Christmas Eve services are some of the most well attended Church services every year. That is why Church staffers and volunteers spend countless hours making it special, unique and impactful.
While many of the preparations you are doing happen weeks and months ahead of time, there are still some last minute preparations you can make to help your team and attendees have a great Christmas Eve. What are those? Here are some things:
For Your Ministry Team
- Be prepared for non-regular Church attenders. Christmas Eve services are one of the most attended services of the year, especially for people who don't normally attend Church. Whether people attend online or in person, make sure your team is welcoming and hospitable to all, prepared to answer any and all questions.
- Rally your team with a Pre-Service devotional and final walk through. Get your worship team, ushers, tech crew, and other key volunteers 30-60 minutes together before the service for a brief encouragement and vision casting time. You could read the Christmas story from Luke 2:1-20, share favorite Bible passages, or even sing a Christmas carol or hymn to set the tone. Also, make sure you thank everyone for their efforts, availability, and pray over the services together.
For Attendees
- Send a Christmas Eve specific email to spark some excitement, anticipation and vision cast by encouraging them to think of some friends, neighbors or co-workers that they could invite to the services along with them. You can even choose to do a few emails leading up to Christmas Eve. You can share devotionals to keep people focused on the real reason of Christmas, DIY crafts or even Christmas recipes. Sending one or more emails can be really helpful to increasing attendance and awareness of what your Church is doing this Christmas season and beyond.
- Highlight next steps for after Christmas. Remind congregants through verbal announcements and printed inserts how their participation will bless those in need between Christmas and New Year's. Provide specific ministry ideas like taking meals to shut-ins, donating gently used toys, volunteering at a homeless shelter, or paying strangers’ layaway balances. Include contact information and a plan to commission volunteers. Facilitating meaningful service energizes givers and remind us of Christ’s light within our communities.
Conclusion
While most of the work you do for Christmas Eve services are done weeks and months ahead of time, there are still a few last minute preparations and to-dos that you can do that will help make those services special.
What do you think? What other last minute preparations can you do this Christmas Eve? Share your ideas below or on social media.
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