A church on the go is a church on the grow, but how do you know it's time to purchase a bus or shuttle for your ministry? How can you make a wise purchase and have a successful transportation ministry? Consider the following.

1.  What are your ministries' needs and outreach?
If you have an active vibrant growing church, you will need to plan for growing transportation needs. A church with a vision for ministries will begin to look for a variety of activities to spur on the spiritual growth of the different age groups that will either minister or be ministered to. For instance, vibrant congregations are actively involved in sending youth ministry teams on mission trips. Whether it be to a foreign country or to help rebuild in the aftermath of a natural disaster, youth ministry teams are going to assist and minister the love of Christ to people in need. 

Visionary churches must be ready to transport a variety of age groups for various ministry opportunities. In many ways, you can tell how active a congregation is in ministry by the number of trips, camps, outings or opportunities for ministry they provide for their people. If your church isn't going somewhere with ministry opportunities, then you are probably going nowhere in terms of real growth and outreach. The bottom line is to first evaluate your ministries' needs.

2.  What are the sizes and quantities of your trips?
Look at the number of trips you take a month or a year. What is the size of the group you need to transport? What age groups are you carrying? How far will you travel? 

If you have an active children's ministry, you may have to consider school buses that are suited to transporting children. If you have an active teen program or an older adult ministry, you will want to consider air-conditioned shuttle buses that have suitable seating for adults. If larger groups are to be transported regularly, then you may want to consider motor coaches. It is important to identify the size and style of bus you will need for your ministry.

3. How should you select equipment? 
After assessing your ministries needs, you will begin the process of shopping to find suitable equipment to fit your budget. You will be able to determine very quickly whether you can afford a new or used bus. 

When shopping for equipment, keep in mind that not all buses are equally made. There are several methods of manufacturing that will make some buses safer than others. 

If you are buying used, be sure to do a careful check of the mechanical condition and rust on the undercarriage. You will also want to inquire about the previous usage of the bus; for example, generally speaking, a shuttle bus that was formerly used as an airport parking shuttle will have had most of its useful life used up. Although these vehicles can be purchased fairly inexpensively, you really do get what you pay for.

It is almost always best to go through a reputable bus dealer that will stand behind their product and you as a customer with warranty, as well as service down the road. The quality of a bus is no better than the manufacturer that made it and the dealer that stands behind it. 

4.  What about driver training?
After you have purchased a bus, it is vitally important to find several people in your congregation that can be trained as drivers. I cannot say enough about the importance of driver training and safety. 

One positive benefit of being involved in ministry is that many times you will have people volunteer to drive your shuttle or bus. This can also be a negative factor if you don't carefully screen each volunteer. Perhaps you could have each volunteer driver fill out an application, complete with references or past driving experiences. Make a photocopy of their driver's license and have your insurance company run a driver report on them. 

If the shuttle or bus is over 15 total capacity, the driver will need a Commercial Drivers License (CDL). It is wise to check the references provided by the volunteer. Most importantly, take them out for a test drive to be able to observe their driving abilities firsthand.  Give them an opportunity to take the bus out to familiarize themselves with the vehicle. It is very important for a driver to be comfortable and familiar with the equipment they drive. 

If you have an opportunity to have prospective drivers take a class or be tutored by professional drivers, then avail yourself of these services. Most accidents are caused by driver error, fatigue, or inexperience. You can buy the finest buses available anywhere, but if you have poorly trained drivers, then you have cause for concern.

John Goodbrake is the president of Master's Transportation, www.busesbymasters.com.