Vital Preschools- A Movement in the Making
In a crowded room at Columbia Church in Falls Church, VA, a BGAV-participating congregation, something powerful was taking shape—more than a training, more than a gathering. It was a movement.
On March 18, 2025, as part of the Ascent Curators meeting, 31 church leaders from seven states and four denominations gathered for the first-ever Vital Preschools Project immersion. The pre-conference event focused on equipping churches to see their weekday preschools and Child Development Centers (CDCs) as mission-critical tools for evangelism and discipleship. Participants included senior pastors, children’s and family ministers, teachers, center directors, and others who invest their lives in ministering to young children and their families.
“We began praying and meeting monthly on Zoom,” explained Lora Gravatt, co-curator of the initiative. “Today is our first in-person immersion, and it’s amazing to see what God is doing.”
Affirmation, Alignment, and an On-ramp for Discipleship
For Holly Wilson, associate pastor at University Methodist Church in San Antonio, the event brought deep affirmation.
“Every conversation confirmed we’re not alone,” Wilson said. “We’ve felt like we were out there by ourselves, trying to make our preschool ministry central to our mission. Now, I know there’s a whole network of churches doing the same. We’re not just teaching kids what good people do; we’re introducing them to who God is.”
University MC Lead Pastor Ben Trammell said preschools are often an untapped resource for connection and formation. “It’s a challenge to get some senior leaders to see preschool as a strategic ministry,” he said. “But I can’t think of anything that provides greater long-term access to families. There’s no other ministry that gives us instant, trusted access to families who may not attend church on Sundays—but will walk through our doors for the sake of their children. If you do this right, preschool becomes a decades-long on-ramp into the life of the church.”
A National Vision
The vision behind Vital Preschools is rooted in a fundamental question: what if the future of the church isn’t about bringing more people to Sunday services, but about bringing the mission of the church into the spaces where people already are—especially families with young children?
This question resonated deeply throughout the Vital Preschools Project gathering.
“Preschool is where the most unchurched families walk through your doors every day,” commented Gravatt. “That’s 80% of the battle.”
Across workshops and hallway conversations, participants reflected on how their preschools had become doorways for spiritual connection in an increasingly secular world. Instead of waiting for parents to cross the threshold of the sanctuary, churches were finding ways to meet them in the drop-off line, at parent-teacher conferences, and during weekday chapel services.
Participants attend the first Vital Preschools Project immersion event as part of the Ascent Curators meeting in March 2025.
The impact of these interactions often went beyond the classroom. As one participant shared during the final session, “We had a mother who lost both her parents in the span of a year. The preschool staff and church team were the first people she turned to—not because she was a member of our congregation, but because she trusted us with her child. That relationship opened a path for hope and healing, and eventually, for her to explore faith.”
Stories like these were common. What began as simple care for children often grew into multi-year relationships with families. Parents who might have felt nervous about attending a worship service would show up for a preschool Christmas program or an end-of-year chapel. Grandparents who moved into town to help with childcare found themselves welcomed into the life of the church. Over time, a spiritual community formed—sometimes quietly, always intentionally.
Much of the success of these ministries lies in the careful and creative planning by church teams. From curriculum to chapel rhythm, from family engagement strategies to teacher support, churches were encouraged to view every element of the preschool as a space for formation. Rather than relying solely on Bible storybooks or holiday programs, leaders spoke about crafting holistic experiences that shaped the way children and adults alike encountered the love of God.
As Gravatt put it, 'We’re not just planting seeds in kids—we’re watering the ground their families walk on.'
Expansion Strategy and Open Invitation
Looking ahead, the Vital Preschools Project isn’t simply about strengthening existing programs. It’s about casting a vision wide enough to inspire churches who have never considered weekday ministry as part of their evangelistic outreach. Organizers hope to create a national network where churches at all stages—from planting to revitalization—can learn from one another, share resources, and serve as hubs of transformation in their communities.
Leaders of the initiative have a bold strategy to expand this model across the country, organized around three concentric circles:
· Teaching Churches – serving as mentors and models
· Transitional Churches – looking to re-integrate existing CDCs into their mission
· Pioneering Churches – utilizing space to launch new ministries
The initiative is open to churches who already have weekday preschools or are interested in starting one. Through peer connections, consultant support, and resource sharing, the network helps churches imagine and implement spiritually formative preschool ministries.
Different Contexts, Same Calling
Jim Baucom, co-pastor of Columbia Church, emphasized that this is not a one-size-fits-all program. 'What we’re building is a community of practice,” he said. “Every context is different, but the mission is the same. Whether you're in a rural town or a major city, whether you’re running a full-day center or a part-time preschool, the goal is to help children and families meet Jesus in everyday life.”
That sense of calling echoed in the room as the event came to a close. Participants lingered over coffee and conversations, exchanging contact information, comparing notes on classroom design, and sharing dreams for what might come next.
It was clear that for many, this gathering wasn’t just a training—it was a turning point.
“We don’t need another program,” concluded Wilson. “We need a mission. For many churches, it’s already under our feet—it’s our preschool.”
For more information—or to join the movement—contact Lora Gravatt at lgravatt@columbia.church. Future opportunities include Learning Labs for Vital Preschools at BGAV’s Annual Meeting, November 10-12, 2025.
