Can you believe that Easter has already come and gone? If you are like most churches, your attendance went up, you had some guests and people returned who had not been present since the pandemic started.
You spent a lot of time planning, preparing and pulling together with your team for Easter services.
Now Easter is over and you're taking some time to catch your breath. Which is good (see point #10).
But don't get so relaxed that you miss some great wins you can accomplish coming out of Easter.
Here are 10 strategic steps you can take coming out of Easter.
1. Send a handwritten note to the parents who were guests. Thank them for coming. Let them know you are there for their family. Encourage them to reach out if they have questions about the church. Invite them to come back.
p.s. Here is a great strategy for sending a guest family a personal note.
2. Send a handwritten note to the children who were guests. It's a huge deal for a child to get something in the mail. Let them know you were so glad they came. Tell them you can't wait to see them again.
3. Offer your guests a t-shirt or other gift on their second visit. The national average for guests to return to a church is 7%. When I started giving guests a t-shirt on their second visit, our return rate went up to 34%. The t-shirt also had our logo on it which helped spread the word about our ministry. On the handwritten note you send the kids, mention the gift and remind them to stop by the guest's area and pick up their gift on their second visit.
4. Send a handwritten thank you note to your volunteers. Remember the people who you depend upon to make the ministry happen. Without their help, there would not have been an Easter service, activities, etc. for kids. Send the note and make it personal. Mention something you saw them do or say that really impacted a child or family. Never forget to say, "Thank you for serving and making a difference."
5. Invite Easter volunteers to join your team full-time. You probably had some people sign-up to serve for the first time on Easter weekend. Connect with them and invite them to be a part of your team all the time. One Easter I did this and saw 85% of the first-time Easter volunteers sign up to serve on our team full-time.
6. Take down your Easter decorations and clean up. Ever look at people's houses who keep their Christmas lights up for months after December 25th has passed? Don't be that person at church. Some things probably got messy and misplaced by the time your Easter services were over. Don't just shove everything in a closest and hope no one ever looks in there. Keep your "stuff" organized and neat. Parents and volunteers will notice this. Remember - everything walks the talk. Even with how you store things.
7. Send guests an email with what's coming up this summer. Let guests know about VBS, camp, fun Wednesday nights, upcoming teaching series and more.
8. Call guests and thank them for coming. Talk the parents. Make it brief unless they start asking questions or want more info. More than likely, you will get their voicemail. Just leave a short message and the best number to reach you at if they have questions.
9. Follow up with any families who took a spiritual step like salvation, baptism, asking about joining a small group, ask to speak with a pastor, etc. Make sure you have specific next steps in place for each of these.
10. Catch your breath. Easter is a long weekend. You probably had extra services. In the midst of working through these and other steps, make sure you take some time to rest, spend time with your family, take a day off, etc.