This is the time of year when churches all around the country are either wrapping up their VBS for this summer or getting their VBS in before the school year starts again. All the planning was done months ago, volunteers were recruited, supplies were purchased, skits were rehearsed, games were planned, and VBS went off without a hitch. Everyone breathes a collective sigh of relief and wishes one another a hearty, “I can’t wait until we get to do this all again next year.”
Often though, as we move on towards getting ready for the new fall season in the children’s ministry or any number of other things, we forget to capitalize on a valuable assets. That asset is the collective knowledge, comments and suggestions of those who worked your VBS. While it is still fresh in their minds, ask your staff and volunteers for their input on what went well, what didn’t work and what should be done differently next summer. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to to constantly improve by reflecting on the past. Immediately after VBS is over, give everyone a questionnaire and ask them to give you some input. I do suggest waiting until they’ve had a good nights sleep though. If your VBS week is like ours, it can be extremely exhausting! Here are some questions you might consider including:
Practical Tip: When you first draft your VBS schedule, always plan for evaluation meetings in advance. Otherwise you might forget this step. You’re VBS publishers often want to hear this feedback too. Check their official websites for comment forms or surveys.
General Background Questions
- What is your name (you may fill this survey out anonymously, but we would appreciate the chance to follow up with you on your comments is you are willing)?
- What was your position in VBS?
- What age group did you serve with?
- Have you volunteered before?
- How many years have you done VBS?
- What positions have you had previously?
Questions related to Administrative Issues
- What could have been better organized?
- Do you feel like you received adequate training prior to VBS?
- Do you feel like you received adequate written materials prior to VBS?
- Are there any portions / stations / aspects of VBS which could be run better?
- Is there anything you would do to make the whole process more efficient?
- Where you given adequate resources to fulfill your role at VBS?
- Was the “chain of command” clear to you?
- Was the person you reported to able to provide clear guidance and answers to questions?
Your Impression of VBS
- What part(s) of VBS went well?
- What could have been better?
- Was VBS well planned?
- What was your favorite part of VBS?
- What was your least favorite part of VBS?
- Did you find your role in VBS to be fulfilling?
- Did you have fun?
- Please share one “success story” from this week.
- If you have done VBS before, how did this year’s VBS compare to prior years?
How did Kids respond to VBS
- For the kids you led, what was their favorite part of VBS?
- For the kids you led, what was their least favorite part of VBS?
- Did the kids you led have fun?
- Did you see God working in the lives of any kids this week? If so, how?
- Did your kids related to the VBS theme?
Looking Forward to Next Year
- What would you change for next year?
- What do you wish you would have known going into VBS?
- What could be done to make VBS more fun next year?
- What could be done to make VBS more effective in terms of outreach?
- What could be done to make your role in VBS easier next year?
- Based on your experience, would you volunteer again next year?
You can download these questions in a formated Word document or print friendly PDF file. Be sure to browse all our resourced for Vacation Bible School.