What About Monday?

What if we took every weekend as seriously as we took Easter weekend? 

Easter is a big deal, right? There were churches who elevated their Easter services, and others that made it just like every other Sunday. Some catered their messages to the first-time guest and others stayed the course and kept on preaching out of their previously scheduled sermon calendar. Some held egg hunts, egg drops, church-wide potlucks and BBQs, and others went home to a relaxing nap after a normal weekend. There are so many ways to approach Easter and large holiday events, that the church world is somewhat confused as to which way they should go. What we do know however, is that there are no less than three facts to be aware of, and three things we can do differently in the future.

1. You can’t reach everyone in one weekend.
2. You can’t spend all your capital in one shot.
3. You can’t win them with a fancy show.

You can’t reach everyone in one weekend. 

People go out of town on holidays. Of course, Easter and Christmas will be your highest attended weekends, but you can’t reach everyone in one weekend just based on the fact that people travel. And even if you could reach every one in one weekend, who’s to say that you will meet them where they are at and they will be apt to listening? Your message could be off, they could have had a bad experience with a greeter; the possibilities are endless as to how your services could have fallen short.

You can’t spend all your capital in one shot. 

Just like you can’t reach everyone in one weekend, you can’t spend a year’s worth of capital in one shot. Why? Well, what about next week? And the week after that? Or a month later? Or a few months later? If you spend all your emotional capital in one shot, your team is exhausted for the next several weeks, unable to invest in others. If you spend all your financial capital, you’re just keeping the lights on with your budget. There is a tightrope act that needs to happen between elevating Easter (and major holidays), but not to the detriment of all other weekends, activities, salary, etc …

You can’t win them with a fancy show. 

“What you win then with, is what you win them to.” Which is why when your guests come back the next week or two weeks later, and are met with lacking music and toned down messages, they quickly return to their corner of the world feeling somewhat deceived. If you can elevate your impact for one weekend a year, then you can do it every weekend. Yes, Easter is a big deal. But James did not go to Easter weekend, and Mary was sick that day. They deserve the same excellence and presentation as Mark and Ann received. The message of Easter is hope for all, not just for those who showed up.

What can you do? 

1. You can reach everyone throughout the year.
2. You can spend your capital wisely.
3. You can win guests with a balanced approach.

You can reach everyone throughout the year. You can focus on having city-wide impact with a congregation focused on living out the Jesus mission. You can spend your capital wisely, knowing that Easter is a launching point for some and a decision point for others. You can win them with a balanced presentation, speaking your audience’s language at different points of the year. People need to hear the Gospel message no less than seven times before they make any decision about Jesus. So remember that as you target your messages and services week in and week out. What you’ll find out is that people see Jesus in January, as much as they do in April.