I know this is as tired a rant as possible. Every year around this time bloggers choose to write about this topic. I think I’ve already done two or three of these, but I’ve gotta do one more. I just have to. I have no choice, because this is weighing heavily on my heart, as we say in ChurchSpeak.
Wherever I go I pass at least one church. Usually two or three and, if I’m travelling very long distances, four or more. It’s VBS season so that means every church I pass has a big, expensive banner outside advertising their big expensive VBS. Since I don’t have kids I realise I’m far from the target market so crocodiles and extreme sports and tropical islands with a salvation theme are not really geared toward me at all.
That disclaimer aside I feel qualified to assert my points because I am a Christian. That makes me a member of The Church. I’m also the member of a local church (which does have a VBS program.) Churches in America are continuing to be flummoxed about why their churches are losing attendees. I think that I can be confident in saying that one of the answers can be found in VBS.
The message of Vacation Bible School has always been a simple one, and one that was easily conveyed to me in the 1970s through macaroni art, grape Kool-Aid, graham crackers and The Wordless Book. I know my childhood home church made an investment in VBS, and I know the message was worthwhile. But as the Gospel seems to have taken a back seat to Glitz it has become harder and harder for me to see VBS as a net gain for any local church. While the Gospel message is of paramount importance I no longer see that as the primary driver for modern VBS. I’ve been told by more than one children’s pastor that the event-driven Bible School is a loss leader designed to attract families. With its slick packaging, broadway-style showtunes and Martha Stewart style crafts the VBS of the new millenium is clearly designed to attract the parents of children as much as the children themselves. It’s designed to impress parents with the wealth and resources of the church and to make that particular church stand out in the minds of potential givers. It is a way that the church has allowed the world to light its path–instead of vice versa.
For nearly every family that VBS draws to a local congregation there are families like mine that are alienated from those same congregations. That very visible expenditure on non-essentials is galling when one considers the many out-of-work, ill or displaced Least Of These that are being ignored in favour of selling church to wealthy Christians.
So as churches continue to wonder where their attendees have gone allow me to suggest that perhaps those attendees have decided to take matters into their own hands and are now giving tithes and time directly to those in need instead of allowing funds to be funnelled through a congregation that acts more like a country club. It’s just a thought.
Just Another Pretty Farce 
Hmmm – I sense the Mennonite force is strong with you, young Coble. 🙂
But, you come awfully close to an exact quote of Judas:
“Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages”
🙂
To be honest, we have no idea how much aid to the poor, children and adults, any given church is doing ALONG WITH VBS, youth programs, and other forms of outreach.
A personal example:
The membership at my church was strong but facing death by demography a few years ago (how many young families live in Belle Meade/West Meade/Hillwood?). At that time, we communally made a concerted effort to reach out to as many young families/children as we could.
The result has been a revitalization of a dying church. Now we have MORE energy for things such as helping the poor. Being Methodists, we place an extremely high emphasis on supporting the greater community and the poor, and with a youthful infusion, we are getting better at it.
So, I’d say you are missing a piece of the puzzle. We are no glitzy megachurch, just a greying church in a greying neighborhood that refused to die gracefully while we still had a commission to fulfill.
You’re prooftexting Judas. And Jesus’ response to him, which you seem to have overlooked was that the poor would always be with the church whereas he, Jesus, was only here for awhile. So the money spent directly in Worship of the GodMan Christ was not frivolous–unlike, we can infer, it would be once he was gone. He’s gone now. And the poor we always have with us.
You yourself ate making my point further when you talk of your church setting out to attract a specific market demographic.
Have individual congregations really become so much like Tv networks? Yep. And that’s why even as chrches make gains in one area–young families with children–the church in America is experiencing a net loss as non desireables move to nontraditional forms of worship and outreach.
All good points.
My biggest complaint about VBS is what I call the VBS hard sell. Some churches take the position that VBS may be the only time a child ever steps into a church and they pressure these little kids through psychological manipulation so they will “invite Jesus into their hearts.”
Why trust in the Lord when you can manipulate?
I understand the points you are making, but why does it have to be either-or? I think many modern churches don’t emphasize the poor enough, but evangelism is also important, and I think VBS is a valuable way to do that. It’s a wise move to reach kids when they are young. I just don’t understand the philosophy that every cent that a church spends must be on the poor, and if the church dares buy a DVD player has lost their way. I’m with you to some degree, churches need to tighten their belts and focus on essential ministries. To me, VBS is one of them. I’m not saying VBS shouldn’t watch how they spend their money, though. I haven’t been to VBS, and my church doesn’t have one, so I guess I don’t see all this waste that you are seeing.
And what you call marketing to a certain demographic, I have no doubt that happens, but what if it’s a church simply trying to reach a certain people group? If it’s money based, that’s wrong, but if it’s like “hey, there are a lot of young families in this area, why not try to reach them” I don’t see anything wrong with that. Sometimes it is a thin line between “marketing” vs. “meeting people where they are.”
[…] is Not for The Kids Posted on June 24, 2009 by Aunt B. At lunch today we were talking about Coble’s post about vacation Bible school (or VBS, for the hip) and NM was asking if it wasn’t just basically a big old baby-sitting […]
[…] Triggered By Other People’s Thoughts Wednesday the 24th of June, 2009 — Rivikah Coble might be at least partially right about why churches think they do VBS. I think a lot of churches […]
I agree. Although I would submit that the problem isn’t VBS, but how we’ve done it. I blame the publishers who are continually watering down curriculums to sell more and more “stuff”. I’ve seen firsthand that churches who focus on the Bible and the Gospel see great results at their Vacation Bible School. The ones who just want to put on a show are usually frustrated and burned out by their annual, virtually fruitless extravaganzas!