’s Sunday ready. If you can have a clean up team ready to go beforehand so you don’t have to scramble to find help on the last day.

Follow up
Send a note to all the kids who accepted Christ. Make sure everything got put away right, all the bills got paid, and your parent letter gets sent out.

Evaluate
Sit down with your leadership team to evaluate how everything went. What worked, what didn’t work, and what was missing are great questions to ask when evaluating your VBS. Write everything down and put your notes somewhere that you’ll be able to find when you start planning for next year.

Celebrate
Let your volunteers and church leadership know how many kids made decisions for Christ. Share stories of how God worked during your time with the kids. Celebrating comes naturally to some more than others but we all need to make time to celebrate what God has done as much for us as for our team.

Thank everyone who helped
This and celebrating are probably the hardest things for me to do because I’m either so tired from doing all the stuff I’ve done or so overwhelmed by all the stuff I need to do. But showing gratitude is important for us as leaders to do. Notes (especially hand written ones), texts, gifts, gift cards, and extra time off are all ways to let people know you appreciate their hard work.

Take time off
As tempting as it is to dive back in to the normal flow of ministry it’s crucial for you to rest, relax, and have fun. Time away doing things you love with people you love will refuel your tank and give you the energy you need for the next season of ministry.

What would you add to this list?