What we didn't see happen at our Christmas services might change what you do this Easter
I am looking at this coming Easter through the lens of something that didn’t happen at our Christmas services for the first time.
Let me explain….
I have shared before that our Christmas services are our Super Bowl. They have the biggest attendance over any service of the year, they are the most elaborate, and they attract the most unchurched guests by far. In fact, we see more guests at Christmas make themselves known to us by sharing their contact info than at any other holiday or weekend service. Historically, 18% of the guests who identify themselves to us each year do so at one of our Christmas services. Think of it: that’s almost 1 out of 5 guests each year come for the first time at Christmas.
It’s definitely an opportunity that we want to leverage this Easter, except for the fact the it didn’t happen this year for the first time.
Read on to learn what happened and what questions you can join me in asking as we all plan for our next big outreach services.
2 questions to ask yourself now before planning your Easter services
What is the primary “win” of your holiday services?
Is it to explore the incarnation, resurrection, or other biblical event behind the holiday?
Is it to share the good news so people will decide to follow Jesus?
Is it to create a positive experience for families and new comers?
Is it to capture contact info of any guests who are present?
Of course, our ultimate win is to make a disciple. That means helping someone who doesn’t know or fully understand Jesus become a fully devoted follower of him. The primary win is more strategic. It answers the question: what is the most important play we could run to make someone a disciple?
It won’t surprise you to know that my vote would be for capturing contact info for as many guests as possible. Why? Because she’s not your girlfriend until you got her phone number and they are not your guests until you have their contact info.
And why is it important to have their contact info? Because making someone into a follower of Jesus is a relational endeavor and you cannot build a relationship with someone until you know how to contact them. Someone sharing their contact info with you is square one in the disciple making task.
I have worked with churches that feel it’s more important to bless believers with Christian books or gifts at holidays like Christmas. I have also heard them say that inviting guests to share their contact info with you doesn’t feel appropriate at Christmas. My response is usually, “Does it feel Christmasy to make a disciple at Christmas? If it does, you’ll need to get their contact info”.
As we ponder holiday services, it is sobering to remember that Easter wasn’t celebrated till the 2nd century and Christmas not until the 4th century. The Great Commission originates with Jesus in the 1st century. Do whatever you can to make that task preeminant when you determine what your primary “win” is for these special services.
What is in the way of seeing that “win” maximized?
Gene Appel, our Lead Pastor at Eastside, often says that great leaders are great eliminators. My observations of most church leaders is this: we are not great eliminators. We are great accumulators.
This is how it works. We read a book or blog post, go to a conference, or have a conversation with someone at a church that has something going on that is working….and whatever that is, we add it to what’s already going on at our own church. As a result we accumulate a lot of tactics and activities that often don’t produce what we hoped for. Why? We didn’t eliminate the existing activities that would compete with that strategy.
I believe we inadvertently fell prey to this at our church last Christmas. Our attendance was record breaking (28,000+ over 7 campuses). Naturally we made sure that we had plenty of steel tumblers and free combo meals to give to our guests. We even had thousands of themed postcards printed for our Guest Central team members to write personal notes to all these guests. But guess what happened? Instead having our usual 5.3 to 6.2 percent of the auditorium attendance identify themselves as a guest, we averaged just over 1 percent.
That’s not a typo.
None of us, myself included, saw any potential competition with a new addition to our Christmas services. We gave a cool Christmas ornament to everyone as they exited the service. It was a nice touch to add this feature, no doubt. But my observations told me after the first Christmas services that people didn’t want to go wait in a potential line to get another free gift and identify themselves when their hands already held a gift in them.
What sealed this conclusion for me was what happened at our Las Vegas campus. They had some logistical issues that made this new campus “call an audible” which was to give the gift on their way in to the service (not as they exited). The result? They had over 6 percent of their auditorium attendance identify themselves as guests afterward.
I share this with you so you know that my church and I are still learning and I want to pass on my thoughts on these learnings to you before your next big outreach opportunity which I am guessing is this Easter. The simplest way to do that is to ask yourself and your team what the number one win of your next big outreach service might be and what could in the way (or competing) with that win. It could be…
Concluding the service with an announcement or activity that has nothing to do with the win (not leveraging the power of the last thing said).
Having too much content in the service so that it is so lengthy that the win is irrelevant.
The messaging of the service has absolutely no connection to the win.
Whatever your win is, and whatever you decide to eliminate, I am excited to share 2 new resources with you:
A new video about how to increase your guest leads at any service of the year. Check your inbox this week to watch it. It may surprise you.
A 4 session pilot program called “Setting up Camp: Charting a new course for guests to connect at your church”. This is for churches of all sizes. With Easter and beyond in mind, these 1 hour zoom sessions begin Tuesday March 14th at 8am PST. The cost for all four sessions will be $349 but because this is the pilot session, I will be offering it for just $190 and will take only the first 6 people who sign up using the form below. The remaining people will be put on a waiting list for the next one in June at full price.
Included in the pilot program will be:
4 one hour interactive zoom sessions with me and others in your role at other churches.
Session 1: Getting guests to identify themselves to you.
Session 2: Creating the right connection environment for guests at your church.
Session 3: How to get guests into a small group.
Session 4: How to get guests serving quickly on a ministry team.
Easy Individualized assignments for each week with a “no shame” guarantee if they are not completed.
Half off of my 6 week “Climbing the Assimilayas” video course. (regularly $259, cut to $129.50) to build on this content with your staff or volunteer team.
Apply for the pilot group here:
In the meantime, use the questions below to create a discussion with your team that could result in the most effective outreach services you’ve had to date.
What is the primary “win” of your next holiday/outreach service?
What is in the way of seeing that “win” maximized?
List what it would take to remove anything that competes with your “win”. Assign tasks and completion dates.
Pray for God to confirm the wisdom of your win, your strategic eliminations, and to unite your church around changes you sense God is wanting you to do.
