From the chaos of craft tables to the joyful chorus of children’s voices accepting Christ, Vacation Bible School volunteers know they’re part of something transformative. And Tennessee Baptist Mission Board leaders are doubling down on their commitment to keep this summer tradition thriving for generations to come.
“Even today, VBS remains a significant part of most churchgoers’ spiritual journey and consistently proves to be our most effective outreach program. We don’t want to stop that momentum — we want to amplify it,” said Steve Holt, TBMB’s church services director.
The goal for VBS trainings this year is to move toward a more collaborative, network-based model where churches are connected with local volunteer experts.
Holt explained, “Instead of needing to be experts ourselves or having a full-time staff member, we want to develop a network in places like McMinnville or Dixon where we can connect people with local experts who can help them when needed.”
This approach isn’t new. As Holt notes, the cascading training model has long been their method for delivering VBS curriculum and best practices from the regional level down to individual congregations.
Shifting away from one-source focus
The VBS training network also fits into the trend of churches moving away from just one specific curriculum brand (think Lifeway) and into different brands.
“So, what’s happened over the years is churches use all kinds of different curriculum. Lifeway is not the only one,” said Holt.
Organizers agree that all VBS leaders will benefit regardless of the church’s curriculum choice.
The training is shifting away from solely focusing on a specific curriculum to a more generic, principle-based approach. They will broadly cover topics like how to best teach preschoolers and children, and how to overall best reach youth.
This approach of “Tennessee network of ministry consultants” shifts away from centralized leadership, but Holt emphasized that churches won’t be left without guidance and support.
“Over the years, we’ve had local church members serve as state leaders. That’s the model we plan to return to,” Holt explained.
“We’ll find somebody in a local church who may be on staff, may be a lay leader. For years, we had a lady from Knoxville who was just very passionate about VBS, and she led our state team.”
Essentially, TBMB’s team trains regional association leaders, who then share their knowledge with local churches in their areas. Church members can then receive role-specific VBS training tailored to their needs.
VBS remains a cornerstone of effective evangelism. It consistently proves its transformative impact on young lives, even in an era of changing church programs and ministry approaches.
“VBS is the best evangelistic outreach that our churches have. Most churches, they’ll see more people, particularly kids, make a decision for Jesus during VBS more than any other thing that they do,” said Holt.
VBS impact
According to Lifeway statistics, VBS programs report an average of 1.1 salvations per trained volunteer, while 25% of baptisms reported by the Southern Baptist Convention come from VBS. This data suggests a remarkable return on spiritual investment and a reason to continue supporting the churches and volunteers that participate in VBS.
“We want to honor our commitment to our associations and churches by ensuring they have the training needed to effectively reach children for Christ and help them grow in their faith,” Holt said.
TBMB will hold five regional VBS training events across the state in English and four events in Spanish to serve Tennessee’s diverse faith communities.
Training days, in English, include:
- Saturday, March 1, Victory Baptist Church, Mount Juliet, 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CST
- Tuesday, March 4, Calvary Baptist Church, Jackson, 6:15 – 8:45 p.m. CST
- Tuesday, March 11, Morristown First Baptist Church, Jackson, 6:15 – 8:45 p.m. EDT
- Saturday, April 5, Indian Springs Baptist Church, Kingsport, 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. EDT
- Saturday, April 12, Athens First Baptist Church, Athens, 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. EDT
Training days, in Spanish, will be on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.:
- March 1, Cookeville First Baptist Church, Cookeville
- March 8, Iglesia Evangélica Bautista Buenas Nuevas, Memphis
- March 15, Iglesia Bautista Renacer, Antioch
- April 5, Iglesia Bautista La Gran Comisión, Morristown
More than 30 local Baptist associations are hosting their own VBS training clinics. These sessions aim to ensure local congregations have the tools and knowledge they need for successful programs.
Churches can now take advantage of these opportunities, as registration opened Jan. 21 for the free training clinics. Go to tnbaptist.org and search under “Events” to find the registration link for each of these training days.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Zoe Watkins and originally published by the Baptist and Reflector.
