Now that the biggest event of the year in the church world is behind us, what’s next? Before moving on to the next big event (the next Sunday service for that matter), consider the following:
Celebrate
How was Easter at your church? Attendance was probably high. A lot of people probably got saved. Capture the information, stories and celebrate! Share the wins with staff and volunteers. Celebrate it with your congregation this Sunday. Champion the volunteers and staff who went above and beyond to serve the large crowds. Brag on the people working behind-the-scenes on social media. Write thank you cards.
Evaluate
One thing is for sure: Easter will happen again next year. While the experience is fresh, start planning now by asking key questions. What went well? What should we keep doing? What went wrong? What should we stop doing? Capture key numbers like attendance, first-time guests, salvations, etc. Then tee yourself for next year by setting up a reminder to look at this information when you plan to start working on or planning for next Easter.
Reset
There’s an expression, “The project is not done until the tools have been put away.” Have the props from the Easter special been put away? Have the leftover invite cards been thrown out? Have all the Easter promo stuff been removed from the website? Being intentional about this step creates a culture of thoroughness and excellence. Sloppiness erodes your credibility and compromises the power of a successful event.
Recharge
Easter was a lot of work! Before diving into your next big thing (Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, summer events, fall, Christmas, etc.) make sure to rest, dote on your family and soak in God’s word and presence for fresh a revelation.
What are some of the ways you recover from a major event like Easter?
Need More? 3 Easter Resources:
- Get more Easter ideas with our growing collection of articles, examples, and more.
- Check out our book, Super Sunday: Planning Easter for Your Church, for tips on how to plan, promote, and survive Easter.
- Go deeper for even more Easter resources and join our Courageous Storytellers Membership Site. You'll get access to downloadable resources including planners, guides, worksheets, graphics, and more.
Angela Sealana
April 1, 2013
Catholics and Orthodox celebrate Easter for much longer than 1 day. For Catholics, it’s 8 days, plus the rest of the Easter season (50 days) until Pentecost. So…maybe we can re-pose this question to them then!
Richard Carle
April 22, 2014
Thank you for making your point. A problem I personally have with the tone of this site is that it thinks it has all the answers. But often it comes across as quite parochial and xenophobic. The world does not consist of all North Carolina protestants.
Kevin D. Hendricks
April 23, 2014
Thanks for the insights. We do our best to reach out to different denominations. I was never aware that other denominations do a multi-day approach to Easter, so that’s great to hear. I do think the advice can still apply, whether your Easter efforts are wrapping up now or 8 or 50 days from now.
And we certainly don’t have all the answers: I Must Be Doing This Wrong
Denise
April 1, 2013
This is an excellent tool for evaluation, not only for Easter but for any event. I especially appreciate your point about cleaning up; so often overlooked.
Kelvin
April 1, 2013
Thank you Denise! Admittedly, this is a post I personally needed to read and apply this morning.
steven smith
April 2, 2013
while it is good to have a particular day set aside annually, the beautiful big picture about “easter” is that we celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus everyday! most importantly it is not a “day” but as He said, “I am the Resurrection…” that really encourages me and i love to encourage my kinsmen with that great truth.
one other point: i wonder how many believers have ever done a study on the word “easter.” we have used the term for centuries without knowing its pagan meaning and origin. i encourage many believers to do the research and then ask yourself, “should i or rather my church be using this word to celebrate our Lord’s great salvation?” i mean, if the church is to be the “pillar and support/buttress of the Truth,” why are we continuing for ages to use a pagan term to celebrate the most paramount event of the ultimate Savior that defines our faith?
here’s one reference. worth a look. grace and peace to all!
happy Resurrection!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ēostre
thunder250
April 23, 2014
And while we are at it shouldn’t we change the name of the first day of the week — Sunday, after all, also has pagan origins…. and Thursday…
oh and then there is Christmas….
and…..
Caleb Warren
April 2, 2013
Thank you! That is an important reminder to have this morning as I find myself winding down from Easter and winding up for the weekend.
Betsy
April 22, 2014
After a busy Lenten season and Easter weekend, our staff is given ‘Easter Monday’ as a paid day off to refresh and regroup. Tuesday we evaluate and throughout the week we clean up the website, put away the props, recycle the bulletins & postcards, etc. Speaking of postcards, we send one out to the community. On the front is the EGGstravaganza (egg hunt, message & picnic on the lawn Saturday AM) and on the back is info about our Saturday night Vigil and Sunday Easter services, as well as regular worship times. It brings in the families, many of whom return on Easter & beyond. You need to meet people where they are; acknowledging the secular and reminding them of the sacred…
Evan Courtney
April 6, 2015
I’m sharing this with our staff tomorrow. Thanks Kelvin.