Tag: giving

Five Easter Ideas for Church Growth and Giving

Five Easter Ideas for Church Growth and Giving

Five Easter Ideas for Church Growth and Giving

Celebrating Easter and Christ’s Resurrection is the cornerstone of your church and your ministry. It’s what you stand for and how your worshipers define their personal commitment to God. No wonder Easter is one of the most attended worship services of the year!

Most of your congregation will gather together on April 9th to celebrate God’s miracle. A quarter of first-time church visitors will seek you out specifically on Easter Sunday. Easter church attendance is one of the most impactful holidays that can open doors for new church growth and giving.

So, what’s the best way to harness that faithful energy and engage your congregation all year long?

The key is creating special events that extend beyond Easter by using modern tools to connect with your church family easily and quickly.

Here are five innovative Easter ideas for church that will engage your fellowship throughout the Easter season and keep them returning all year long.

1. Reimagine Sunday Church Dinner

Church services and Easter egg hunts are mainstays, but how about hosting Easter dinner to share with your larger community? Churches have figured out how to do this at Thanksgiving. Why not Easter Sunday? It’s a perfect opportunity to bring Jesus’ teachings to those who need them most. Same great message, at a new date and time.

Make volunteer scheduling easy.

Manage food and volunteer sign ups easily with church volunteer scheduling. Many church members probably have favorite family recipes they’d be proud to share. From the Easter menu planning to leading children’s craft activities, keeping track of it all online will ensure a smooth event. Plus, noting members’ special skills helps you engage them in your next service project. (An online cookbook, perhaps?)

Mobile giving makes donating fast and simple.

Not everyone in your congregation is a seasoned chef. Make it easy for kitchen-challenged members to contribute to the cause with mobile payments through apps for churches. Donation management software helps you identify these donors when you’re looking to fund your next special project!

Make it a recurring event.

Continue hosting Sunday Church Dinners monthly or quarterly to keep spreading God’s Word. Church leaders can use this great opportunity to engage younger members in direct service to marginalized populations. They can help serve food or visit with guests. Be sure to use your church apps to spread the word about #SundayChurchDinner on social media.

2. Create a religious experience through art

Are there a few hidden Michelangelos among your flock? Start a new church tradition showcasing artistic creations by your congregation. From textiles to watercolors and woodworking, there are many modern interpretations of the Resurrection. Display them in your foyer or sanctuary.

Spotlight members, build community.

Use church volunteer scheduling to call for entries and organize volunteers to lead the event. It’s a great way to recognize and keep track of talented artists when it’s time for holiday decorating and the church bazaar.

Text, tag and spread the word.

Share the art collection on social media and your website. Rotate the art and host a monthly ‘gallery opening’. You can use church management software to text details about the event creating a sense of excitement and urgency within the broader community.

Explore new ways to engage.

At the event, set up a QR code through your apps for churches so visitors can sign a virtual guest book. Add these contacts to your database for marketing and outreach about future events. This also helps you chart visitors as they begin their unique spiritual journey at your church.

Mobile apps are simple and intuitive. They’re also a great way to include your Millennial and Gen Z members. These young tech savvy generations will love feeling ‘in the know’ as they set this up for you!

3. Re-enact the Easter story, God’s greatest miracle  

You don’t need a lot of props or preparation to deliver this defining moment of Christianity. The beauty and retelling of this story never gets old.

Make participation easy and fun.

Some churches host a ‘no-rehearsal performance’ with on-the-spot volunteers stepping up to improvise and share Jesus’s story. It’s a great opportunity for families!

You can find short scripts online and share copies with your actors. The imperfect efforts to read and act out the parts will endear your audience. The whole sanctuary will connect in this authentic moment.

Go viral with video.

Be sure to make a video recording of the event. Use apps for churches to post on social media. Tag church and community influencers and use #Easter related hashtags to increase organic traffic. Social media sharing is a great way to engage your Gen Z and Millennial members, while also scoring on church marketing

Refresh your website content.

Drive traffic to your website by uploading the video to your homepage. Or write  about creating the performance in your newsletter or blog.  You’ll be amazed at the uptick in views when people can watch friends in their community. Use your church management software to subscribe website visitors to your newsletter. Include an opt-in for text messages. Texting is great for sending short reminders about upcoming services, too.

4. Connect through service

Acts of service are a fabulous way to connect new members or worshipers returning after a gap. Kick off a new service project with an announcement during your Easter worship service. It’s your largest audience and a great way to share about the purpose, goal and timelines in person.

Choices boost participation.

Direct members to your church volunteer scheduling to gather volunteer contact info and share upcoming service projects dates on your church calendar. There are many ways to serve God and your community. Offer a variety of projects that focus on underserved populations such as the elderly or food deprived, local environmental initiatives or education. Joining a group of people with similar skills and passions creates a sense of belonging. And feeling like you belong in an active church group is what keeps members coming back.

Feedback matters.

Create quick church surveys and gain valuable feedback. Learn what worked and what didn’t. You’ll discover new ideas and service projects that interest members. When you share those results with your community, they’ll feel seen and heard by church leaders. Collecting input can drive positive change and help worshipers rediscover their sense of purpose.

Celebrate a job well done.

Share a meal and memories of completed acts of service. Ask volunteers to upload photos to use for future outreach and church milestones. Their shared experiences will create lasting bonds in your community. Encourage volunteers to bring a friend to learn about the projects and your church.

5. Share His songs in a concert

There are just so many inspirational songs, including them all on Easter would create one very long worship service! So rejoice together at a special time.

Group singing uplifts us all.

Like group prayer, the power of our collective voices transforms us. We feel God’s support and love through song. Recent blockbuster movies about gospel concerts may inspire your congregation.

Celebrate talent in your church community.

Invite musicians in your congregation to perform. It’s a great way to discover fresh voices and original new music. Welcome area musicians to perform, too.

Spread His Word.

Definitely record this event and use it on your social channels. Encourage members to share it on their social stories. Add new music to your church set to keep current with trends of the younger generations of worshipers.

Easter is the most important celebration of your faith. This worship service in your church is the perfect platform to share in God’s love and welcome new visitors. But the power of this miracle transcends this special Sunday. Your ministry shares his Word all year long. We encourage you to explore all the modern avenues to engage your community on Easter and throughout the year.

Article written by: Sarah Long

Article taken from here.

MinistryJobs.com/blog

Who Are The “Shooters” In Your Life?

I watched a favorite movie of mine the other day:  Hoosiers.  It’s getting a little dated but I still get “all the feels” whenever I view it.  Hoosiers is such a compelling story.  Having 4 boys at home who are just starting to get into sports, I thought it would be fitting for them to view the iconic basketball “David vs. Goliath” story.

If you’re familiar with Hoosiers, you know it’s a story about the sleepy small-town of Hickory, Indiana where basketball is a religion.  Set in the 1950s, it follows a fictional high school team which goes from nobodies to state champions (spoiler alert).  Along with the overall story of an unlikely team finding sports greatness, the movie has several subplots.  There’s the new coach with the sketchy past:  Norman Dale played by Gene Hackman.  There’s Jimmy Chitwood, the team superstar whose basketball career might be over due to his father’s passing.  And then there’s Wilbur “Shooter” Flatch played by the late Dennis Hopper.  Shooter seems doomed to be stuck in the glory days of his basketball past, as his present-day life consists of alcoholism and begging the town locals for spare change.

It’s the character of Shooter who left an impression on me during this most recent viewing of the movie.  By all estimations, Shooter is an embarrassment at best and an incompetent drunk at worst.  His son Everett plays on the team and to his dismay, Shooter will show up at games slobbering and stammering in a drunken stupor.  Shooter may love the game of basketball but he can’t stay sober even for a couple hours to watch his son play a game.

Despite all of this, it is Coach Dale that decides to risk big and take Shooter on as an assistant.  He realizes Shooter knows the game and has an eye for finding the opposing team’s weakness.  But he takes Shooter on one condition:  he must clean up and sober up.

If you’ve watched the movie, you know the rest of the story.  Shooter comes on board and grows in confidence as Coach Dale gives him dignity he hasn’t had in a long time.  Shooter earns back the respect of his son and even helps the team to a last-second win after Dale gets “kicked out” for disputing a ref’s call.  In the end, Shooter does fall off the wagon but he’s come too far to turn back.  He’s admitted to the hospital and gets detoxed, determined to turn his life around once and for all.

It occurred to me as I watched this movie that the attitude of redemption and seeing something of value in people is a very Christ-like trait.  Although the movie had no direct ties to make this statement, I saw in Coach Dale a small representation of what Christ must see in all the “least of these”.  In those whom society sees no worth and no possible chance of redemption, Jesus sees something else.  He sees worth and value and He puts Himself in the middle of their story.

The Gospels are chock full of encounters displaying Christ’s compassion.  Think of the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4).  Or the woman caught in adultery (John 8).  How about the lepers healed in Luke 17?  Finally, even in His death Jesus reaches out to the thief on the cross saying “today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23).  In each story, we see our Savior giving meaning to someone otherwise meaningless.  He chooses to give worth to the ones deemed unworthy.

So what does this mean for us?  If we’re honest, we all have “Shooters” in our lives:  people who have been broken by an event either of their own choosing or perhaps circumstances they had no control over.  But that event led to an unraveling and a form of cultural shunning that has left a mark no less obvious than a proverbial “scarlet letter”.  The neighbor down the street who nurses a private painkiller addiction.  The husband and father who lost his job and has to file for unemployment to help pay the bills.  The pregnant and unwed teen who sees no hope and is seriously considering an abortion.  The list goes on and on.

I’m convinced that in every situation, we as Christians are called to minister to the least of these knowing that when we do, we are ministering unto Christ Himself.  We do it because Christ’s love compels us to; His Holy Spirit works within us to produce feelings of compassion and a desire to reach out to the unlovable and undesirable.  It’s a mystery how this happens as we cannot produce these feelings in and of ourselves.   As the Bible teaches our good deeds apart from God are as “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).  Society’s best efforts apart from Christ are really just that: best efforts.

The challenge for each of us is to consider, who can I give dignity to today?  Many will never darken the door of a church, let alone crack a Bible or pray.  But we can be imitators of Jesus, putting on His flesh and speaking life to those who are desperate to be looked at as a real person.  We can bring a message of hope and salvation in Jesus Christ.

How about it?  Who are the Shooters in your life today?  What person has been put in your path which the rest of society has passed over?

Written by Derek Charles Johnson. Derek is a singer/songwriter and church worship leader at New Life Fellowship and resides in Aberdeen, South Dakota. To find out more about Derek, be sure to check out his blog here.