How Your Church Can Make The Most Of Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday.  For many of us church leaders, this is one of the biggest days and biggest challenges of the year. 

We spend months planning and preparing, doing whatever we can imagine to make it a special day.  We reach out to our community, host an event, and then it's over.  The next week we can feel exhausted and discouraged, wondering what was that all for?

I've planned and lead Easter services for the last 8 years and I've often felt this way.  

A few years ago our church defined our vision for Easter Sunday:

Vision - Host the strongest possible Sunday Service for our church and our community.  

This has made a huge difference in how we plan, prepare, execute, and make the most of this special day.  

We are not trying to pull off a magnificent one-time event but rather we want to catch a vision for what our regular Sundays could be like every week.  

Here are three ways your church can make the most of Easter Sunday. 

1. Be Yourself

If there really are people coming to our church for the first time I want them to experience what our church is all about.  Instead of inviting a guest worship artist - our worship band leads.  Instead of having a guest speaker - our Pastor teaches.  Instead of traveling to a special venue - we have service in our sanctuary.

I’d rather not hype people’s expectations with an extravagant event just for them to be disappointed when they come back the next week - finding everything they enjoyed is missing.   

2. Use The Deadline

Using Easter Weekend as a deadline can be very helpful.  What special project are you trying to complete?  Try to get it done by Easter Sunday. 

• Lead with a full worship band

• Update your sound, lighting, or video equipment

• Produce a testimony video

• Pull together a volunteer photography team

• Outfit an alternative viewing area or family room

• Update facilities

• Update signage

• A website revamp

• An updated bulletin design

• A new kids check-in system

Don’t try to do it all, but try to complete a few things.  Having services every week can make it feel like we’ve got an eternal string of chances to get things right.  Easter is as good a week as any to lock it in.

3. Sustain The Growth

What is the difference between:

• Training a new drummer vs. negotiating a contract with a recording artist?

• Working on your lighting rig vs. renting one?

• Purchasing new sound equipment vs. paying for an alternate venue?

One promotes growth you can sustain, the other does not.  I want Easter Sunday to be the very best version of our church possible.  The strongest worship team, the most creative media elements, the most friendly hospitality team.  And then what?  This becomes our new normal. What we do on Easter becomes a regular part of our services from here on out.  

What type of service does your church have on Easter Sunday?

What are some of the elements you've used in past years?  

We'd love to hear!  Share in the comments below.