How To Leverage Christmas as an Outreach Opportunity

By Brad Marchman

Christmas provides a tremendous opportunity for churches to reach their communities because people are more open to visit a church as the birth of Jesus is celebrated.

The key is to think strategically to encourage and equip your church to engage your community to both share the gospel and invite those in their circle of influence to a Christmas worship service.

Here are a few ideas to consider:

  1. Inspire your people to get involved in reaching out to the people around them.

Christmas is a giving season and most people are in the spirit to give and receive. Help your people identify ways to serve in their circles of influence.

Some ideas include: Use social media and do a 12 Days of Christmas Challenge where you record a video everyday challenging your members to serve others in some way. Make it fun and have invite cards to give out as your people serve. It could be simple things that allow your people to remember the reason for the season.

Have cookie bake fellowships among your small groups and have them deliver to people in their neighborhood or places of business along with invite cards to your services.

Finally, encourage couples to get together and go out to eat, and tip the server extra along with an invitation to attend Christmas services. There are hundreds of ways to serve. Mobilize your people to make the most of the Christmas season to be a blessing to others.

  1. Provide multiple worship services.

The Christmas season is a busy time for everyone with school events, parties, shopping, and travel. Your church can reach more people by offering more services.

Christmas Eve is on a Sunday in 2023. Consider the possibility of having a Christmas Eve-Eve service on Saturday. Have two worship services on Sunday morning and a Christmas Eve Service that evening. You will reach more people by offering more services.

  1. Encourage and equip your church to invite people in their circle of influence.

A personal invite is the most impactful way to have first time guests attend your church.

  • Start a minimum of four weeks out and challenge your church to invite people.
  • Design an invite card specifically to promote your Christmas services and provide these to your church.
  • Create social media graphics to promote your Christmas services and encourage your church to share them on their platforms.

  1. Prayerfully plan your worship service and follow up.

Expect a large crowd to show up and include a simple gospel presentation in your message with clarity in the invitation with how a person can commit their life to Jesus. Clearly explain any next steps.

Gather contact information and follow up with your guests.

  • Send an email
  • Send a text
  • Mail a letter

These are a few simple ways that you can leverage Christmas as an outreach opportunity and impact your community with the gospel.

Would you like to leverage “natural attendance bumps” like Christmas that are already happening in your church for maximum outreach & growth? Check out our free training, Ride The Waves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Published November 27, 2023