The resurrection of Jesus is not only the most significant event in Christianity, but Easter is one of the world's most celebrated holidays. We celebrate His resurrection. It's a fantastic opportunity for you and your congregation to reach out to those who aren't members of a church. They are more likely to attend a service with a friend or loved one. How do you get your church ready for Easter?
The answer lies in preparation - preparation that starts now, long before Easter Sunday or Easter weekend arrives. Here are three keys to keep in mind as you prepare for Easter.
First-time guests need to have an experience on Easter weekend that reflects your typical church weekend. Often the church goes all out for a special Easter weekend service that is much different from their normal weekend. The first-time guest recognizes this quickly, and they know that the church is unable to sustain these types of services every weekend. When they do come back to see the service, they're blindsided by a service they're unfamiliar with. Unfortunately, by doing this, we often play a part in people choosing to come only at Easter or Christmas.
Plan on speaking to two audiences at the same time. This should be a regular occurrence every weekend. We should always be talking to the committed follower of Jesus as well as people who are just beginning or considering beginning their journey with Jesus. If speaking to both audiences is new to you, tell your people you're shifting and that they can know and trust from now on that you will be speaking to both. This is all about being aware of how much you may need to explain the deep things you teach for those who are new.
Give them something to come back to next weekend. Easter is a great weekend to start a new series or end the series on Easter so that new guests come back to a fresh start. Choose a topic to teach that applies to everyone's life. For instance, currently, people are dealing with anger and frustration with others. Yet even through all of that, even though we all sin, Jesus gives us grace. He was willing to give up His own life for each of us and forgive us. Teach your congregation that we should be more like Jesus. We should accept His grace and freely give it to others.
Easter is a great time to invite friends and loved ones who might not be part of the Church. Easter is also a wonderful opportunity for churches to plan ahead for Easter services and messages to make the most out of this momentous holiday that we celebrate every year. Easter allows you, as a church, to share Jesus' love and grace in ways that will leave people feeling welcomed and interested in knowing Jesus.