Getting Ready for the Big Day - Part 2

A quick Google search for Christmas Sermon Ideas pulls up page upon page of list upon list of - "40 Christmas Sermon Ideas" or "20 Trending Christmas Sermons" or "12 Essential Sermons for Christmas." There are many ways to preach the gospel of the Good News on Christmas.

Over the past several years, even decades, have you noticed any trends in attendance? Have you studied who attends your church regularly or who visits and how often?

Phil Bowdle states in his book, Rethink Communication, that his church studied the attendance patterns for the past eight years.

• In 2010, the average person attended church every two to three weeks.
• In 2018, the average person attended church every five to six weeks.

That's only eight to ten times a YEAR!

There are many reasons for the decline - work, vacations, sports, school activities or practices. "Sunday is no longer a sacred day of the week reserved for church attendance and family time." - Phil Bowdle

Here's the big question...
If you only have eight to ten times a year to reach the average person in your church, what are you going to tell them this Christmas? How will it be different than in years past?

November 3rd - 7 Weeks Out

This week, it's time to focus on the Main Theme!

Once you have the basic idea for your Christmas service or even your sermon topic/theme, it's time to get to work on the designs for your communication pieces.

We know you have a lot to do as a pastor or leader in your church. That's where we want to help. Stinson Press can help take your Christmas service ideas or sermon topic/theme and put them to work. Our graphic designers can help bring your vision to life and do all the layout work for all your communications.

Some items that you need to start this week:

• Main theme graphics
  • Everything starts with this one. To keep continuity in your Christmas communications, this needs to be priority-one.
• Every Door Direct Mailings (EDDM) through the USPS
  • EDDM mailings take time to prepare and ship out. Be sure to decide early if you are going to do a direct mailing this year.
• Signs and banners
  • Some larger signs can have longer lead times. Decide on banners and signs early so they can arrive in plenty of time.
• Printed pieces
  • While you don't need to finalize all the pieces this early, you do need to have a gameplan. We can help you decide on sizes, layouts, quantities, and timelines for any piece in your communication plan.
• Digital graphics for social media
  • We can take your theme graphic and create some original social media posts that include your church or service information. Let us know which social media you use and how you use it and we will help develop content for you.

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.

1-573-686-6011