It won't surprise too many pastors and Christian leaders to be told that this Sunday is Easter. This Sunday will probably be the largest worship attendance your church will have this year, especially if you serve in a smaller church. Families will come home for Easter and many of them will want to attend services in the churches in which they were raised. Some of your absentee members will find their way back to church this Sunday, and some folks from the community are likely to drop in as well. This provides your church with a tremendous ministry opportunity if you do some things well.
Be prepared for your guests. Print extra programs. Have extra greeters at the entrance and even in the parking lot. Make sure the grounds and building are spotless. If it's bad weather have people available with umbrellas to meet people at their cars. You may even want to consider offering valet parking especially if the weather is bad or your parking is limited. A visitor is someone who shows up unexpectedly like a vacuum salesman. A guest is someone you are expecting, and you should be expecting to see new people on Easter Sunday so be prepared for them.
Don't insult your guests by mentioning how you haven't seen them since Christmas. Don't embarrass them by asking that they introduce themselves or wear name badges or ribbons or do anything that will make them stand out. Do welcome your guests and thank them for coming to the service. If your church has pew Bibles do print the page number of any Scriptures you will be reading in the program to make it easier for them to read along with you if they choose. Do try to capture their names and addresses so you can do follow-up with them afterwards. A great way to do that is to ask everyone in the congregation to fill out a name and address card so you will have a record of their attendance. This doesn't make the guest feel conspicuous while filling out their card.
This is a Sunday to present a very simple and clear gospel message. Easter is a time of celebration, and your message should capture that. Jesus Christ is alive! He wants to be Lord and Savior of every person who sits in your congregation. He wants to provide them with forgiveness for their sins and transform them into new persons. You should have no problem preaching a dynamic message that offers hope and salvation to all who hear it. It is likely that some sitting in your sanctuary this Easter Sunday have never heard such a message, and you have an opportunity to plant seeds in their minds and hearts that could lead to a transformation of their lives.
Close your service with excitement and anticipation that God has spoken to people through the music, the prayers, and the message. Send them out with God's blessings upon them.
Do not fail to follow-up with every guest in the week following Easter. This is critical if you have any hope of them returning. Depending on how many guests you had that Sunday you may need to ask other mature, spiritual leaders in your church to assist you in this follow-up. You may want to physically visit some guests depending on the level of communication you've had with them, but a letter and a phone call will often suffice after their first time at your church. Send the letter out on Monday following the service and then call them later in the week asking if they've received the letter and if they have any questions about the church. In both contacts be sure to invite them to return the next Sunday.
Easter Sunday is often the one Sunday in the year that provides a smaller church with the greatest opportunity to touch people's lives. If you will treat people as you would like to be treated if you visited a church for the first time you are much more likely to see them return. This is even more likely if you have shared with them a message of hope and grace that is only available through a living Savior.
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