The short answer: decide who the shirts are for first. For a few hundred kids at the lowest price per shirt, a local screen printer with youth sizes is usually the right call, and we would rather tell you that up front. For the volunteers, leaders, teen helpers and serve teams who will wear the shirt long after the week is over, order from us: 12 or more of one design to one address is 30% off retail, a heavyweight tee at $28.00, invoiced in writing before anything prints.
Below is how to plan the order (sizes, timeline, colors, verse), what it costs, and exactly how to place it. Our 10 VBS kits are free, and two of our shirts pair with them.
What to plan before you order
Sizes
Collect sizes on the volunteer sign-up form, not the week before. Our tees, long sleeves and hoodies run in adult sizes, S to 3XL, with some designs to 4XL, in a relaxed unisex fit. We do not make youth sizes. The size guide has measurements for every garment.
Timeline
Every piece is made to order: 2 to 5 business days of production, then 3 to 5 business days of standard shipping in the United States, or 2 to 3 expedited. Add the time it takes to gather sizes and approve the invoice, and start at least three weeks before the first day. A custom design needs about six weeks. Full details are on our shipping page.
Colors
One design in one color per group keeps the order clean and the photos clear: one color for leaders, another for the serve team. Each design comes in the colors shown on its product page.
The verse
Choose the verse before the design. Many churches use the week’s memory verse, so the kids see on the shirt what they are learning at the table. Each of our VBS kits carries its own memory verse cards.
What it costs
- 12 or more of one design, one address: 30% off retail. A tee at $28.00, a long sleeve at $38.50, a hoodie at $52.50.
- Fewer than 12: order at regular prices straight from the shop. No minimum.
- Shipping: on the invoice, which you see in writing before anything is printed.
How to order through Cross + Covenant
- Pick the design (or designs) from the shop. One design per group.
- Gather sizes and a count for each.
- Email hi@crossandcovenant.co with the design, the sizes, the shipping address and the date you need them in hand.
- We send the invoice in writing. Nothing prints until you approve and pay it.
- Your shirts are printed to order and shipped together, with tracking.
Designs that work for church teams
Pairs with the David and Goliath kit: The Stone and the Giant Heavyweight Tee ($40)
1 Samuel 17:45-47. One stone in the air and the giant already finished. The front names the scripture, the back says how it ended.
Pairs with the Moses and the Red Sea kit: A Road Through the Sea Heavyweight Tee ($40)
Exodus 14:21-22 and Exodus 15:1. The sea standing up in walls on both sides, with the pillar of fire at the end of the road.
For volunteers the kids run up to: Jesus Loves You Classic Heavyweight Tee ($40)
Three words a five-year-old can read from across the gym. Stone-block lettering, dripping hearts, in True Navy or Black.
For the serve team: The Covenant: Heavyweight Tee ($40)
Acts 4:32: “All the believers were one in heart and mind.” The shirt for people who carry the chairs, run the check-in table and stay to stack them again.
For the worship team: Hallelujah Praise Heavyweight Tee ($40)
Cut-paper Hallelujah: sheet music, doves, the Word and a wooden cross. Black, for the platform.
A shirt with your church’s name on it
Want this year’s theme and your church’s name on the shirt? That runs through Your Own Collection: three to six designs built from your verse and your people, under your name, with no setup fee and no minimum. Proofs come back within the week. Once the designs are live, the same bulk price applies, and anyone in your church can order their own.
Questions churches ask
Where should our church order VBS t-shirts?
It depends on who the shirts are for and what you want to spend. For a few hundred kids' shirts at the lowest cost per shirt, a local screen printer with youth sizes is usually the right call. For volunteers, leaders, teen helpers and serve teams who will wear the shirt long after the week is over, Cross + Covenant makes heavyweight scripture tees, long sleeves and hoodies: 12 or more of one design to one address is 30% off retail (a tee at $28.00), invoiced in writing before anything prints. Email hi@crossandcovenant.co with the design, the sizes and your date.
Does Cross + Covenant make youth or kids' sizes?
No. Our tees, long sleeves and hoodies come in adult sizes, S to 3XL, with some designs to 4XL. They fit leaders, volunteers, teens and parents. For children's shirts you will need a printer that stocks youth sizes.
Is there a minimum order for church shirts?
No minimum to buy at regular prices: anyone can order one shirt. The bulk price starts at 12 or more of one design shipped to one address.
How much do bulk church shirts cost?
30% off retail: a heavyweight tee at $28.00, a long sleeve at $38.50, a hoodie at $52.50. Shipping is on the invoice, which comes to you in writing before anything is printed.
How far ahead should we order VBS shirts?
Every piece is made to order. Production takes 2 to 5 business days, then standard shipping in the United States takes 3 to 5 business days, or 2 to 3 expedited. Add the time it takes to collect sizes and approve the invoice, and start at least three weeks before the first day. A custom design needs longer: proofs come back within the week, so start six weeks out.
Can we get a custom shirt with our church name and theme verse?
Yes, through Your Own Collection: three to six designs built from your verse and your people, under your church's name, with no setup fee and no minimum. Once the designs are live, the same bulk price applies to 12 or more of one design. Proofs come back within the week.
What should we plan before ordering church or VBS shirts?
Four things: sizes (collect them on your volunteer sign-up form, in adult sizing), the date the shirts must be in hand, one design and color per group so the order stays simple, and the verse. Many churches use the week's memory verse.
Are the VBS kits free?
Yes. We give away 10 complete VBS kits, each with a coloring page, lesson outline, craft, memory verse cards and a parent take-home sheet. No email required, and ministry use is welcome.
Ten percent of every purchase supports our Charity of the Month. Questions before you order? Write to hi@crossandcovenant.co and a person answers.