Vacation Bible School (VBS)
A summer week of Bible camp for children, held at the church — mornings or evenings of songs, stories, crafts, games, and snacks, usually with an elaborate theme.
What they actually mean
“"Church summer camp for kids, at the church, for a week. Free, usually."”
Heard in the wild
“VBS is the week of June 15 — the theme is 'Ocean Adventure.'”
“I gave my life to Christ at VBS when I was seven.”
The Lighter Side
Five days of glitter, songs with hand motions, and a theme song that parents will still be humming in November. The volunteers have not slept.
The longer version
What it means
Vacation Bible School is a church's summer program for kids, usually a Monday-to-Friday week of mornings (or evenings) for children from preschool through elementary age. Each day has an opening rally with high-energy songs and hand motions, then rotations through stations — Bible story, crafts, games, snacks, music — organized by age group and tied to a theme. The church is transformed for the week: cardboard palm trees in the hallways, a "spaceship" in the fellowship hall. Friday often ends with a family program where the kids perform the songs. VBS is typically free and open to any child in the community.
Why people say it
Churches run VBS because children remember it: the songs, the stories, and the week's central message stick in ways a Sunday lesson doesn't. It's also the church's best outreach — parents who never attend will drop their kids off for free childcare with a Bible lesson, and many families first connect with a church that way. And it's a formation event for the volunteers, who find out what they're capable of when three hundred kids arrive Monday morning.
How to respond
If a church invites your kids to VBS, it's a real offer: free, safe, fun, and yes, with Bible teaching — decide with that in mind. Ask about safety policies and volunteer screening (any good church has them). Your kids will come home with crafts, songs, and possibly a strong opinion about a Bible story. If the church invites you to the Friday program, go; it's the most fun you'll have in a church that summer.
If you hear it in different churches
Baptist, Methodist, evangelical, and non-denominational churches run VBS as a summer institution; Southern Baptists essentially invented the modern form. Presbyterians and Lutherans run it too. Catholics have started "Vacation Bible Camp" or "Totus Tuus" in many parishes. Anglicans in Britain call it a "holiday club." Orthodox parishes have summer church camps. Evangelical megachurches run VBS for thousands with production values to match.
Where does “Vacation Bible School (VBS)” come from?
Summer Bible programs for children appeared in the 1890s: a Sunday school teacher in Hopewell, Illinois, ran one in 1894, and Eliza Hawes's "Everyday Bible School" in New York in 1898 is often called the first. The Baptist and Methodist churches organized VBS nationally in the 1920s, and Southern Baptist publishing (now Lifeway) produced the first curriculum kits; by the 1950s VBS was a fixture of American Protestant summers. Themed kits with matching music and decorations arrived in the 1980s–90s and now dominate.
Good to know
VBS is free or nearly free, open to any child (church member or not), and one of the biggest outreach events on many churches' calendars. Themes are purchased as kits from Christian publishers — jungle, space, ocean, Wild West — with matching songs, decorations, and crafts. Parents drop kids off for three hours a day for a week; the church's volunteers decorate the whole building and collapse afterward.
You might also hear
Sunday School
Church Life & ServicesBible classes held at church on Sunday — for children during or before the service, and for adults in age- or topic-based groups.
“"Church classes on Sunday — kids in one room, grown-ups in another."”
Youth Group
Youth Group & CampA church's program for teenagers, usually meeting midweek, mixing games, food, a short Bible talk, and time with friends.
“"The church's teen night."”
Outreach
Ministry & LeadershipChurch activities aimed at people outside the church — service projects, community events, food drives, anything that meets neighbors where they are.
“"The church going out to meet the neighborhood, instead of waiting for it to come in."”
Common questions
Is VBS free?+
Usually, or nearly so — churches run it as a gift to the community. Some charge a small fee for materials.
Do my kids have to be church members?+
No. VBS is open to any child, and churches specifically hope non-member families will come.
How much Bible is there?+
A daily Bible story and a central message tied to the theme, plus songs with scripture. It's a Christian program, openly, and also mostly games, crafts, and snacks.
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Written by Rev. Christopher D.F. Warrington, Ordained Minister, M.Div. · Updated September 2026
This entry was compiled with AI assistance and has not yet been reviewed by an ordained pastor.