Author name: Jake Douglas

6 Practical Ways to Achieve Excellence on a Budget

We’ve all experienced seasons where the budget is a bit tight – especially when the economy isn’t thriving. However, we still want to provide the absolute best for our communities and congregations. So how can you achieve operational excellence on a shoestring budget? Here are some practical tips you can implement at little, to no cost: Tip #1: Find the grammar police Look for a volunteer who is a perfectionist when it comes to correct spelling and grammar. Ask that individual to proofread all of your written communications. This includes the church website, social media posts (yes, grammar still counts in social media), brochures, letters, flyers, worship lyric screens, etc. Poor grammar and misspellings are perceived as a lack of professionalism and excellence. Build your church’s professional image and reputation by being a stickler in this area. All without breaking the budget. Tip #2: Honor volunteers Honoring volunteers involves respecting their time and efforts. For example, let’s say you decide to ask volunteers to do various beautification projects around your church on a Saturday. When you respect their time and have an organized workday, your volunteers will appreciate how well you planned the assignment and are more likely to serve again. Tip #3: Make a good first impression While God looks at the inside, people still judge by outward appearances. While we wish that wasn’t the case, we need to be aware of the first impression people get from your church facilities. Start with a facility evaluation and clean up or repair any areas that need attention. Also, take a look at the office areas. This may sound nitpicky, but a clean, organized office communicates an organized approach to serving your congregation and it provides a professional environment for your staff. You don’t need expensive artwork on the walls or brand new furniture. A simple décor that is well maintained shows that you’re an excellent steward of your resources. Tip #4: Pay attention to event details For example, if you provide childcare at an event, make sure you know how many children you’ll need to care for. Ask attendees to provide the number of children and their ages in the registration form so you’ll know how many childcare workers you’ll need well in advance. Also, consider the safety aspect of events. Make sure you have emergency procedures well developed and communicated to staff and event volunteers. Tip #5: Communicate effectively When developing communications for volunteers or event participants, consider your audience.  What questions would you have if you knew nothing about your organization or the event?  What would you be concerned about?  How would you want to receive the information (email, phone, text message, handouts, etc.)?  Tailor communications to different audiences if needed to address their varying concerns. Tip #6: Stay tuned to trends Using an outdated design scheme for a volunteer appreciation night or not knowing about a social media trend are quick ways to damage credibility and look “behind the times”. Try to stay up-to-date on current trends in social media, graphics, design ideas, etc.  Ask volunteers of various ages what they think of your website, communications, videos, and social media channels. Take their feedback into consideration and make the necessary adjustments. If your logo and graphics need to be updated, check with a local community college and ask if any of their graphic arts students need some experience and will work for a reduced fee. You could get a great update and the student will gain valuable experience. These are just a few ways to ensure excellence in various areas of the church. Excellence is possible even when on a tight budget. As you make the most of the resources you do have, trust God to take your efforts and expand your capacity.  Being faithful in these little things really is a big deal. 

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3 Tips to Prevent Financial Fraud at Church

In 2017, authorities charged a former church employee with embezzling over $300,000. Authorities alleged the former financial secretary charged church credit cards to make personal purchases and used church funds to pay her own personal debts.  This is a reminder of why we need controls to prevent fraud and steward the money God entrusts to our churches. I don’t know the leaders of the church involved, so I don’t know what controls they had at that time. However, here are a few simple steps you can take to reduce the risk of this happening at your church: Tip #1: The person authorized to make credit card charges should not reconcile credit card statements This is referred to as “segregation of duties.” If I have a church credit card (or access to them) and I’m also the sole person who reconciles those statements each month, it would be easy for me to make fraudulent charges without anyone noticing. Don’t leave that temptation in front of someone or expose your church to that level of risk.  Instead, divide responsibilities. Have someone without access to church credit cards be responsible for reviewing monthly statements and monitoring charges. Tip #2: Consider outsourcing By hiring an outside company to reconcile the accounting records each month, you increase the chances of catching fraud.  This is how the church in the story mentioned above found out about the embezzlement. The outsourcing company shouldn’t have direct access to your church’s bank or credit card accounts. They should be responsible for entering transactions into your church’s accounting software and/or handling monthly reconciliations and reports. Tip #3: Separate Accounts Payable Functions The person who enters vendors into the accounting software shouldn’t be able to enter invoices or print checks. Again, this goes back to “segregation of duties.” Here’s the scenario: You can set up security rights within an accounting system to divide responsibilities. This enables you to keep Joe from creating a new vendor, entering an invoice, and cutting a check to pay that fake invoice.  If you don’t have enough staff members to separate responsibilities to this level, you have a couple of options:  These aren’t the only internal controls you should have at your church, but they’re a good start.  When people trust you with their tithes and offerings, they trust you to use and guard that money wisely. Invest the time now to put proper internal controls into place. Otherwise, you may be forced to invest time later into gathering evidence to prove fraud and deal with the aftermath at your church. Prevention is much less expensive (both financially and from a trust perspective) in the long run.

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How to Prepare the Church Facility for an Event

Hosting a special event at your church requires a few extra steps than Sunday services.  As you start the planning process, include these steps to prepare the church facility for the event.  #1 – Reserve the room(s) Each ministry department likely hosts a few events throughout the year. The last thing you want to do is double-book rooms or even the entire church facility. If you don’t already have a room reservation system, now is the time to look into putting one in place. You need to make sure the facilities team knows what you need for this event in plenty of time for them to support your efforts. #2 – Gather event details The facilities team will need several essential details as they plan to support this event:  #3 – Allocate time for setup and tear down Don’t just reserve the rooms for the time of the event. Depending on how extensive the décor and setup are, you may need to reserve those areas for the day (or more) before the event. Also, allow sufficient time after the event to restage the rooms for weekly services and clean the church facility. #4 – Arrange for staff to be present You might need someone available to run the sound, video, and lighting. You may also need facilities staff to let you into the building on an early Saturday morning or to lock up the church afterward. Also, consider whether you’ll have members of your church security team at the event.  #5 – Ensure proper climate control This is something to discuss with your facilities team when you ask to reserve room(s). Depending on how they manage the central heat and air, they’ll need to arrange to have the areas of the facility you’ll use property heated or air-conditioned. They might recommend using certain rooms that are covered by the same HVAC unit to save on energy costs. #6 – Conduct a church facility walkthrough Especially if this event will attract first-time guests, you want to make sure you’re making a good first impression. Walk through your church facility starting in the parking lot: Approach the church building: Walk inside the building: If you’re providing childcare at this event, walk through the children’s areas: Work with those responsible for each area (facilities, children’s ministry, etc.) to freshen up the church as needed. You might arrange a volunteer church beautification day a week before the event to spruce up areas that need extra attention. Special events are a great way to disciple your congregation and attract new people to the church. With intentional planning and working together as a team, you can pull off excellent events that draw people closer to Christ.

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4 Tips for Fall Event Planning Success

As crisp fall air prepares us for the colder winter months, fall events get us ready for the Christmas season. To prevent last-minute chaos and stress, it’s time to start thinking about how to get ready for your fall schedules. Fall event planning doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here are four simple tips to help you get started. Tip #1: Leave Breathing Room While it’s tempting to plan events that cater to every possible demographic represented in your community, the result of such an effort is likely burnout and a lack of excellence. To prevent this, cut back on the number of events you host. By leaving some white space on the fall event calendar, you can put intentional focus on the activities you choose to keep. Tip #2: Start Planning Now An event with a 50-plus attendance list is going to require more than a week or two of planning. Ideally, you’d start planning any church-wide event six months in advance. This provides sufficient time to develop ideas, shop for bargains, and get volunteers committed to serving at the event.   Assign someone to be the event planner for each event.  This individual should talk with all departments involved to determine what tasks they’ll need to complete for a successful event. Tip #3: Connect with Local Schools Leading up to the back-to-school season is a great time to connect with local school administrators. Ask for input on how your church can support them. It’s also a great way to expand your church’s community outreach. Talk with teachers in your congregation to see what they need going into a new school year. Rally the church to support them in practical ways. Also, consider conducting an outreach like a school supply backpack drive or a coat drive for underprivileged kids.  Tip #4: Build Volunteer Teams Start building your volunteer queue by inviting members who aren’t active volunteers to serve at an event. This gives them a chance to experience what it’s like to serve. It also provides you the opportunity to see where each individual would fit best in a longer-term role. Additional tip: After the event, send thank you notes to volunteers and ask them to join specific volunteer teams. Preparation is the key ingredient in pulling off a successful year of church events. Your fall calendar is going to set the tone for the months to come. Start strong by planning early, building your teams, and making connections now. **Looking for more church event planning tips? Check out The Church Event Planning Toolkit for a proven process for planning successful, not stressful, church events.**

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How to Spot High Achieving Volunteers

Finding and keeping volunteers can be challenging enough. Identifying high-achieving volunteers who are skilled leaders and humble servants is even tougher. This type of volunteer takes a weight off your shoulders and makes life a bit easier. Finding rock-star volunteers who consistently go the extra mile may seem like finding a needle in a haystack. However, there are some key signs you can look for to identify these high-potential, high-achieving volunteers Sign #1: High-achieving volunteers offer solutions It’s easy to point out a problem. Bringing well-thought-out options to solve an issue requires additional critical thinking and planning skills. What’s even better is when a volunteer comes to you with an issue and is simply asking for permission to fix it.  When that happens, let your volunteer know how much you appreciate it. Then, make sure you keep this volunteer in a role that will best play to his/her strengths. This problem-solving ability is also a potential sign this person has leadership skills and could be a good fit for leading other volunteers.  Sign #2: High-achieving volunteers will do whatever tasks are required The best leaders are willing to humbly serve. If you know a volunteer has the skills to organize an entire event but at this key moment, you need someone to move chairs, watch to see if he’ll handle that task with a great attitude. When you see that, take note and remember to put him in roles that will best utilize his skills as often as possible. Sign #3: High-achieving volunteers are proactive When you’re in the weeds of planning an event or preparing for next Sunday, it’s easy to miss something. If a volunteer mentions she’s thinking ahead to summer and has already checked with other Sunday morning volunteers about their vacation plans…praise God and ask for this volunteer to keep doing what they’re doing.  Sign #4: High-achieving volunteers maintain healthy boundaries This one may surprise you, but one sign of a high-achieving volunteer is her ability to say “no” to serving on occasion. This indicates she’s aware of her time, energy, and relational limits and carefully maintains healthy margins in her life. That may not always be the most convenient for you, but it’s something to respect as it’s a sign of maturity and wisdom.  When you have high-achieving volunteers, here’s how to keep them: Tip #1: Make sure they’re in a role that aligns with the skills and abilities God entrusted to them Ask what they enjoy doing, their hobbies, what they do at work, etc. Consider giving volunteers personality or spiritual gifting tests as well. By matching volunteers with a role that taps into their God-given talents, you provide an opportunity they’ll enjoy and will receive the best work from them. Tip #2: Recognize any specialized skills or knowledge they possess and ask for their input when appropriate When you learn what your volunteers do for a living, add the information to your church database (let’s face it, if you don’t record it somewhere you’ll forget).  Then when you need a particular expertise, you can search by that field in your ChMS and know whom to contact. This can really be helpful for special events (project managers or event planners), disaster relief efforts (carpenters, doctors, etc.), or when you’re planning to launch a new program. Tip #3: Give them challenging assignments with the authority to match Granted, this is after getting to know someone and making sure you trust his/her judgment. From there, give these volunteers room to do ministry and not simply follow directions. They need the challenge plus if they’re well respected for their abilities in the workplace but their church doesn’t value them, what’s the incentive to put those skills to work for the church? Sure, they may still do so out of the desire to serve but make that decision easier for them to make. Tip #4: Communicate your appreciation This applies for all volunteers. However, make sure you don’t take the super dependable volunteers for granted. They’re not looking for applause, but a hand-written note or simple thank you is always motivating. Take some time this week to consider your current volunteers. Who seems to fit the bill of a potentially high-achieving volunteer? What specific skills and/or leadership capacity does each person possess? How can you ensure each individual is in the best volunteer role and that they know you value their input?  Ministry isn’t supposed to be done just by a few clergy and staff members. As followers of Christ, we’re all supposed to minister to others. Help your volunteers grow in their ministry efforts. They’ll experience the joy that comes from serving others and you’ll not only see more people helped but will also see your volunteers mature spiritually as a result.  

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How to Quickly Plan an Amazing Vacation Bible School

Vacation Bible School brings kids together every summer for a fun-filled week of adventure, crafts, and learning God’s Word. If your church is offering its own program this year, here are a few steps on how to pull off an amazing VBS even if you haven’t started planning yet. Step #1: Decide on the Basics Before you do anything, choose the when, where, and how of your VBS week. This checklist will help to keep you focused on the basics: Step #2: Gather a Planning Team Now that you’ve created the outline of your plan, assemble a group of staff and volunteers for your VBS planning team. A handful of team members should be enough, but it’s a good idea to gather individuals with an interest and passion for VBS. Step #3: Create the Plan There are so many elements that go into planning any event, especially one that lasts an entire week. To help you stay organized, try breaking down your “to-dos” into categories like these: Communications This includes creating graphics for promotional materials, website updates, online event registration, video announcements, and anything else that requires some form of digital or printed communication. Work with your church’s communications team to develop a plan to invite those in the congregation and community. A comprehensive plan should consider Facebook ads, billboards, announcements on local news outlets, as well as outdoor signage at your church. Facilities Most likely, your VBS program will be held on location at your church. If so, discuss which rooms you will need for the week. Based on the curriculum you’re using, provide details on how each room should be set up with tables, chairs, audio/visual, and craft material. Also, address whether or not you’ll want any additional signage throughout the facility. Food What kind of meals and snacks will you be preparing each day? Create a menu and make sure you have enough people with food handler permits to help prepare the food.  Include a field in the registration form to ask about any food sensitivities and create a process for how to ensure those are followed during VBS. Decor Referring again to your curriculum, as many have themes, determine what decorations you’ll need for the main stage, classrooms, and central areas of your church. Volunteers Make a list of the volunteer roles needed to prepare for VBS (setting up the week or weekend before) and throughout VBS week. Tips to getting volunteers: Additional Materials Hands-on crafts and activities are a major part of the VBS experience. They also come with a list of materials. Figure out what supplies you’ll need to purchase for these crafts or any other take-home items, such as a Scripture-verse-of-the-day card. Emergency Protocols Every event, especially one involving children, needs a safety plan in place. Be sure to have adequate first aid supplies and procedures, security, and emergency evacuation plans. Other Considerations Though each church’s VBS program is different, here are a few common considerations as you finalize your plan: Step #4: Work the Plan Your plan is set, now divvy up tasks amongst team members and set deadlines for each. I recommend using a project management tool — such as Asana, Teamwork, or Basecamp — to communicate deadlines, track progress, and provide additional information to your team in one centralized location. Step #5: Enjoy a Successful Vacation Bible School Week One of the first rules of event planning is to be flexible. Things happen and not everything is going to go off without a hitch. Because of this, it’s a great idea to set up a Command Center where staff and volunteers can come to ask questions and get help troubleshooting issues throughout VBS week. Step #6: Celebrate and Recognize Phew! You just pulled off an amazing VBS week! Celebrate your team’s success by hosting a party for all your VBS staff and volunteers. This can be a simple dinner-out to close out the week or a small gathering with yummy goodies and a huge “thank you” to everyone involved. And be sure to recognize your hard-working team in Sunday’s service! Step #7: Conduct a Lessons-Learned Meeting Though your program will mostly be successful, it won’t be perfect. Invite parents, volunteers, and church staff to join you for a meeting to discuss what went well and what to improve upon for next year. Step #8: Create a Vacation Bible School Planning Notebook If you used this plan this year, then you’ve already got your plan for next year. Organize all planning documents, vendor contracts, volunteer job descriptions, and other key items in a notebook or binder to make planning next year’s VBS week that much easier. As you get into these warmer months, which typically come with a host of summer activities, camps, and events, remember that Vacation Bible School is an opportunity to connect with church members and non-church members in a relaxed, exciting environment. If you make it fun, they will certainly come. If you’d like a step-by-step guide to planning church events of any size, check out The Church Event Planning Toolkit book. At only $14.99, it’s an inexpensive resource that can save your church time and money. Get your copy today.

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Special Considerations for Outdoor Church Events

Many churches host events outdoors to take advantage of the beautiful weather and host events they couldn’t manage indoors.  Activities for VBS, outdoor concerts or worship nights, and Fall Trunk-or-Treats are just a few examples.  If you’re planning any outdoor church events, here are a few things you should consider to make them a fun and safe experience for everyone involved: #1 – Offer shade and cold water People can quickly get overheated in the summer heat. Depending on the event, it might make sense to set up tents and other shaded areas so attendees can escape the sun for a few moments as needed. Also, make sure participants have access to cold water so they can stay hydrated and cool. #2 – Develop an inclement weather plan Since weather forecasts aren’t always accurate, you’ll need to decide now how to proceed with the event if the weather isn’t favorable. If your church has an indoor gym or other large open room, that could be an ideal backup location for this event. Another issue to consider is if a storm occurs after the event has already started outside. Who will monitor the forecast? Who makes the call to have everyone move indoors? Where will you have people take shelter if there’s a dangerous storm approaching?  #3 – Provide security Anytime you get a large crowd together, it’s wise to consider the potential security risks and plan accordingly. If your church already has a security team, they need to be a part of the planning process for this event. Determine how many security team members you’ll need for the event, including whether you’ll hire any off-duty police officers. Also, consider if you want to have an ambulance stationed on church property just in case someone has an emergency. Contact your local first responders to see what they can do.  #4 – Give parents additional information Notify parents ahead of time if event activities could result in wet or dirty clothes. They may want to send their children in older outfits and provide a change of clothes as well. Parents will appreciate knowing this beforehand, so they aren’t unpleasantly surprised when they arrive to pick up their kids. #5 – Look into special event insurance Contact your church’s liability insurance provider to determine if your existing policy covers special events. Some insurance companies may require you to buy a special policy for larger events. Check into this at least a month before the event to make sure you’re covered. Outdoor events can be a great way to bring your church family together and attract people from the community to engage with your congregation. With a bit of careful planning, you can create a safe and fun event.

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Church Management Software – 4 Steps to a Successful Implementation

If your current church management software isn’t working for your church, and you’ve decided to make a change, there’s much more involved than just converting data to a new system. Even if everyone on your team hates the current software, there’s still going to be some resistance to change. New software involves learning a new program, possibly changing processes, and the usual implementation headaches. They might all agree that change is necessary, but you still may deal with frustrations along the way. So, how do you have a successful church management software implementation and a happy team?  Tip #1: Fix Processes First One trap many people fall into is thinking a new tool will fix all their problems. Unfortunately, even the fanciest and most expensive ChMS can’t correct a broken process. Before you evaluate potential ChMS options, examine the processes you would perform within a new tool. Here are a few examples of the types of processes to review: If these processes aren’t functioning well now, fix those issues first. Decide how you want a process to work manually, then consider how a ChMS could help you automate aspects of each process. Tip #2: Evaluate Several Church Management Software Options There are several excellent options for church management systems. That’s the good news! The bad news is that the process to figure out which one will work best for your church can be cumbersome. Take your time evaluating various options and use these tips to make that effort a bit easier. Tip #2: Perform a Data Clean-Up If you plan on migrating data from a previous ChMS, take the time now for a data clean-up effort. It doesn’t make sense to bring outdated or inactive records into the new system.   One way to clean up the database is to remove the records of people who are no longer active at your church. You can find these by running reports to identify people who haven’t donated, registered for an event or small group, checked in as a volunteer, checked in their children, or other key activities within the last 12-24 months. Here are a few ways to verify you have valid contact information: Tip #3: Get Buy-in From Key Influencers Who within your staff or key volunteers has the most influence? This isn’t always the person in charge of a department. These individuals are those whom your staff and volunteers listen to and whose opinions they value. If they like this new software and are champions of the changes required in the implementation, then the rest of the team is more likely to buy in as well. Once you’ve identified these influencers, get them involved in the selection and implementation planning process. Once they’re on board and like the new system, they’ll be your best champions in getting the team to change. Tip #4: Make Gradual Changes Many ChMS applications have multiple modules you can implement separately (giving, check-in, event registration, facilities, etc.). Whenever possible, change over to a single aspect of the new ChMS at a time. For example, you might migrate contact information and start using childcare check-in, but wait a few weeks before using the online profile aspects of the system. Too much change at once, even good change, can be overwhelming. A phased approach gives your team time to learn the new system gradually. This approach also gives you the flexibility to work out any “bugs” in the process one module at a time. Tip #5: Invite Feedback Ask your staff, volunteers, and congregation to provide you with feedback about the new system. Find out what’s working, what isn’t, what they like, and what they dislike. As you receive this input, make whatever changes are appropriate and possible. When you implement requested changes, let everyone know you made the change due to their feedback. This communicates that you’re listening and taking action on their requests.  It is not easy to change a significant tool such as your church management software, so you need your team to fully support the new direction. As you involve key influencers early on, run a phased implementation, and invite feedback, you should have a much smoother changeover to the new software.

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5 Steps to a Successful Church “Spring Cleaning” Project

Periodically our church facilities need a bit of sprucing up. If you walk through the campus and focus on the details, you’re likely to notice weeds in the landscaping, chipped paint, frayed carpet, and other areas for improvement. These tasks typically don’t require a considerable budget to fix. The bigger concern is the labor required to complete them all in a reasonable timeframe. One way to solve this problem is by inviting people to volunteer for a church beautification day. The church provides the supplies and instructions, while volunteers provide the sweat equity. If a church “spring cleaning” project might be in order, here’s how to prepare for a successful effort: Step #1: Assess the Situation Perform a detailed tour of the church facilities and note each item or area that needs attention.  Exterior: Interior: Step #2: Develop a Church Spring Cleaning Plan Create a list of the supplies necessary for each task and identify what items you’ll need to purchase. Consider whether you can finish all of the tasks in a single day or will need to finish one before you can start another. For example, it might be best to let the paint dry in a classroom before replacing the carpet in that same room. Next, estimate how many volunteers you’ll need for each task and if you need volunteers with specific skill sets. Create a schedule including when you need volunteers to arrive, who will lead each team of volunteers, where you’ll stage supplies, etc. If this project will last all day, provide lunch, water, and snacks for those participating. If you’ll need multiple days to complete all the items on your list, determine which tasks to tackle each day. Step #3: Invite Volunteers to Participate Once you have a plan, you’d probably like to get started right away. However, it’s best to announce this project and ask people to sign up at least 3 to 4 weeks beforehand. This gives people time to consider their schedules and find a way to participate if possible. Step #4: Organize the Day Respect the time of those who’ve signed up to help by having an organized plan for the day. Ask all volunteers to check-in at a central location on campus, then have team leaders take their volunteers to the place they’re assigned to work on. Make sure to have all the supplies needed set up at each station with water and snacks available as well.  Make sure your team leaders know what their teams need to do and get their volunteers started right away. These team leaders could be staff members or key volunteer leaders you’ve already met with about this project. Walk around and check on each team to see if they need anything throughout the day. Set a time for everyone to enjoy lunch together as well. Make this a fun atmosphere that gets the work done but also provides volunteers with a chance to get to know each other. Let teams know they’re welcome to stay and help others when they finish their tasks or they can head home – whatever works best for them. Step #5: Express Your Appreciation Since this church beautification project will likely happen on weekday evenings or on a Saturday, take a minute during the next Sunday’s services to thank your volunteers. In addition, mail thank you cards to each volunteer the week after. Post before and after pictures of various areas on your church’s Facebook page or other social media account and thank the teams who participated. This lets your volunteers know how much you appreciate their work and may encourage others to volunteer for similar projects in the future. A church spring cleaning project can have many benefits. This effort can result in a better environment for Sunday services, a great experience for volunteers, and less strain on church staff by checking off a big to-do list in a short timeframe. By carefully planning the day and setting up your volunteers for success, you’ll make that possible for everyone involved.

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A Comprehensive Guide to Planning for Easter

Planning an event takes time, teamwork, and lots of organization. Planning for Easter celebrations requires a bit of extra attention. Instead of surfing the web for various tools on how to plan for your Easter weekend, we thought it would be helpful to have one checklist to lead you through the entire planning process. We’ve gathered everything you need to know into one comprehensive guide to help you plan an incredible Easter for your church while also being able to pause and reflect on the season yourself. #1 — Plan Your Plan A part of planning for Easter includes creating the planning process. Follow these seven steps to pull off an amazing Easter service. Choose a Leader First things first, decide who will be in charge of coordinating Easter at your church. Make sure it’s someone who has event planning skills as well as time in their schedule. The Senior Pastor, for example, probably shouldn’t be the one handling Easter logistics, as crafting the sermon and approving the high-level plan is the SP’s focus. Whoever is in charge will need to coordinate between ministry departments — worship, children, youth, service, security, facilities, communications, etc. —  to keep everyone on the same page and working toward the same goals. Don’t forget to pull in the accounting, communications, and facilities departments. They tend to get overlooked but they can have a huge impact on the success of Easter services and events. Having one person coordinating tasks is also helpful in preventing several departments from doing repetitive work. Determine the Scope There are so many things to explore when it comes to planning for Easter celebrations. Once you’ve chosen your leader, get a group together to determine the scope of your church’s capabilities. Will you include outreach events the week before, host an Easter egg hunt, or offer a breakfast gathering before service begins? You may even be thinking of putting on an Easter play. Write this out and talk it over with your department leads before moving on to step three. Finalize a Budget Creating a budget is such a crucial step to a successful Easter that we dedicated an entire blog post about it. For now, here are a few highlights: Find out if your church has a budget for Easter. If not, discuss money allocation options with your church accountant or executive pastor. From equipment rentals to decor to food, determine what your congregation will need in order to meet your scope. Draft your budget, including estimates, and send it to department leads for review. Create a Step-by-Step Plan Now that we’re counting weeks instead of months until Easter, it’s helpful to assign each task to a specific week to make sure it’s accounted for. Here is a high-level list of tasks by week leading up to Easter: Week 1: Finalize the overall theme and scope of activities for Easter weekend. This includes the sermon title, color scheme, themed décor, communion, food items, etc. Gather a planning team. Create and finalize a budget. Walk through the church campus and make a list of any repairs, clean up, or beautification work needed Week 2: Submit Purchase Requests for supplies, rentals, print jobs, etc. Finalize color scheme for Easter graphics. Determine if the church will do any outreach events leading up to Easter. Week 3: Order supplies needed for décor, guest handouts/gifts, etc. Order rentals (tables, chairs, sound equipment) Hire additional security personnel if needed. Create graphics for sermon slides, church website, social media posts, handouts, etc. Plan outreach events (if applicable). Determine volunteer needs (how many you’ll need in each role for Easter weekend). Ask for volunteers to help with church repair, clean up, or beautification projects. Week 4: Create social media posts and start scheduling them. Create Facebook ads. Finalize worship set list. Schedule worship team rehearsals. Ask current volunteers to serve during Easter weekend. Week 5: Recruit additional volunteers as needed (contact people who have served at events but not on a regular basis). Prepare volunteer instructions and training materials. Purchase supplies needed for Easter Sunday. Promote Easter services via Facebook ads, social media posts, and mass email to the congregation. Decide how to follow up with Easter guests and set that system in place. You may need additional volunteers to help with data entry or other follow-up needs. Week 6: Complete church repair, clean up, or beautification projects. Finalize sermon slides. Send any final print jobs to the printer. Encourage the congregation to invite others to Easter services. Week 7: Double check that all supplies needed for Easter Sunday were purchased. Conduct a service run-through. Conduct worship team rehearsal. Host outreach event if applicable. Put guest follow-up process into place. Put the Plan into Place Now that you have your weekly plan, assign tasks to the appropriate team member, making sure to emphasize the deadlines for each. It’s also a good idea to send email reminders to your team in the days and weeks before their task is set to be complete. When volunteers are likely dealing with a number of obligations outside of church, this is a great way to keep your church activities relevant and on track. Enjoy an Impactful Easter! If you have followed this list until now, you are ready to reap the fruits of your labor. Now, enjoy an impactful Easter! Review and Reflect Hosting a successful Easter celebration for years to come is only possible with a review of what worked and, most importantly, what didn’t. Sit down with your planning team and members of your congregation to determine what didn’t go quite as smoothly as you’d hoped. Learn from these lessons and plan better for next year. #2 — Recruit Volunteers Without a doubt, you’re going to need extra hands for Easter. By putting these tips into practice, you can start filling those volunteer roles now while adding to your regular volunteer team later. For a full discussion on working with volunteers in your church, take a look at my

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