Vacation Bible School (VBS) programs may not be as popular as they once were, but VBS remains one of the most common forms of outreach for many churches.

Eighty-five per cent of Southern Baptist pastors surveyed by the denomination's LifeWay Research group said that their congregation had hosted a VBS program in the previous 12 months.

The next most frequently organized kind of outreaches were a prayer emphasis focused on evangelism or unbelievers (58%) and servant evangelism projects (46%). Meanwhile, offering food to people in need was cited as one of the most common ongoing outreach activities, with 77% percent of pastors reporting such involvement.

"Government stats show that use of food stamps is up, and our research shows that requests to churches for financial assistance are up," said Scott McConnell, associate director of LifeWay Research. "Churches have the responsibility to help believers be prepared to share the reason for the hope they have in Jesus Christ, and this is a tangible way of being prepared, as the Scripture calls us to be."

The study also revealed that 43% of pastors "strongly agreed" that evangelism at the church was often overshadowed by other priorities. Only a third of respondents said that evangelism training was an ongoing activity at their church.

Don't miss Christian Retailing's comprehensive guide to the 2010 VBS seasons... details of 19 major programs can be found in our Nov. 9 issue, with more information available online at www.christianretailing.com.

Source: LifeWay Research

To read the full report, to go http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0%2C1703%2CA%25253D169720%252526M%25253D200906%2C00.html.