{"id":31277,"date":"2022-09-27T12:25:26","date_gmt":"2022-09-27T16:25:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/?p=31277"},"modified":"2022-10-12T12:29:58","modified_gmt":"2022-10-12T16:29:58","slug":"27277","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/2022\/09\/27277\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Early Christmas To-Do List: 8 Ways to Plan Ahead for Your Christmas Ministries"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Is your church ready for Christmas? If you think it\u2019s too early to ask that question \u2013 think again!<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Your church members and people in your community are already starting to think about their Christmas plans. Gifts, family gatherings, parties \u2013 and when and where to attend church services.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>And according to <a href=\"https:\/\/research.lifeway.com\/2018\/12\/06\/9-trends-in-christmas-eve-church-services\/\">Lifeway Research<\/a>, \u201cNon-Christians are more likely to come to worship services on Christmas Eve than any other day of the year, including Easter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The sooner you start preparing for the Christmas season, the better your programs and services will be for your church families and all the guests you are sure to welcome for the holidays.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>And this can lead to increased attendance throughout the year. It can spark more giving from your members and guests. It can inspire renewed engagement with church families, especially those who have rarely attended regular services. It can even be the beginning of someone\u2019s personal relationship with Christ!<\/p>\n<p>Start your Christmas planning now, and the impact can be tremendous.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Sharefaith has developed an Early Christmas To-Do List that you and your ministry teams can get started on now. Here\u2019s what you need to do\u2026<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Get Your Church Website Ready!<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Your website is the digital \u201cfront door\u201d to your church. It\u2019s where church members and visitors will go first to find out what you have planned for the Christmas season. There are several ways you can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/church-websites\/\">tweak your website<\/a> to get people informed and excited about your Christmas programs:<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Put Christmas on your homepage: you can start early with a rotating banner or alert bar, and then dedicate your entire home page to a Christmas theme after Thanksgiving.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Dedicate a specific page just for Christmas: create an easy to remember URL (example: yourchurch.com\/Christmas). Include service times, locations, and specific information for visitors. And make sure to add a button that lets viewers add events to their calendar!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Feature past Christmas messages, choir performances, or kids\u2019 programs on your website. This will let web visitors know what to expect and get them excited for your Christmas offerings.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><strong>Prepare to Put Your Social Media to Work<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Strategize now for how to build excitement for your Christmas services on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/church-media\/\">social media<\/a>. You should use clear, branded images that give service times and themes. You can also create a Christmas visual telling visitors where to park, which entrance to use, and what to expect. Make it personal by creating short videos of your pastoral staff inviting people to join you this Christmas.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>You can also think now about special Christmas campaigns for social media. Something like \u201c12 Verses of Christmas\u201d can show how Jesus\u2019 birth is told throughout Scripture, from the Old Testament to the New. (Sharefaith has compiled over two dozen Bible verses about Christmas <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/2017\/11\/bible-verses-about-christmas\/\">here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<p>And remember to make all your Christmas content shareable! Encourage your followers to share your posts, as a way to invite their friends to Christmas services. You can even create a #hashtag to bring together content for your Christmas events. Then, encourage your members to use the hashtag by promoting it in your bulletin, website, and services.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><strong>Create a Plan for Inviting Visitors to Attend Your Services<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Christmas is one of the biggest opportunities for outreach that your church has each year. If you want people to attend, just ask! You can actively invite people to join you for Christmas in a couple of ways:<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Use your email lists:\u00a0do you have lists of email subscribers? Past visitors? Or even inactive members? Create a heartfelt, welcoming email inviting them to attend your Christmas programs. This is also something that your members can forward on to people they may want to invite.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Create invitation cards and encourage your members to hand them out:\u00a0They don\u2019t have to be fancy or elaborate. Use your Christmas graphics (which we\u2019ll talk about next), include service times, and just say, \u201cYou\u2019re invited!\u201d. A personal invite goes a long way.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li><strong>Start Thinking about Your Christmas Themes and Graphics<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>It\u2019s important to create Christmas content that is vivid and inspiring. You want a theme that represents your church, and that is well branded. And you don\u2019t need a team of graphic designers to make it happen! There are plenty of amazing graphics available that you can use.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Sharefaith has a whole universe of Christmas images and templates \u2013 you can explore them <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/images-templates\/christmas.html\">here<\/a>. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>And once you have your graphics created? Make sure that you are consistent with them. Utilize them for your website, social media, and print materials. The more cohesive everything looks, the more recognition you\u2019ll create among visitors and members alike.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"5\">\n<li><strong>Get a Jump on Your Kids\u2019 Christmas Ministries<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Your church will welcome lots of families at Christmastime. Your regular members will be there. They\u2019ll likely bring family members and kids visiting from out of town. And lots of first-time Christmas guests will have kids in tow. So of course you\u2019ll want to put every bit as much effort into your kids Christmas programs as you do for the grownups.<\/p>\n<p>Sharefaith\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/kids-ministry-curriculum\/\">kids\u2019 ministry curriculum<\/a> is a great place to start. There are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/2017\/11\/christmas-sunday-school-lessons-for-kids\/\">Sunday school lessons<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/2020\/11\/christmas-bible-stories-for-kids\/\">Christmas bible stories<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/2021\/11\/10-christmas-bible-verses-for-kids-ministry\/\">specific Bible verses<\/a> that work great for kids. Best of all, your efforts will help children remember the true reason for the Christmas season. And first-time guests with kids will appreciate and remember how much thought you put into your children\u2019s programs.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"6\">\n<li><strong>Plan Ahead for Your Volunteers<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>All the plans we\u2019ve discussed will help bring crowds of familiar faces and new friends to your Christmas programs. And you\u2019ll need volunteers to make those programs run smoothly. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>But during Christmas, some of your loyal volunteers will likely be out of town visiting family. The last thing you want is to realize at the last minute that you\u2019re understaffed.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Now is the time to find out who\u2019s available. You can use your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/church-management-software\/\">church management software<\/a> (ChMS) to get them signed up. Go ahead and get people assigned to specific tasks. Give yourself plenty of time to schedule and prepare any extra training that may be necessary.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>And for new volunteers, you will need time to conduct your background screening \u2013 especially if they\u2019ll be working with children.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"7\">\n<li><strong>Make Sure You Have Giving Options Ready for Your Congregation<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Christmas is a time of giving. Members and guests will feel inspired to support your ministries. It\u2019s important to think ahead about how your church can be ready to accept such generosity during your Christmas services.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/church-giving-software\/\">church giving software<\/a> should provide a variety of options, including:<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Recurring Giving, which simplifies stewardship for your members and provides your church with steady, predictable income month after month;<\/li>\n<li>Text Giving, so members can text their gift in seconds to a phone number you choose;<\/li>\n<li>Mobile Giving, which lets your congregation give quickly with just a few taps of the screen;<\/li>\n<li>Kiosk Giving, so you can accept on-site digital gifts at your church;\u200b<\/li>\n<li>QR Scan Giving, with codes embedded in your bulletin and on worship materials that members can scan &amp; give with ease.\u200b<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"8\">\n<li><strong>Get Ready Now to Follow-Up with Christmas Guests<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>With all your planning for Christmas services, don\u2019t forget what needs to happen after this special day. Follow-up with visitors is one of the most important parts of your Christmas programs.<\/p>\n<p>Your ChMS can help you with this task as well. You can gather information through guest cards or online registration. Keep track of who attended so you can reach out after. Make notes about specific questions guests had, or any interest they showed in specific ministries.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>If you can have someone personally reach out to visitors, it will go a long way.\u00a0You could also offer a small gift to visitors. The gift can include an information sheet about other upcoming events, small groups, camps for students, and more. Give your guests easy opportunities to stay connected!<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Christmas is a joyful time. But it\u2019s also a lot of work for churches! As you make your early preparations \u2013 even when you\u2019re bogged down in details \u2013 remember what\u2019s important \u2026<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<p>But the angel said to them, \u201cDo not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.\u00a0<i>\u2013 Luke 2:10-11 New American Standard Bible<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Get started now with this Early Christmas To-Do List. You\u2019ll be better prepared to share the Good News! And there\u2019s still time to strengthen your ministries with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/suite-life\/\">ShareFaith Suite<\/a> \u2013 our game-changing family of church tech. Connect with us <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/try-sharefaith-suite\/\">here<\/a> to start a free trial today.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is your church ready for Christmas? If you think it\u2019s too early to ask that question \u2013 think again!\u00a0 Your church members and people in your community are already starting to think about their Christmas plans. Gifts, family gatherings, parties \u2013 and when and where to attend church services.\u00a0 And according to Lifeway Research, \u201cNon-Christians [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3615,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-31277","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-general"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v14.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Your Early Christmas To-Do List: 8 Ways to Plan Ahead for Your Christmas Ministries - Sharefaith Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/2022\/09\/27277\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Your Early Christmas To-Do List: 8 Ways to Plan Ahead for Your Christmas Ministries - Sharefaith Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Is your church ready for Christmas? If you think it\u2019s too early to ask that question \u2013 think again!\u00a0 Your church members and people in your community are already starting to think about their Christmas plans. Gifts, family gatherings, parties \u2013 and when and where to attend church services.\u00a0 And according to Lifeway Research, \u201cNon-Christians [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/2022\/09\/27277\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sharefaith Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SharefaithPage\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-09-27T16:25:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-10-12T16:29:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@sharefaith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@sharefaith\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Sharefaith Magazine\",\"description\":\"The Best in Church Leadership, Worship, Tech and Gear!\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/2022\/09\/27277\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/2022\/09\/27277\/\",\"name\":\"Your Early Christmas To-Do List: 8 Ways to Plan Ahead for Your Christmas Ministries - Sharefaith Magazine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-09-27T16:25:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-10-12T16:29:58+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/03d70c5369e003ee38fa0a2b29455b21\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/2022\/09\/27277\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/03d70c5369e003ee38fa0a2b29455b21\",\"name\":\"Ali Williams\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/53b5850e73d96d008cf7c811608155291b52d93c3fe975695f8bc2c59424af9f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Ali Williams\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s9jHXE-27277","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3615"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31277\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}