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3 Events You Can Repeat That Welcome Visitors

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Organize fantastic annual church events to attract newcomers and welcome visitors into your church family.

It is common knowledge that churches should focus on being visitor-friendly places. One of the most beneficial initiatives a church can take on in this regard is organizing large-scale events that attract newcomers, making it easy for members to invite and welcome visitors.

Don’t panic. You do not need to reinvent the wheel. Take the stress out of this by creating an event cycle that makes it easy for staff to plan for and for community members to look forward to. The added bonus here is that each year, you can build on what you did the previous year and help your community become aware of the fantastic annual events your church provides.  Your church can become known in your community for holding certain events that are fun, inclusive, and welcoming.

3 Events Your Church Can Repeat That Welcome Visitors

1. Easter event

A popular and very successful easter event is a big egg hunt. 

Easter egg hunts are a great outreach opportunity for churches because they involve delicious chocolate but also potentially give someone their first introduction to Jesus. They also attract the wonder and amazement of children worldwide, which means that you’ll want to present the gospel simplistically through your activities at the event.

To make it extra visitor-friendly, how about organizing your hunt outside of the church building? You could use a beautiful park that will provide some interesting places to hide eggs and set up activities for all ages.

Remember that for this kind of event, you’ll want to have other activities available to keep your attendees there and increase the opportunities for your members to connect with and welcome visitors. 

There are endless options for this kind of event but here are just a few to inspire your creative mind:

  • Face painting
  • Bean bag toss
  • Balloon animals
  • Plastic duck races
  • Bobbing for apples
  • Wet sponge throw
  • Tug of war

The egg hunt will be your main event but you’ll want these extra activities to make sure everyone goes home feeling like they’ve had multiple opportunities to have fun and look forward to the next egg hunt event that your church holds. 

Organize fantastic annual church events to attract newcomers and welcome visitors into your church family.

2. Back-to-school fall event

Center this event around promoting your childrens’ ministry. This will mean celebrating the things kids love most while also making it fun for the adults who accompany them. 

Call your event a “celebration” or a “carnival” and rent a pavilion to make it look really fun. With this kind of starting point, it’s easy to combine other celebratory event ideas, such as a music festival, or a fireworks display. Of course, if you’re in a warmer region and the people in your community enjoy the outdoors more, how about organizing a ‘Mud Games’? You could design a variety of fun activities around mud:

  • Mud painting
  • Tug of war in a mud pit
  • Mudball! (football)
  • Obstacle course through mud

Parents may not thank you for this when they do their next load of laundry but all the children involved will surely have a great time and enjoy the mess before they clean up and go back to school.

3. Christmas advent event

Churches around the world are known for their candle-lit advent services, prayer services, and nativity plays. Christmastime is full of enjoying annual traditions centered around the celebration of Jesus’ birth, and your church is likely no different.  

What about making Christmastime a season to promote small group involvement? Although small groups might be intimidating for some, a Christmas-themed gathering is not. Build on that openness by encouraging your members to invite visitors to join their small groups in their homes or via digital small groups during the week. 

As far as content goes, your team can come up with an advent study that draws the excitement of the Christmas season back to Jesus. And don’t forget to incorporate some fun, like minute-to-win-it holiday games, cookie decorating, or a White Elephant gift exchange.

Take the stress out of event planning when you create an event cycle that makes it easy for staff to plan for and for community members to look forward to. Click To Tweet

CREATE A SYSTEM TO MAKE WELCOMING VISITORS SIMPLE

Before, during and after any event, think through the different ways you can gather attendee information. 

For example, to make sure your egg hunt doesn’t attract too many people, consider requiring tickets at the door. The tickets can be acquired for free, but make it easy for you to get a decent head count. Remember to ask for permission to keep the attendee’s email address for further communication. 

During the event, you can hold a giveaway that requires email addresses for entry or simply ask for people to sign up to receive information on an upcoming event that you’ve promoted. 

With these newcomers’ email addresses in your system, create an Event Guest group that you can include when sending communication about holidays and special events. 

Organize fantastic annual church events to attract newcomers and welcome visitors into your church family.

Pro Tip: Email lists are key. Visitors don’t need to be added to the weekly prayer list unless they become church attendees, which is why keeping impeccable lists is key to church communication. Get inspiration and great information in 9 Planning Center Lists Every Kids Ministry Leader Needs.

WELCOME VISITORS EVERY YEAR

These are just 3 events you can conduct regularly, but there are many more that could also be a hit in your community. Explore events like charity runs/walk-a-thons, inviting a guest speaker, or hosting a block party in your church’s neighborhood. A variety of events that appeal to different demographics will be a wise addition to your church’s calendar. 

With the right systems in place, you’ll be able to conduct events that community members and your regular attendees look forward to year after year. 

Get more ideas for retaining guests with 4 Ways To Inspire Church Visitors To Keep Coming Back.

CTT Staff
CTT Staffhttps://churchtechtoday.com
ChurchTechToday is the #1 church technology website for pastors, communicators, and leaders. With the goal to provide insight into a variety of topics including social media, websites, worship, media, mobile, and software, ChurchTechToday aims to shed light on how church technology can empower and position churches for impact and growth.

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