3 Essential Pre-Easter Checklists

by Reba Collins

Is your church ready for the big celebration at Easter? Are you ready to host a bunch of guests? Do you know where guests are going to be the most confused or unsure of what to do? Do you have volunteers lined up and ready to be in the right places at the right times to keep the confusion to a minimum?

Sometimes we get so focused on knowing what we need to do to get ready for the celebration, we forget that not everyone coming to the celebration knows what to do. So check off these three quick pre-Easter to-do lists and help your church take the guesswork out of the guest experience.

1.       Explain Easter. Think everyone knows what Easter is all about? Think again. Putting up your “Join Us for Easter at XXAM” sign tells people less about what to expect than does a McDonald’s sign advertising a $0.99 cheeseburger. You’ve got to let guests know in street level language your version of the Easter message. Same goes for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Palm Sunday. Easter communication needs to answer three basic questions in addition to what time to show up:

• Why is it important to the visitor?
• What can the visitor expect during the experience?
• What can the visitor expect to experience personally by participating?

2.       Prepare for Parking. I bet you don’t have more than 5-6 guest parking spots in your lot. I also bet you’re expecting more than five guests on Easter. You have to plan, then, for both members and guests to find easy ways into the celebration without experiencing road rage on your property. Get a first-time guest plan together other than first-come-first-served:

• Find volunteers to direct traffic.
• Remind your members between now and Easter to save spots for guests by parking farthest from the entrances. 

3.       Plan an After-Party. After all the time, energy, and resources you pour into the Easter celebration, I’d assume you’d want people to come back again. Why should they? That’s the question you have to answer for them because that’s the question they’re asking themselves – “Why should I come back here next week?” It’s the same old “What’s Next?” question, so:

• Let people know about your next sermon series that begins the weekend after Easter. Make sure it connects back to some experience, feeling, or questions guests might have coming out of the Easter Celebration – like what happened to the apostles after Jesus’ resurrection?
• Have a post-Easter small group environment for people to go to with their questions about Christianity, the Church, or your church.
•  Follow-up with guests with – an invitation to return for the next sermon series, information on what’s next for them specifically, and where their contribution to the Easter offering is being used to further grow the Kingdom of God.
• Thank your congregation for helping with the Easter celebration by volunteering their time, giving of their resources, and bringing a friend to the celebration.

Even seasoned Easter celebrants don’t always get the nuances. I am still confused about some things surrounding the Easter celebration. Imagine what a first-time guest feels coming to your church. Don’t make it any more difficult for them because you haven’t planned properly. Be specific; be strategic; then, begin celebrating!