I know that I’m stating the obvious here, but you know that Easter is coming right? Of course you know that. Everyone does. But I have to ask this question because many pastors and churches act like they don’t know Easter is coming. It’s one thing to know it – another thing to do something about it.

It is a huge mistake to know that Easter is coming and do nothing about it. I’m shocked to watch some pastors who expect Easter to “take care of itself.” I want to challenge you to be intentional about maximizing this natural bump in your worship attendance. Here are five practical ways to prepare for Easter…

1. Pray about it. There quite likely will be more lost people at your church on Easter Sunday than any other time. What are you going to do about that? Pray that God will bring people who need to hear the gospel and that many trust Christ for salvation. I love the old quote attributed to Saint Augustine, “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.”

2. Plan for it. Easter comes every year with surprising regularity.  Take some time and plan for it.  It may be too late this year, but start planning now for next year.  Build it into your calendar, staff discussions and creative conversations.  If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

3. Prepare for it. Don’t just plan, prepare. Planning is dreaming, preparing is doing. Encourage your people to invite others. Get creative, be enthusiastic, cast vision and challenge your people. 

4. Invest in it. Easter is possibly the biggest day on your church’s calendar. If Easter is important, put your money where your mouth is and invest in it. Plan on having 5,000 invite cards designed and printed and have your people give them out (check out clubflyers.com). You don’t have to do this, but do something.

5. Follow up on it. God sends people to us on Easter Sunday. It is an eternally significant mistake when we don’t follow up with guests and occasional attendees. Put a process of follow up in place and do your best to maximize return guests.

Easter Sunday is a gift. We are God’s stewards. Failing to pray, plan, prepare, invest and follow up is not just poor judgment – it’s failing to do the best with what God has given us.