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How to Start a Bus Ministry

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10 Basic Steps to Starting a Bus/Van MinistryThe best

definition of a

Bus Ministry

is that it is a

temporary by-

pass of a

disinterested

parent. We

want to reach

and minister

to the child

but our goal is

reach the

entire family.

Step 1 - Decide What Type Ministry God is Leading Your Church to Have andEstablish a Purpose StatementWill you establish a ministry that targets theunchurched or will you simply provide transportation for existing members? (If youare just providing a way to and from church for those who already attend yourchurch, then much of what follows will not apply to your situation.) Are you going torun your routes any time other than Sunday morning? Some churches have theirbus ministry program on Saturday; is this an option your church might consider? Ifyou dont have a childrens worship, will you start one or have the bus riders sit inthe main service? Do your homework by reading bus ministry books and talking tochurches already involved in the bus ministry.Step 2 - Prepare the ChurchHelp

your church membership understand what you are trying to accomplish with thisnew ministry. Make sure they know what problems may arise. People are alwaysdown on what they are not up onif they know the reasons behind something andthe potential difficulties, they are much more likely to be supportive andaccommodating.

Step 3 - Obtain the Vehicles Do you have a bus or van you can use or will you need to purchase vehicles? If youhave to buy buses, is it in the budget or will funds have to raised? If you need to purchase vehicles, start your processof locating buses by contacting several churches with a bus ministry and ask them where they bought their vehiclesand who they recommend. If you plan to use smaller vehicles, consider 15-passenger buses instead of vans.Step 4 -Enlist and Train WorkersSunday School, Childrens Church and Bus MinistryYou will need a bus team and yourexisting leadership will need to know what to expect when the bus or van start to run. You will also need to enlist morepersonnel for your Sunday School and childrens church if you think they will be needed.

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Sample Purpose StatementThe purpose of our Bus

Ministry is to fulfill Gods

command to . . . go out into

the highways and hedges and

compel them to come in that

my house may be filled,

(Luke 14:23) offering a place

to serve God by being an

extension of Gods love to

minister to children and

their families while providing

safe transportation to and

from our church.

Step 5 - Arrange for Extra SpaceIf youre planning on having 15 or20 new boys and girls, will your classes accommodate them? If not, doyou have space to expand?Step 6 - Develop the Saturday ScheduleIf you are going to run your buses or vans on Sunday morning you willprobably want to have a short bus meeting on Saturday morning andvisit your riders then. As your ministry progresses, you may find abetter time to meet and visit your routes.Step 7 - Develop the Sunday

ScheduleWhen the bus or van arrives, what will the children do andwhere will they go? Will they stay for both Sunday School andworship? Do you need to have someone meet the bus and escort themto and from class? Make sure your leaders know where the bus ridersare supposed to be and the times and procedures for unloading andloading the bus or van.Step 8 - Establish the RoutesDecide whereyou want to run your routes and then design them by time rather thanby distance. Most churches find that its best if you have less then onehour from the time the first rider is picked up until you reach the church.This will be trial and error at first but you will soon discover the time toleave in order to get back on time.Step 9 - Hold a Kick-Off Meetingwith Everyone InvolvedNothing breeds excitement like excitementand starting your new ministry with everyone involved in a big meetingis always exciting. Use this time to remind everyone of what this newministry is seeking to accomplish and that they are all a team working

together to make this goal a reality.Step 10 - Launch the Ministry!

10 Questions To Ask Before You Begin1. Why do we want a bus ministry?2. Who do we want toreach?3. Who will we responsible? Will it be a staff memberor a lay person who answers to a staff member?4. Howmuch money are we willing to invest?5. How will thismoney be provided?6. How many vehicles will we start with? Buses or vans orboth?7. Does our church membership understand the purpose of

this new ministry?8. Do we understand potential problems as well as theblessings this ministry could bring?9. How will be provide traing for our leadership in this newministry?10. Are we committed to making this new ministrysuccessful?Get information on the International Bus MinistryAssociation

Good Books for Starting a Bus

Ministry

Soul Winning Bus MinistryThis book will

answer just about any question you will

ever have about the Bus Ministry. It is

for the Bus Director, the Bus Captain

and driver and all those who serve in the

Bus Ministry.

The BTI Bus Directors ManualThis

book points out that the success of a

churchs Bus Ministry depends on the Bus

Director and then shows you what to do

to be successful.

The BTI Bus Captains HandbookThis

book lists the duties of the Bus Captain,

the bus driver, and all those who work on

a church bus route. Easy-to-read, it is

designed for volunteers with tips on how

http://www.bringthemin.com/ibmahttp://www.bringthemin.com/ibmahttp://www.bringthemin.com/ibmahttp://www.bringthemin.com/ibma

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to enlist riders, what to say to parents,

what to do on the bus to and from

church, and includes cartoons and other

items to make this little book both

informative and entertaining.

Church Bus Evangelism

A great deal of interest is being manifested among many churches forinformation on church bus evangelism. The following is some of the basic

information often needed by a church interested in church bus evangelism.

12 Basic Laws of Church Bus Evangelism

1. The size of the church has no bearing upon the effectiveness of the church busevangelism.

2. The location of the church (rural,small town, residential, suburban, downtown, or urban)has no bearing upon the effectiveness of church bus evangelism.

3. The age of the church has no bearing upon the effectiveness of church bus evangelism.

4. The population density of the area has very little relationship, for all practical purposes,upon the effectiveness of church bus evangelism (except in the desolate mountains and

deserts of the west).

5. The income level of the area has no bearing upon the effectiveness of church bus

evangelism. The response in the low income area, the middle income area, and the upperincome area will be about the same if the proper procedures are followed.

6. The racial or ethnic characteristics of the community have no bearing upon theeffectiveness of church bus evangelism.

7. Children do not think like adults. And adults must consider the thought pattern of

children in order to be effective with them. For example, most adults are "turned off" at

the thoughts of riding a bus to church but children love it. Most adults are "turned off" atthe thoughts of riding an hour to church but children love it. They enjoy bus ride with

friends!

8. Children like to go places-almost any place-and especially with other children. Most

children do not have any place to go on Sunday mornings. Most children like ridingbuses, contests, awards, treats, socials, attention, activities, singing, and other such things.

9. The number of hours the bus workers spend visiting each Saturday determines the

success or failure of church bus evangelism. The Sunday results are won or lost bysundown Saturday.

10. Many people will respond to God's love when they see it manifested in the lives of the

church members every week.11. The number of people attending any church and being baptized by any church is

determined primarily by the attitude of the pastor and the church leaders-not by the

buildings, the location, or the number of people in the community.

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12. Change and growth go hand-in-hand. The church that never changes will never grow in a

significant way. All changes do not produce growth but all significant growth must be

accompanied by appropriate changes.

12 Foundation Principles of Church Bus Evangelism

1. A tremendous amount of work is required. Most successful bus workers devote many

hours every Saturday to this work. It also means getting to the church an hour or two

early each Sunday morning and return home for a late lunch. The average time is about15+ hours per week enlisting riders.

2. The church members who use every Saturday and Sunday in evangelizing the area will

earn some very significant awards in this life as well as in Heaven.3. Most of the riders are children-only a few adults ride the church buses. But an

understanding as to the amount of time and concern that Jesus had for children will cause

church leaders to re-adjust some philosophies and activities.4. Most parents want their children to receive religious training. Many do not want it badly

enough to get up and take them to church but they will let them ride the church bus that

stops in front of their house every Sunday.

5. An excellent way to reach parents is through their children. All parents cannot be reachedthrough their children. There is a great value in having in the unchurched home a child

that shares his enthusiasm about riding the church bus for an enjoyable and profitable

experience at church. The children tiding the bus can help to open the door into the heartsof their parents.

6. One of the best ways to win the world to Christ is to evangelize the youth.

7. Most people will not come to church-they must be brought. Most people will not studythe Bible-they must be taught. Most people will not accept Christ-they must be won.

8. Jesus never commanded the lost to come to church but He did command the church to go

to the lost.9. The devil begins working in every way possible when the church really gets serious about

evangelizing the area.

10. God will and does greatly bless a church that dares to transition from an average 21st

century congregation to an aggressive New Testament church!11. The blessings of God and the results accomplished make it worth the costs, the problems,

and the work.12. This will give a new direction to the average church. It can help in the transition from a

"come meet" church to a "go bring" church.

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15 Preferred Procedures of Church Bus Evangelism

1. Make sure that an adequate number of bus workers are enlisted, trained, and dedicated so

that there will be a good team for each bus route. Each Saturday is used for enlistingriders.

2. Each bus route will need a team. This consist of a driver who makes sure that the bus is

clean, fueled, properly maintained, and ready to leave on schedule. It also includes the

captain whose job is to be in charge of everything related to his bus route and to makesure the bus is filled with people when it returns to the church. Co-captains give general

assistance to the captain and in many cases they will be serving an apprenticeship for the

time when they become captains. One or more teenagers on each bus assist with thechildren in such matters as singing on the bus, personal comfort and safety. Under no

circumstance are the teenagers to be responsible for discipline of the children.

3. Some members who are not heavily involved in other church work can excel in churchbus evangelism.

4. It is necessary for some church bus members to rearrange some priorities and to change

their normal Saturday and Sunday schedules.5. It is necessary to rearrange some priorities in church activities. Most churches are already

heavily loaded with programs and activities. This cannot be added on as another programon the basis of a surplus or workers and finances.

6. It is best to begin with buying some evangelism buses rather than one trip bus. Usually it

is possible to get three or four retired school buses to use in evangelism work for the

same price that one good trip bus would cost to use in occasionally transporting church

groups for special functions.7. It is best to purchase the largest buses possible-at least 54 passenger capacity or more. As

a rule the size of these used buses has nothing to do with the purchase price, the insurance

cost, the maintenance costs, or the operating cost. And it is just about as easy to have anaverage of 50 riders on a 60 passenger bus as it is to have 28 riders on a 30 passenger

bus.

8. It is best to begin with two or more buses. Any church that cannot generate enoughinterest to start with two or more used buses probably will not have very much success in

church bus evangelism. Remember that the attitude of the leaders is the major

determining factor in evangelizing the community. This does not mean that you shouldn't

start with bus, just depends on the size of your church already.9. It is best to establish the first bus routes near the church building. After an adequate

number of routes are established in the local community then routes are established in

neighboring areas that have a large number of unchurched children.

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10. The procedures used to enlist riders will contribute much toward the success or failure of

church bus evangelism.

11. Plans should be made for an increase in attendance of 40 persons for each bus routeestablished. Proper procedures usually result in an average of more than 40 riders within

the first two months after a route is began.

12. The church leaders must plan ahead for a large influx of people in such matters asproviding space, rearranging classroom space and departmental assemblies to adjust for

overcrowded conditions in some classes and departments, recruiting, and training new

workers, recruiting and training members for counseling the children who respond to theGospel, recruiting and training members who can win the parents to Christ, and recruiting

and training members in conducting worship services for the children.

13. Make adequate plans so as to get off with the best start possible. It may be better not to

begin at all than to begin wrong.14. Pray for God's guidance and blessings and trust Him to answer your prayers.

15. Pray as if everything depended upon God. Work as if everything depended upon you.