Responsible to the children’s ministries committee.

Relates closely with the children’s coordinator, the VBS staff.

Ministry mission: To help children develop a friendship with Jesus, with the Bible, with the church, and with each other.

Responsibilities

The Vacation Bible School leader plays a key role in directing the church’s largest outreach program for children and their families and has the following responsibilities:

1. Organization and administration.
2. In consultation with the children’s coordinator, recruits volunteers.
3. Represents VBS on the children’s ministries committee.
4. Develops a VBS budget with the help of the children’s coordinator.
5. Plans the VBS space—which rooms of the church will be used and for what.
6. Plans the VBS time—the date, time of day, and program schedule.
7. Takes responsibility for reporting the VBS event to the local conference.
8. Leads the team in follow-up events.
9. Demonstrates a concern for child safety by completing the volunteer ministry information form and returning it when asked, and by observing the guidelines for volunteers and caregivers.

Coordination of the Vacation Bible School

Delegates leadership of the learning stations to able and responsible leaders; holds them accountable (stations include Bible learning, craft, games, etc). Makes routine staff assignments, as follows:

• Drama ministry—training a small team to do skits for the general session.
• Family visitation ministry—organizing VBS staff to visit students at home
• Follow-up ministry—sending birthday cards and invitations to follow-up events.
• Hospitality ministry—providing daily snacks, organizing food for parent night and follow-up.
• Guiding ministry—training and mentoring teen and adult guides who are each assigned a group of five students to accompany throughout VBS (guides and assists station leaders when asked, but does not teach).
• Music ministry—learning VBS songs, leading the singing at VBS and follow-up events.
• Publicity ministry—communicating and publicizing VBS at church and in the media.
• Registration and record keeping—maintaining and updating student files, name tags.
• Welcoming ministry—greeting, finding name tags, showing where to go.
• Optional—safety patrol, videographer, medical, custodial, parenting seminar.

Screening Volunteers

Helps volunteers match their spiritual gifts with a ministry task as a leader, guide, or aid. Accept only volunteers whose volunteer ministry information forms are up-to- date and who have been approved by the screening committee.

Training and Equipping

• Attends a conference VBS workshop where VBS programs are demonstrated or checks on-line for church-recommended programs.
• In consultation with the children’s coordinator, selects a VBS program and orders the materials.
• Holds VBS staff meetings to communicate the mission and goals of VBS, distribute curriculum materials to station directors and job descriptions to the staff, explain logistics, the schedule, procedures, and traffic flow.
• Conducts regular VBS staff meetings; encourages volunteers in their personal prayer life.
• Trains the staff in how to invite children to accept Jesus in an age-appropriate way.
• Mentors a promising leader for future VBS leadership. 

Time Commitment