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Songs, Snacks, & Skits: Tracing the Roots of Vacation Bible School

  • Writer: Chad Lee
    Chad Lee
  • 1 day ago
  • 4 min read

Updated: 3 minutes ago

Type of Doctrine: Typically Tertiary


"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."

-Proverbs 22:6 ESV



Many American Christians who grew up attending church are familiar with Vacation Bible School (VBS). It's true: Some VBS programs today don't resemble a vacation (especially for the volunteers!). So how did it get this name? What is Vacation Bible School?


When church traditions are adopted and practiced for a long period of time, it can become easy to accept them uncritically. Strangely, we occasionally lose track of the reason they were adopted in the first place. We may be completely unaware of their origins. But digging into the history of church traditions often sheds light on their purpose, which yields insight.


Let's explore the roots of Vacation Bible School.


First, what is Vacation Bible School? It is typically a one-week event where kids attend a program at the church that includes songs, games, crafts, snacks, Bible lessons, and skits in the summer (hence the name "Vacation Bible School"). They typically take on a different theme each year. The purpose is usually to evangelize and build up children in the faith.



The Beginning


Next, we will explore the beginning of Vacation Bible School. Unfortunately, there are not many good resources which cover the history of VBS extensively. Some trace the early beginnings to the Civil War time period. Others claim that it began in the 1870s in Canada. However, the story that follows is well-attested among many sources.


In the 1890s, Walker Aylett Hawes, the wife of a doctor who specialized in medical ministry to children, realized that children were getting injured in the summer by playing on the streets of New York City. She thought that it would be much safer and that their time would be better spent in a school where the Bible was taught. Consequently, in 1898 she began a Bible school (called "Everyday Bible School") in a beer hall with an evangelistic emphasis.


Thus, in New York City, the concept of VBS was born to reach children and get them off the streets in the summer.



The Expansion


Three years later, in 1901, these Bible Schools took on the name "Vacation Bible School" and multiplied throughout the East Side of New York City. Under Robert G. Boville, Vacation Bible Schools continued to expand throughout New York City to keep idle kids during the summer out of trouble.


The idea quickly spread to Philadelphia and Chicago, and in a few short years, VBS had spread across the nation. Simultaneously, and apparently disconnected from the Vacation Bible Schools in the Northeast, some churches in the Midwest were experimenting with a similar summer Bible school idea. Soon churches of all denominations were offering VBS.


Many of the early Vacation Bible Schools ran for up to seven weeks. However, over time they were scaled down to about two weeks. Some critics back then, as contemporary critics do, questioned the educational value and wondered if it was simply free childcare.[1] Others, however, considered VBS an effective way to reach children (and their families).


Therefore, in a few short years, VBS expanded across the nation from New York City.


Modernization


As time has gone by, publishers have continued to develop VBS curriculum with different themes each year. Many churches today offer VBS.


However, it appears to be waning. For example, in 2013, a Barna study demonstrated that two out of three American churches offer VBS while one out of three churches don't offer VBS (which is a significant change from one out of five churches not offering VBS a couple of decades prior).[2]


Though they began as multi-week Vacation Bible Schools, today many run for about one week in the summer.


In sum, Vacation Bible Schools have multiplied across the nation from their humble beginnings in New York City. Indeed, they have even stretched outside of America into other nations. VBS programs are primarily intended to evangelize and spiritually form children. However, their influence appears to be in decline most recently.



Takeaways

  • Though VBS feels like a well-established tradition to us, it is only slightly over 100 years old (which means the church existed for 1900 years without VBS).

  • VBS is not required, but there is freedom to contextualize and utilize VBS to reach people with the gospel.

  • People have questioned for decades if it is accomplishing the purpose that is intended or if it is simply providing fun for kids and childcare for families.

  • The original purpose seems to have been to evangelize and keep children off the streets of New York City.

  • At its best, VBS evangelizes, forms spiritually, produces good memories, and develops community. On the other hand, VBS can require a large amount of volunteers, a significant amount of effort and time, and it can fail to accomplish its purpose.




Helpful Links:


End Notes:

[1] Chris Gehrz, "A Brief History of Vacation Bible School," The Anxious Bench, June 22, 2017, accessed July 23, 2026, https://www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiousbench/2017/06/vbs-brief-history/.


[2] Ibid.

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