Question
I know a lot of congregations have “Vacation Bible School.” I’ve often wondered where congregations get their authority for that. Just the name itself implies that there is a separated time to take to study the word of God. Shouldn’t the word of God be a part of children’s everyday life and not a vacation?
What do you think about vacation bible school and where do congregations get their authority?
Answers
There is no specified time we should study the Bible (2 Timothy 4:2). Certainly parents should teach the Bible to their children regularly (Ephesians 6:4; cf. Deuteronomy 6:6-7). The church should have a regular program for Bible study for all ages at all times of the year (1 Timothy 3:14-15). It is just that during school vacations children have more free time, thus, that is an opportune time to have an additional teaching/learning activity. It involves the wise use of time (Ephesians 5:15-16).
The work of the local church is limited to evangelism (1 Thessalonians 1:1,6-8), edification (Ephesians 4:12-16), and benevolence toward needy Christians (Acts 4:34-35). If VBS includes entertainment or recreation, it is unauthorized. If it is simply a classroom arrangement for the local church to teach the Bible, it is generically authorized in the same way the Bible class arrangement for teaching the Bible is. God has specified the organization, the autonomous local congregation (1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Peter 5:1-4) and the subject to be taught, the Bible (Galatians 1:8-9; Romans 15:4). He has not specified the time (2 Timothy 4:2), place (Acts 20:20), or arrangement, whether it be the whole church assembled in one place (1 Corinthians 11:18; 14:23), groups smaller than the church (Acts 20:17; Galatians 2:2), or even printed material (e.g., Paul’s letters to churches). Thus, “Meditate on These Things”, our web site www.christistheway.com, and our podcast, sharpsermons.org, are generically authorized even though they are done electronically, something obviously not mentioned specifically in the Bible.
Brotherly,
Keith Sharp
