17. Easter Labyrinth
On Easter, promote a labyrinth experience featuring stations of the cross. Even unbelievers are interested in a spiritual experience that helps them learn about the true significance of Easter.
18. The Empty Egg
Offer a communitywide Easter egg hunt that involves several avenues to share the Gospel. From puppet ministry to a worship band, to sharing the parable of the empty egg (representing the empty tomb), you can use this event to introduce the community to Christ and invite them to Easter services.
19. Appreciation Gift
Offer a free gift like an inexpensive Max Lucado book to the first 50 families who come to your service.
20. Canned Food Donations
Encourage everyone who attends your Easter service to bring canned food for a local food bank. Seeing the church serve others can offer unbelievers a different view of the church and ultimately cause them to be more open to hearing the Gospel.
21. Cross Connection
Use the tradition of a flower cross at Easter. Buy hundreds of carnations and during the response time, invite people to place a flower in a large wooden cross framed with chicken wire.
22. The World’s Biggest Easter Egg Hunt
The week before Easter, advertise a huge event called something like “The World’s Biggest Easter Egg Hunt.” Include inflatables, games, food, door prizes, free Bibles and music at the event. It makes it easy to invite the community back the next week for Easter services.
23. Neutral Location
Instead of holding services at your church, schedule them at a neutral location. One church uses a flower ranch located on the property of one of their members and draws many unbelievers each year.
24. Celebrity Connection
Engage your community by inviting a local Christian “celebrity” to participate in your Easter service. Ask the mayor to narrate your Easter musical; invite a sports figure to share his or her testimony; ask the local pageant queen to sing; or invite a local disc jockey or news anchor to participate in a reader’s theater.
25. Baskets Benefit
Collect Easter gift baskets from local businesses and church members for a silent auction, benefiting a local charity.
26. Easter Photos
On Easter Sunday, give guests free family photos. Enlist a photographer, set up a spring backdrop and give each person a card with a link to download their pictures.
27. Visual Aid
Build or purchase a large wooden cross and place it at the front. Early in Easter worship service, explain the cross’ significance.
28. Children’s Musical
Never underestimate the power of a children’s musical or drama. Not only are children remarkably capable of presenting the Gospel in a compelling way, but parents, grandparents and friends who might otherwise never set foot in a church will come with cameras in hand.
29. Sermon on CD
Make the Easter sermon available free of charge to guests. On the CD cover, list the upcoming message series and topics that will be covered.
30. Love Jars
Fill canning jars called “Love Jars” with brownie mix, attractively layered, sealed with a lid and covered with seasonal fabric. Then make a personal visit to the home of each of Easter visitor. Make it a nonthreatening, nonpreachy visit that simply says, “We’re glad you came…. hope to see you again.”
31. Spring Family Festival
Follow up Easter Sunday with a spring family festival. Give the kids carnival tickets stapled to their Easter egg bags to use for rides and games. It’s a strong motivator that turns an Easter-only visit into at least two visits. A barbecue and outreach-oriented message series give parents a reason to return as well.