Happy Halloween 2014

Happy Halloween 2014

October 30, 2014 by

Yes, church marketing is serious business, but sometimes we need to have some Halloween fun.

Halloween Church Signs

A couple years back we collected some groan-worthy Halloween church signs. Last year Ed Stetzer collected even more:

  • No Tricks, No Trunks, No Treats, Just Truth
  • The Only Ghost Around Here Is Holy
  • Heaven Is No Trick, Hell is No Treat
  • Whoever Thought Up “Fun Size” Chocolate Wasn’t Thinking

As bad as all those signs may be (wait—I actually like the chocolate one), they’re way better than the Halloween book burning.

Unwelcome: 50 Ways Churches Drive Away First-Time VisitorsChurch Visitor Horror Stories

With your help we’ve been collecting church visitor horror stories to celebrate the release of Unwelcome: 50 Ways Churches Drive Away First-Time Visitors. Here are the winners (but be warned, they’re scary):

  • Fired Pastor: After the service a church held a business meeting to fire the pastor who just preached.
  • Reserved Seating: A church lady giving the evil eye over her saved seats.
  • The Stalker: One church was a little too eager to get a visitor’s information.

Zombie Outreach

Just when you thought pop culture could do no more with zombies, the church joins the shuffling mob! We explore four ways you can reach out to the undead:

Throughout history it is the church that has stepped forward in moments of catastrophe to care for the least, the last and now the undead.

All Saints’ Day

Church Communication Heroes Volume 1Many churches go to great lengths to redeem Halloween—the evil holiday where people actually talk to their neighbors and we give each other candy—and forget that we’ve been here all along. The church has been celebrating the ghosts of our past for ages with All Saints’ Day. We’re big fans of learning from the past:

“You’re not the first person to work for a church and feel under-appreciated and over-worked.”

Last year we celebrated with an entire book: Church Communication Heroes.

Pastoral Costumes

In the past we’ve asked how your pastor should dress up for Halloween. Maybe it’s time to revisit that poll. Speak up in the comments—how do you want to see your pastor dressed for Halloween?

Post By:

Kevin D. Hendricks


When Kevin isn't busy as the editor of Church Marketing Sucks, he runs his own writing and editing company, Monkey Outta Nowhere. Kevin has been blogging since 1998, runs the hyperlocal site West St. Paul Reader, and has published several books, including 137 Books in One Year: How to Fall in Love With Reading, The Stephanies and all of our church communication books.
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One Response to “Happy Halloween 2014”

  • Brook
    October 30, 2014

    Good stuff! I’m a Worship and Media Arts Pastor in Indiana and I dressed up as Cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation for our church Trunk or Treat. It was a big hit! Nothing like being parked and greeted by a pastor in a bath robe holding an orange hose and coozied “beer”. I can’t count how many times I heard people call out “Sh*tters Full!” Man, do I love the unchurched!


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