7 Reasons Why Group May Not Be the Easy VBS

One of the reasons we chose Group’s SCUBA VBS was because it’s marketed as the “easy VBS.” Maybe that’s because small group leaders do not have to do any prep (which, I’ll admit, is very appealing.) That said, having just finished our week of VBS, here are 7 reasons why Group may not actually be the easy VBS.

1. It’s not always age appropriate. Monday’s Bible point—God is a friend who’s real—is not actually something that most preschoolers through 5th graders wonder. Most littles start with the assumption that God is real. (I mean really, think about all the other things that are real at that age. Santa. Unicorns. Narwhals. They don’t even think to question God’s realness.) Tuesday’s lesson on Jonah focuses on the depravity of the Ninevites in a way that loses the Bible point (God is a friend who loves). Thursday’s lesson on Jesus’ death and resurrection focuses too much on the brutality of the crucifixion. 
2. It drastically overestimates what’s possible in 20-25 minutes. Every single one of my station leaders struggled to condense what Group gave us into our allotted time. While I’m someone who believes in giving leader’s more than what they need, this curriculum had so much excess that leaders had to spend considerable time figuring out how to adapt their lesson for Group’s own time recommendations. 
3. The songs are a little lackluster when performed live. The videos have a high production value, but if you choose to use a live worship band, there’s simply not much to their songs musically or lyrically (although I’ll admit they’re sticky.) They’re also written for adult men, not females or littles.
4. For a curriculum that claims to be multi-denominational, it’s theologically conservative. I serve a church that’s pretty theologically centrist and yet I still spent a significant amount of time rewriting openings, closings, and Deep Bible Adventures, which created unnecessary stress for my VBS team.
5. It uses gendered language for God. God is only ever referred to using masculine pronouns, which limits how leaders and children alike see God and misrepresents the fullness with which the Bible describes God.
6. It’s hard not to feel competitive. Group has the monopoly on VBS. Many towns have multiple churches doing SCUBA this year. This can make it feel like you’re competing for the same pool of kids, which can make it feel like you have to go all out for decorations and extras. That, in turn, can be exhausting for volunteers.
7. It’s costly. Bible buddies. Imagination Station supplies. Buying the music (because we wanted to sing it with live musicians). A Gospel of John for every kid. Confetti for the final day. We cut what we could and still, all these extras add up to a costly VBS week.