Getting Ready for the Big Day
It's one of the two biggest days for churches. Christmas and Easter. According to a survey by Lifeway Research, over 60% of Americans are planning to attend a Christmas service - even 30% of those with no religious affiliation at all!
On top of that, based on that same survey, 57% of those polled said they would attend church if they were invited.
So how many is that in your community?
That's an easy math question and a golden opportunity to spread the GREAT NEWS of the birth of Jesus Christ!
It may seem early, but it's actually time to start thinking of how you're going to do Christmas this year at your church. Over the next eight to nine weeks, we are going to give you a few ideas to think about while you get your plans together for one of the best Christmas seasons you've had.
October 20th - 8 to 9 Weeks Out
For the next couple of weeks, think about getting the team together to start planning for the "Big Day." Get your leadership team, or your worship team, or even if it's just you handling the planning, start brainstorming some ideas on how Christmas will look this year at your church.
Here are some things to help get the thinking going.
- Sermon Series
- What do you want to communicate to all those guests coming to your church? If you only have a couple of Sundays a year to tell them about Christ, what will that look like?
- Special Events or Activities
- Will you have any special things for your guests when they arrive at your church? Christmas cookies? Decorated picture area? Hot cocoa and special coffees?
- Services
- Will you need to plan for additional service times to accommodate the additional people coming at Christmas? How will that impact your volunteers and their families? Don't forget the time it takes to "turnaround" the auditorium and parking lot. Be sure to allow time for attendees to leave the one service and arrive for the next.
- Update First Impressions/Greeters Training
- This is a good time to asses all your church systems, but one of the most important for big days is your greeters and hosts. These volunteers are your first line of your one and only first impression. Take a look at their training and have a couple of refresher courses to emphasize the importance of their position and keep everyone fresh.
- What Promotional Items will you want to do?
- Invite Cards - Your regular attendees can easily start a conversation with printed invite cards featuring your series graphics.
- Series/Theme Information Cards - Hand these out to your congregation to help generate excitement and let them know your plans for the upcoming services
- Mailers - Will you want to send a small or large mailing to your local community to let them know about your Christmas plans?
- Door Knockers - WIll you be sending out teams to blanket the local neighborhoods to invite them to your Christmas services?
- Social Media Ads and Campaigns - Facebook and Instagram ads are extremely inexpensive and very cost-effective. If you don't have anyone in your church that is knowledgable about social media, consider asking a church you may follow on FB already - or give us or the GBHQ a call and we can help point you in the right direction.
- Radio/Newspaper - While this is a more costly media, targeted radio and newspaper ads can be effective. You may also be able to attract some free publicity by sending your local station or publisher a pre-written PSA with all your information. Many outlets are looking for local news they can fill their air time and columns with.
- Theme Banners and/or Signs - Is your church off the main street a few blocks? Consider a temporary banner placed on the main drag to help send them down the right street. Do your internal directional signs need an update? Look at your traffic flow through the eyes of a guest, what is apparent to you may not be an easy trail for anyone unfamiliar with your facility.
- Special Giveaways for VIPs/Guests - Whether you call then guests, visitors, VIPs, or new friends, will you be handing out any special thank-you gifts? Some popular items are plastic tumblers, chip clips, coffee mugs, custom VIP/Guest shirts with your church logo, gift cards to a local coffee house or restaurant. Be creative, the ideas are only limited by your imagination.
Contact us today to help with your next sermon series or "big day" event. Call us at (573) 686-6011 or email me at todd@stinsonpress.com.
Todd Luke, CMPStinson Press
General Manager
1-573-686-6011
Invite Cards
Your congregation can use these inexpensive invite cards to start a conversation - with their co-workers, family, friends, even their neighbors. Print all the details for your services along with website and church information.
Door Knockers
Take your invitations one step further. Take an afternoon or weekend and have your church pass these out to all the homes in your local neighborhood(s).
Whether they answer the door or not, you can leave the invitation to come to church with you for Christmas. With everyone's busy schedule, door knockers help connect when you can't catch everyone at home.
See packages below for big savings!
X-Frame Banners
Add inexpensive branding to your lobby or common areas of your church with these X-Frame banners. You can highlight the theme with your Christmas series graphics and make sure everyone knows about any special details about the big day.
And don't forget, the frames are reusable and the vinyl refills are very economical. Refills are often 2-for-1 so be sure to pick up two!
See packages below for big savings!
Our Basic Package includes the basics you need to let your congregation know about your upcoming sermon series. From Theme Banners and Information Handout Cards to Personal Invite Cards your congregation can use to invite their friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors to church.
Package Includes:
- 2 X-Frame Banners (23" x 68")
- Invite Cards (Business Card size)
- Handout Cards (4" x 6" or 5" x 7" postcards)
Pricing:
- 250 print pieces plus X-Frame banners: $183.15
- 500 print pieces plus X-Frame banners: $199.80
- 1000 print pieces plus X-Frame banners: $233.10
Outreach Package
Our Outreach Package includes everything from the first package and adds a couple of outreach items to help spread the word to your community.
It includes Theme Banners, Information Handout Cards, and Personal Invite Cards - PLUS - Door Knockers for neighborhood outreach, and Series Flyers for handing out and posting around your local community.
Package Includes:
- 2 X-Frame Banners (23" x 68")
- Invite Cards (Business Card size)
- Handout Cards (4" x 6" or 5" x 7" postcards)
- Door Knockers with bottom tear-off (3.5" x 11")
- Series Flyers (8.5" x 11")
Pricing:
- 250 print pieces plus X-Frame banners: $340.68
- 500 print pieces plus X-Frame banners: $400.73
- 1000 print pieces plus X-Frame banners: $507.60
Impact Series Package
The Impact Series Package has everything from the first two packages and adds on additional banners to help with in-house branding for your series.
It includes 2 X-Frame Theme Banners, Information Handout Cards, Personal Invite Cards, Door Knockers for neighborhood outreach, and Series Flyers for handing out and posting around your local community - PLUS - one additional Large X-Frame Banner and a Large Vinyl Banner.
Package Includes:
- 2 X-Frame Banners (23" x 68")
- Invite Cards (Business Card size)
- Handout Cards (4" x 6" or 5" x 7" postcards)
- Door Knockers with bottom tear-off (3.5" x 11")
- Series Flyers (8.5" x 11")
- 1 X-Frame Banner (31" x 71")
- 1 Vinyl Banner (4' x 8')
Pricing:
- 250 print pieces plus banners: $517.98
- 500 print pieces plus banners: $577.80
- 1000 print pieces plus banners: $684.90
