Take a midweek trip through your empty church and look for the following:

1.  Large parking lot?  Will visitors remember where they are parked?  Do you need a Mickey and Goofy section?  (Red and Green?)

2.  Is it obvious where the main entrance is?  Start at the largest nearby street or highway.  Do you need a billboard that says, "Take this exit to..."  or a Sunday morning realtor sign on the corner with an arrow?

3.  When you enter your church can you spot the Welcome Center?  Is there one for each entrance, or at least a sign from each entrance?

4.  If you're really large, put a map in your church bulletin.  Otherwise, have signs for the following:

Children's Church, Coffee, Mother and Baby room, and signs for each grade level.

5.  Do you have a mass exodus after first service while second service is trying to check kids in?  Consider temporary ropes for lines like Disney uses.

6.  Keep the visuals going.  Play Christian music videos before children's church, not just the CD's.  Or have a countdown DVD or two playing.  Have contest corners.

7.  Disney workers are easy to spot.  They are told that they are all cast members and they loved to be spotted.  Are your workers easy to spot?  Will visitors know who they can trust their children to?

8.  Every child should leave with a souvenir.  Do visitors have information about your midweek program?  Do they have a copy of the worship songs your regulars like to sing?  (Get permission to handout.)  Perhaps a DVD of a children's service so the parents know why their kids are asking to come back.  Give them some kind of a souvenir.

9.  Plan ahead for possible trouble spots.  Disney ropes off sections that would be trampled for shortcuts because they know people would take them.  They announce "Please stand behind the red line... Please keep your hands and arms inside the ride at all times..."  Make announcements:  "We will be passing out popcorn during the video and giving it first to those kids who keep their hands cupped in their laps, ready to receive it." 

10.  Decorate, decorate, decorate!  Trade props with another church who used a different VBS and make it your fall decoration.  When a visitor walks in the room do they say, "Wow"?

11.  Smile.  After all, church is the happiest place on earth!

-by Tony Borders  Children's Evangelist and Upward Sports speaker   www.tonyborders.com