Begin Christmas Preparation With The End in Mind
You are a veteran of Advent in the life of a church, and you know the value of early planning for a fruitful Christmas season.
Your team will be the key to making your services fruitful. Instead of hitting the ground running, take time to cast vision for them. Start in October and begin with the end in mind. It's never too early for hot chocolate and candy canes. Hold a fun Christmas team meeting and explain your goals, the concepts you are trying to bring to life, and the important role each of them plays in the process.
Christmas Time Off
First, be generous with your team and yourself. You will go hard, putting in extra hours leading up to Christmas. Arrange a holiday schedule ahead of the meeting.
The first item on the planning agenda is holidays. Plan for rest and recovery to go strong into the New Year. For example, in 2024, give your team December 25, 26, 27, 30, 31, and January 1 as paid days out of the office. On December 31, have one or two people keep the office open until noon to receive end-of-year onsite giving.
Plan for an online service (remember those?) on the Sunday between Christmas and New Year's. Record and broadcast a brief message that celebrates the results of your Christmas efforts, appreciates the volunteers, and shares the gospel. Give yourself and your staff a recovery Sunday.
Or, if onsite service is essential, host a family service to give your children's workers a break, use video worship suited for children, and bring in a guest who can connect with families.
Christmas Appreciation Cards
Plan to send handwritten Christmas cards to staff, Board members, and volunteer leaders. Starting by November 20, writing one card a day gets you up to 22 cards by December 12.
Include a $10 gift card from a local coffee shop, handwrite the address on the card, use a postage stamp, and mail it out. The personal touch will be significant for those who have words of affirmation as a love language.
Calendarizing Christmas Events
Put every December event, program, and service on a whiteboard calendar (women's banquet, men's event, youth banquet, children's production, small group wrap-ups, community events, etc.) Identify the evangelism and discipleship opportunities for each calendar item. This WILL be the first time some people will hear the gospel at Christmas. Prepare leaders to give a salvation invitation at each event.
Consider the amount of time, energy, volunteers, and finances required by each event. Will the amount of events and resources work against your purpose? Will families be running from children to youth to women's events? Now is the time to combine or pare down activities. Less is more.
Choose one community charitable agency (food bank, Salvation Army kettle drive, Samaritan Purse Christmas Shoeboxes, etc.) to partner with and get exposure outside of the church community.
Rather than simply assigning tasks, invite collaboration. Team members have a unique role in making your church's Christmas services come to life. The better you inspire them, the more unified your team will be during the process, and the better the end result.
Checklist for Outbound Christmas Events
Choose a Christmas messaging theme or concept, plus a design image for all events.
Develop a Christmas series of messages starting December 1. Open Life Church Network lists dozens of free message series themes and graphics.
Publicize your Christmas Eve service(s) by November 25 (front page of your website or on a landing page; post in your community calendar; your social media platforms; email and texts to the congregation; Christmas article or column in the local newspaper; outdoor sign on your property).
Create invitation handouts - include the date, time(s), address, barrier-free access, and parking.
Equip Hospitality Teams for every event.
Prize draw to collect email and/or cell numbers for follow-up at each event.
Newcomer follow-up (scheduled email on December 27; response text on 24). Thank them for attending, and invite them to your first Sunday message series for the New Year or a January family event.
Give salvation invitations at all events and services.
Raised hands, QR codes, or text a number to indicate salvation decision.
Printed material for new believers during the Christmas season. Every Home for Christ provides eight packs of 3 booklets – Finding Hope at Christmas – for free.
Schedule a new believers class in January.
Brainstorming through all these points will help you create a fruitful 2024 Christmas experience for your team.
More Christmas Idea Starters
Opportunities to Connect with Community at Christmas
'Tis The Season To Be Dreaming of Christmas
How A Small Church Can Make a Big Impact
Bob Jones is the founder of REVwords.com, an author, blogger, and coach with 39 years of pastoral experience. Bob is also an Advance Coach with the ABNWT Resource Centre. You can connect with Bob here.