Telling the Easter Story: Unconventional How-Tos for Churches

Many years ago, we invited a friend to lead some simple music at the Easter service at a community center. He was early, so he sat outside strumming his guitar. The next-door neighbors heard our friend’s music and invited him into their home to play for them. He told them that he only knew how to play Christian music, but they said, “That’s OK, can you just come over?” As they began to feel comfortable with the newcomer, the neighbors (educated, middle class, upwardly mobile) asked him another question: “Can you tell us what the Easter story is about? We don’t know the story.” Fascinating. Sad. Amazing.

An Increased Attention

Easter is one of the days when churches most frequently invite their communities to attend their churches. Some new congregations spend big money to advertise their services. Why? Is it because we believe that people have some historical memory of the Story? Do we think they grew up in church and hold to some traditional value that says “attend church because that’s just what people do on Easter?” I know that is still true in some places and among some cultures. Maybe new immigrants will show up because Easter is perceived to be a Western cultural event. Or do we imagine that there are people who are looking for a church home, and that Easter is a good time to give it a try? When I began my church planting journey 35 years ago, these things were mostly true. However, these elements, at least in secular cities like mine, carry less weight than they used to.

A Varied Approach

Perhaps you are planning a huge Easter outreach, and it fails. What just happened? Here are some things to think about:
1.     On Easter, many people who already identify as Christian, try to attend church. Not all have necessarily made a life commitment to Christ.  Many of these people will not attend new churches, but prefer to attend “the” church in town. It’s a good day for those churches to tell the Story. Pray for those churches, and bless them.

"Easter's a good day for churches to tell the Story. Let's pray for those churches and bless them." ~ Linda Bergquist Click To Tweet

2.     Spring break is often the week before or the week after Easter for public schools. Many families leave town that week, often to visit family. Some attend the old family church on Easter. They won’t be around for your outreach. If you are a church that advertises, maybe Easter is a stand-alone special day, and you advertise a new message series starting the following week. You can refer to Easter and tell the Story again the week after.

3.     People who are nominal, and only attend church a few times a year, simply show up at the same places they have been in the past. Example: In a Catholic town, nominal Catholics try to attend mass on Easter. Don’t be surprised if they don’t choose to give your church a try. Are there other days and ways to tell the story? An egg hunt, an arts oriented outreach that focuses on personalizing the Savior, the main character and main event in the Story? Maybe a community Messiah or Last Supper enactment event? Easter morning is not the only possible Story time.

"Easter morning is not the only possible Story time." ~ Linda Bergquist Click To Tweet

4.     If you meet as missional communities in home church, keep the word missional in what you do. Invite people who are alone, don’t know the meaning of the event, who are new in the neighborhood, who don’t have food…. to celebrate with you.  Eat together. Tell the Story.  Yes. Tell the story.

Discover More Ways to Tell the Story with V3 Coaches & Fellow Church Planters!