21 Church Ideas To Make Easter 2023 Unforgettable
Easter is the cornerstone of the Christian faith and this year its meaning feels more potent than ever as we come together in a period that has been filled with worry and uncertainty. With it comes an opportunity to give hope; for comfort, faithfulness – but above all else, assurance.
Many senior pastors will go to great lengths to increase Easter attendance and mobilize their congregations to encourage new people to attend on this day.This Easter, churches are filled with enthusiasm and eagerness to make the holiday an opportunity to spread the gospel.But, what if you could do one thing for Easter 2023 that would make it unforgettable? As the demographic changes, how can we modify our techniques and draw more people into attendance while also increasing their involvement?Here are 21 church Easter ideas that can turn your Easter Sunday into an unforgettable event.But remember, not all of these ideas will work in every church environment. Rather, take a look at these ideas and take some inspiration from them so you can go and make Easter Sunday special for your congregation.
1. Easter sunrise service
Start the Easter day with a peaceful sunrise service. Plan for a service that allows your congregation to view the sunrise (outdoors if the weather allows) and spread an inspiring message to kick off the day.
A sunrise service also provides a great opportunity for both the church and community to join in worship together.
2. Host an Easter potluck
A potluck lunch or dinner is a great way to create a communal meal that is both festive and affordable. Sharing food brings people together naturally and is a great way for new faces to get to know the church and its congregation in a casual, social and friendly environment.
3. Serve your local community
Each local community will have its unique problem that your church can help with. To get you started, here are some of the innovative things that you can consider.
- Organise a food or clothing drive for your local or wider community.
- Help out in your surrounding community with a clean-up. Whether it’s picking up rubbish at the roadside or removing neighborhood graffiti, help is always appreciated.
- Provide free services and help engage people in your community. These can be accountants, plumbers, carpenters, doctors, personal trainers, or babysitters.
- Allowing your parking lot to be used as a testing or vaccination site.
4. Community Prayer Box
Something that has been in use for years but coming back into popularity is community prayer boxes. A great way to connect with not just your congregation but also the wider community, the box <>
5. Breakfast in the lobby
Start the day off by serving a simple buffet breakfast in the lobby. Serving up some bread, muffins and the all-important cup of coffee in an informal atmosphere will help set up the right tone and energy of the day.
6. Throw an Easter party
Everyone loves a party, right?
A carnival theme is an all-time favorite. Include inflatables and some simple carnival games where kids can win toys. Add in a popcorn and cotton-candy booth, hot dog and burger stand, some music and it’ll be a party where there’s something for everyone in the family.
Throwing a party immediately before or after your services makes it that much more likely that guests will also attend the service.
7. Make a personal connection with your new guests
Include an option on your guest card for you to place a phone call to them after the service. If they checked “yes”, make sure the call is placed by Wednesday. The call shouldn’t be a high-pressured sales pitch; aim for a relaxing conversation instead.
Some talking points can be if they enjoyed the service and any outreach events they attended, whether they had any connections at the church and if they have any questions about the church.
Don’t forget to listen to thank them for attending, and that they’re welcome back at any time. Be sincere, be friendly and in general treat the call as though you’re calling a friend.
MORE:21 Ideas For How To Promote Easter Sunday
8. Send your new guests a personal, handwritten note
Handwritten notes make people feel special. It lets them know that you the time, effort, and expense to communicate in a form they can touch. In the day of digital everything, sending your new guest a simple, personal handwritten note will have a much bigger impact than any email can.
9. Host an Easter lunch
Easter is a hectic day for a lot of families, so a great way to take off one thing off a busy Mom or Dad’s to-do list is to take care of lunch for them. Provide a relaxing lunch right before or after one of your services is a great way to encourage them to attend the service itself as well.
Some popular Easter lunches ideas include organizing for a local food truck (kids love these!) or a pot luck lunch (bringing one dish is a lot easier than cooking a whole meal).
If you want to have the lunch fully catered, you can opt to charge a small fee for church members and make it free for new guests.
10. Give your congregation some fun giveaways
We all love free things, and your congregation is no different. Simple fun things like t-shirts, pens, bookmarks, water bottles, USB sticks, and sunglasses — all with your logo, or perhaps designed professionally to complement your church’s branding, printed on them — make it a low-cost way to get your church’s name out in the community as people use them after the service.
11. Basket benefit
Ask your church members and local business to donate items to assemble into Easter gift baskets. Hold a silent auction for the baskets, with all proceeds going to a local charity.
12. Celebrity connection
Invite a local Christan “celebrity” to participate in your Easter services. Ask the local pageant queen to sing, invite a sports figure to share his or her testimony, or invite the local news anchor to participate in a reading.
13. Host a family photo booth
Capture Easter moments and memories with a photo booth. You can easily set one with by using a nice (branded would be ideal) backdrop, along with a few chairs and even some creative props.
For best results, hire a professional photographer, and also assign a volunteer to take some additional photos with the guests’ mobile phones.
Share the pictures (make sure you get permission) on your church’s social media pages in the days following Easter Sunday. This will give your members a chance to share the photos with their family and friends, and spread the word about your church too, of course!
14. Organize an Epic Easter Egg Hunt
Everyone loves a good Easter Egg Hunt! Make your Church’s special and unforgettable by making it a huge event. Include not just egg hunt itself, but also party favorites such as inflatables, kids games, great food, door prizes, and music.
The key is to host the Egg Hunt the week before Easter, which makes it easy to invite the community back the next week for Easter services.
15. Try a new stage design
Give your stage a fresh look for your Easter services. It doesn’t have to be fancy either, and a recyling elements from previous years will work to keep the on budget.
16. Run an Easter craft fair
Gather up the crafty members of your congregation to showcase and sell their homemade goods. Get your local community involved by inviting local artists or local craft clubs (hint: find them by typing in your local area and add in terms like “craft” or “art” in Facebook’s search and see if any group pages pop up).
Turbo-charge the fair with live demonstrations, such as pottery throwing or jewellery making. This is an event that will appeal to people of all ages.
17. Make it extra fun for the kids
Organize some special Easter games and activities for the kids. Rent an inflatable, host an egg decorating or arts and crafts table, arrange for some fun outdoor games. Keep it simple, and focus on the fun!
18. Make a visual impact
Build (or purchase) a large wooden cross and place it on the stage front and center. Explain the cross’ significance early on during the Easter service.
These should be based on your theme graphics so they are easily recognizable to your congregation.
Need a hand with this year’s Easter theme? We have a set of free church Easter templates that you can use and modify in any way you want.
Click here to Get A Free Set of Church Easter Templates (That You Can Use and Modify In Any Way You Want)
19. Distribute butterfly chrysalises on Good Friday
Before Easter, buy some butterfly chrysalises (you can do this online), and give them away on Good Friday, along with a special invitation card to your Easter services. The butterflies will emerge on Easter Sunday and serve as a symbol of the resurrection of Christ. After all, death, transformation, and life are all found in the chrysalis.
20. Present a children’s musical
A group of children presenting a short Easter musical or skit is a great, fun way to engage the kids within your congregation. An added bonus is all the parents, grandparents and friends who might otherwise never set foot in a church will come with smartphones in hand.
21. Take an Easter Sunday selfie with your congregation
Turn up the fun during your Easter services. Take a giant selfie from the stage during your services. This gets everyone who was there involved, and they can also tag themselves on Facebook once you’ve posted it.
Bonus Idea: Live stream church services online
Unlike years past where offering services online was seen as an option, it is now imperative that all churches stream their services online as well. You can widen your audience and also provide a viable alternative to time-poor churchgoers by offering in-person as well as online services.
READ NEXT: 21 Ideas For How To Promote Easter Sunday
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