5 Crucial Details For Your Easter Service Preparations

Easter Sunday is often referred to as “The Church’s Superbowl,” and for good reason. Churches see more visitors come through their doors on that day than any other. Making sure that your Easter services and events run as smoothly as possible is paramount for your church staff, church body, and visitors.

The saying, “The best preparation for good work tomorrow is to do good work today” rings true for us when I think about getting ready for Easter Sunday. Our team here at Vanderbloemen racked our brains to think of every logistical detail your church team needs to be prepared for on that day.

Here are 5 details that might’ve slipped your mind when planning for your church’s Easter weekend services and outreach events.

1. Advertise!

It’s great that you have an amazing, worshipful Easter celebration service planned, but make sure you are getting the word out about it through every avenue you can. If you’re church doesn’t already have a Communications Director or Administrative Assistant, it’d be a smart idea to appoint one of your staff members to make sure all of the marketing for your Easter service gets done in a timely fashion.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but make sure your location and service times are clearly stated on everything you create and publish.

Here’s a partial list of ideas where you can advertise:

• Your website!
• Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
• Signs throughout your neighborhoods, in your church members’ lawns, near the church, etc. (More about signs below!)
• Your local newspaper or other neighborhood publications
• Neighborhood listserves or local forums
• Bulletin boards or flyers in local coffee houses, restaurants, and businesses
• Postcards for your congregants and staff to hand out to all of their family, friends, and coworkers
• Radio advertisements
• If your church has the budget for it, consider renting a billboard space

The more you can get the word out, the more visitors you will have attending your Easter services. And the more visitors you have, the more people you are pointing to the joy and hope found in our resurrected Savior.

2. Signs

This is a biggie. I’m sure your church is currently equipped with signs directing visitors where to go, but additional clarity is never a bad thing. We’ve actually heard stories of church visitors never getting out of their car because finding the entrance was just too overwhelming.

Here’s a partial list of where you should have signs:

• Signs around the neighborhood (with the location and service times clearly stated!)
• Extra signage for guest parking and the church entrance
• Signs directing foot traffic
• Signs for your Children’s ministry dropoff (clear directions for each age group) and youth ministry area.
• Signs for an Information Desk
• Signs to the bathrooms
• Signs to any event areas (Easter Egg Hunt, photo area, etc.)

Final note on this point: make sure your signs are clear, designed nicely, and branded with your church’s brand and logo.

3. Supplies

It’d be easy to forget that having extra visitors Easter weekend means needing more supplies. Do you need any extras of these items as you account for more people?

• Extra Children’s Ministry supplies for crafts, snacks, lessons, etc.
• Extra bathroom supplies that are easily accessible
• Extra coffee supplies and refreshments for quests
• Informational flyers and resource guides
• Communion supplies
• Extra chairs for back up seating
• Bibles! Have extra bibles available to pass out to guests.
• Gifts for visitors: mugs, worship CDs, Bibles, etc.

4. Volunteers

Adding more people to your normal volunteer teams, such as Children’s Ministry or Hospitality, is a given for you Easter Sunday services. Make sure your congregation knows how vital and appreciated their contribution is on this special Sunday.

Here are a few areas that could use an extra pair or hands or friendly face:

• Your parking lot, making sure your guests can find the entrance and are greeted early
• Greeters and directors to help “lost looking” guests in entrances and hallways
• Extra hands in the Children’s Ministry check-in area will keep things from being backlogged and visitors from being late to the service
• Any of the special activities or events (Easter Egg Hunt, Family portraits, etc)
• Additional musicians to fill out your worship band with instruments and/or voices you don’t have every Sunday
• Extra people on your prayer team, both praying for your church’s outreach and ministry before your Easter services  and praying with your church members and visitors during any prayer-time in the services
• Set-up and tear-down time for your services and activities

5. Follow-up

Easter weekend, your church is guaranteed to have more visitors. Do you have a clear system in place to capture your guests’ prayer requests and contact information? And then do you have a follow-up system already in place? If your guest cards are electronic, are you equipped in this area? If your guest cards are not electronic, do you have extra pens and cards? You on your staff in is charge of making sure the visitors are contacted, prayed for, invited back, etc.?

Especially if you have anyone getting baptised or visitors deciding to walk with Christ during your Easter services, you need to have a strong follow-up in place to begin discipling and walking alongside these new believers in your church body.

What other details and logistical items do churches need to plan for during their Easter weekend experience?

If you liked this, then you’ll also like 7 Ideas To Make Your Easter Service Memorable.